Indian online shoppers significantly changed their online shopping behaviour during Raksha Bandhan festival.

Online shopping during the festival rose 65 per cent over the regular shopping compared to last year, reveals the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

Delhiites are shopping online the most, with 62 per cent of the city’s residents who have online access preferring to shop online against 30 per cent opting for traditional markets.

Mumbai residents ranked second in shopping online, followed by those of Ahmedabad.

In other cities like Chennai, 30 per cent of its population chose to buy daily routine products through e-shopping in 2012-13.

Likewise, the Kolkata share was 15-20 per cent in the last year, which might go up another 25-30 per cent in 2013-14. Online music sales and movies were the highest sector in Kolkata.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) were more active in shopping online during the festive season. During Raksha Bandhan, online shopping by NRIs contributed 60-70 per cent of total shopping.

“Online retail business is quite good. Heading out to shop on a day off by battling traffic, parking issues, and long lines for bill payment is quite a cumbersome process and this is the main reason for the shift in trend,” according to an analyst.

India has more than 100 million Internet users, of which around half opt for online shopping, says ASSOCHAM.

“In India, customers wait for the festive season to get the best deals on all their shopping needs. The idea is to provide customers with an unmatched shopping experience ahead of the festive season with a fabulous range of products at unbeatable prices,” said ASSOCHAM secretary general D S Rawat.

“Customer behaviour is changing dramatically. People are not only using the web to book air tickets and movie tickets but also do not hesitate in placing orders for mobiles, laptops and other consumer electronics and home appliances,” said Rawat.