Google sees surge in 'online shopping' queries ahead of Diwali

Surat leads Indian cities in search queries; Mobile phones most sought after choice

With the festive season around the corner, there has been a "significant rise" in online searches relating to 'online shopping' in India, internet search major Google today said.

Among Indian cities, Surat in Gujarat is leading search queries, followed by Bangalore, Noida, Coimbatore, Bhubaneshwar, Gurgaon, and Ludhiana.

"The Internet is increasingly becoming the preferred source of research (and even purchase) for Indians, and searches on Google clearly show the rush of searches around Diwali," Google said in a release.

"With festivities round the corner, there has been a significant rise in 'online shopping' and related searches in the past month."

According to the search trends on Google, technology gadgets, especially mobile phones, are the most sought after choice for gifting options by individuals. This trend has been fuelled also because of several launches by mobile phone makers ahead of the festive season.

Watches are the second choice for gifting, according to the Google's search trends, followed by televisions and cameras. Searches for gold have also surged enormously.

"Clothing, which remained a popular search query round the year, stood low compared to gadget specific searches," Google said

It added that "marketers are leaving no stone unturned in their hope of influencing consumers purchase behaviour".