Online shopping clicks in searing heat: Survey

The searing heat wave in the country has come as a blessing for online shopping portals that have grown 155 percent this summer, a survey revealed Wednesday.

Conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the survey interviewed about 3,500 shoppers in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, among others.

"This summer, there is 155 percent more traffic on online retail websites and shopping on ground has taken a back seat," said D.S. Rawat, secretary general, Assocham.

"Factors like convenience, rising fuel price, online discounts and availability with abundance of choice is also keeping shoppers indoors," he added.

According to the survey, 78 percent Delhiites, highest in the country, prefer shopping online while 14 percent head to markets and seven percent like to visit malls.

Mumbai came in a close second with 45 percent of the respondents going for online shopping followed by Bangalore (40 percent).

The survey revealed that the majority of shoppers (55 percent) are between 26 years and 35 years while about 35 percent are between 18 years and 25 years. In addition, 85 percent of online shoppers are males.

As far as the products sold are concerned, electronic items like mobile phones, tablets, MP3 players, digital cameras etc. are the hot favourites, followed by clothing and jewellery.

India has more than 110 million Internet users, of which about half opt for online purchases and the number is growing every year. At present, the online shopping market is estimated at Rs.92,000 crore and is growing 100 percent every year, said Assocham.