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Chandigarh has quietly emerged as India’s most digital-savvy shoppers’ paradise, outclassing metro giants in online spending habits. Nearly 69 per cent of its households are now active e-commerce consumers, according to an analysis by The Economic Times, based on data from the Ministry of Statistics' Modular Survey.
Once seen as the stronghold of digital retail, megacities like Delhi and Mumbai have been edged out. Delhi recorded 48.3 per cent of households shopping online, well behind Chandigarh.
Small states lead while big ones lag
Interestingly, it’s not just Chandigarh rewriting the script. Union Territories like Goa (51.6 per cent) and Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu (50.6 per cent) have shown strong digital purchasing power. Meanwhile, large states such as Madhya Pradesh (17.9 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (18.9 per cent), and West Bengal (20.8 per cent) are trailing behind the national average of 24.5 per cent.
This shift suggests a redefinition of e-commerce demographics. Smaller states and UTs are adopting online platforms more rapidly, driven by better connectivity, smartphone penetration, and a younger, tech-savvy population.
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Beyond food: What India buys online
The data shows Indians overwhelmingly turn to e-commerce for non-food items. Nationally, 53.3 per cent of households that shop online bought non-food goods, while just 7.6 per cent purchased food items. Rural India surprisingly leads this trend — 75.7 per cent of online purchases from villages are non-food related, compared to 37.6 per cent in urban areas.
In total purchases (food and non-food combined), Delhi leads with 78.2 per cent, followed by Chandigarh at 71.5 per cent and Maharashtra at 63.0 per cent. These figures sharply contrast with underperformers like Meghalaya (5.8 per cent), Ladakh (14.0 per cent) and Tripura (13.1 per cent).
New digital middle class is emerging outside the metros
This trend indicates a democratisation of digital retail. India’s e-commerce boom is no longer driven by metro elites — it's now fuelled by Tier-2 cities and smaller states. With new hotspots like Chandigarh setting the pace, brands and policymakers must reconsider how and where they focus their attention in this rapidly evolving landscape.
The message is clear: the next billion buyers aren’t just in big cities — they’re already shopping online from towns you weren’t watching.
India’s digital future isn’t unfolding in tech parks or metro malls — it’s being written in towns and territories once overlooked.
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