More consumers are preferring to buy online as fewer opt for visiting mall and retail stores, a recent LocalCircles survey has revealed. The report found that the number of consumers opting to go to malls has declined sharply, dropping 14 percentage points to 56% in 2025 from 70% last year.

Meanwhile, the participants who assured to place orders via online platforms and apps have more than doubled to 28% this year, from 13% last year. The report revealed that this category has seen over 115% in just one year, as majority of the respondents are shopping online.

The report points to probable reasons for this shift. More people have chosen ecommerce as an option for making purchases because of its value for money proposition and better selection than shopping for comfort. This means that non-ecommerce marketplaces including retail stores offer fewer options to users with limited catalogue. Convenience, faster return and feasibility of comparing everything online are other reasons for this switch.

For most participants, the online festive shopping is for making consumer electronics purchases, with a similar share of respondents planning to purchase home renovation products. The reason these sales are mostly known for big-ticket sales is because of the maximum benefits e-commerce players such as Amazon and Flipkart offer in partnership with private banks and lenders.

Another 30% of respondents plan to purchase white goods and home appliances on the platforms. This takes the overall respondents choosing online platforms for shopping electronics to more than 70%.

While the survey reveals a growing affinity for online shopping, it also shows a declining preference for phone or WhatsApp-based delivery. WhatsApp had launched its WhatsApp business feature in 2018, in a bid to promote the app as a marketplace, like Facebook marketplace. However, the LocalCircles survey reveals that the already-negligible share of users claiming to place orders for festive season, through this channel has fallen to 5% this year, down one percentage point from last year. This underscores the declining significance of WhatsApp as a marketplace, as well as other phone-based delivery options, in festive shopping.