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© Poulomi Ghosh | India.com News Desk
Wedding (Representational Image)
Nip in the air, the warm union of two souls- it’s that time of the year again! Wedding season is finally here and has us excited as ever. Indian weddings are all about dance, drama, emotions, outfits, makeup and more. While 2020 has been a depressing year, the wedding is an excuse to feel normal again by of course adhering to the COVID-19 norms. In India, a wedding is a grand affair. A study undertaken by Sulekha.com, an AI-driven tech platform for expert services has unveiled interesting trends and insights about the service categories that have seen an increase during Unlock 4.0 in September. This study is based on visits and searches by nearly 25,000 users across the top 8 cities that landed on Sulekha in September 2020 (September 1st 30th). Key findings of the study: -The top 3 service categories that have seen a spike in Unlock 4.0 online searches include Beauty Parlours, Clothing Rentals for bridal and occasion wear & Matrimonial Services. -Comparing the growth in online searches for service categories from August September 2020 (Unlock 3.0 Vs Unlock 4.0), the top 3 service categories overall grew by 8%. -The top 5 cities that are leading in online searches across service categories include: Chennai, Delhi and Bangalore followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai. -With the wedding season around the corner, there has been a significant increase in the online searches for categories such as Tour Operators, Clothing Rentals, Matrimonial services, event organizers, etc. -Clothing rentals and Marriage hall rentals grew by 60%; while Event Organizers and Photographers & Videographers grew by over 30% since August 2020. -Beauty parlour services were searched over 4000 users while Matrimonial services were searched over by 1531 users across India. -Tour operators and Party & Banquet Hall Rentals grew by over 55%. A new service category that has seen a rise during this period is Sanitization services, which grew by 80%. This could be due to the several restrictions and protocols levied by the government that need to be followed during weddings.
Satya Prabhakar, Founder & CEO, Sulekha.com, said, “Amidst all the uncertainty due to the pandemic, consumers are being cautious about spending on big purchases which could be attributed to the increase in online searches for clothing rental services for weddings and special occasions. On the other hand, with the wedding season nearing, people are exploring the beauty and grooming services, clearly indicated by the rise in online searches for beauty parlours and grooming services. Social activities such as weddings have resumed leading to surge in online searches for sanitization services for commercial spaces like marriage halls.”