Indian Shoppers Increased Online Purchases Ahead of Diwali

(IDEX Online News) – Indian consumers bought more goods online ahead of the Diwali holiday that started on November 3, according to a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

"Online buying trends have witnessed a significant jump this Diwali due to aggressive online discounts, rising fuel prices and abundant online choices keeping shoppers indoors,” said Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat. “Plus there are security concerns, besides other inconveniences in big cities."

The volume of online shopping by residents of the country’s largest cities could almost triple during the five-day festive season, the survey said, based on feedback from 1,200 traders, with jewelry accounting for 15 percent of the items bought.

As many as 71 percent of Internet users in Delhi who were surveyed said they preferred online shopping, while just 21 percent preferred to shop in traditional markets during Diwali.

The report did not specify the types of items being bought online.

In other cities, such as Mumbai, 55 percent of the population carried out daily purchases online in 2012-13, and that figure is seen rising to 69 percent in the current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2014, the report added.