India to track online shopping in 12 cities under revised CPI framework
In preparation, MoSPI recently conducted a survey to identify the most frequented retail outlets in each area.
ADVERTISEMENT
India will, for the first time, incorporate online shopping trends into its Consumer Price Index (CPI) calculations as part of an upcoming revision to better reflect changing consumer behaviour, especially in urban areas.
According to Moneycontrol sources, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will begin tracking online purchases across 12 cities, each with a population of over 2.5 million. The revised CPI, expected to launch in the first quarter of FY26, will be based on a new base year—2024—and will be released alongside an update to India’s gross domestic product (GDP) calculations.
Officials said weights for various consumption categories under the new CPI framework will be finalised within the next two months. Recent household consumption surveys showed online shopping now accounts for approximately 10% of urban expenditure and between 3–4% in rural areas.
To capture digital consumer habits, the ministry plans to scrape data from popular online platforms in each selected city and is considering the use of scanner data, a technique commonly employed in developed economies.
Online expenditure will cover purchases via e-commerce platforms, quick commerce apps, ride-hailing services, OTT subscriptions, and even online bookings for rail and air travel. In the current CPI series based on 2011–12 data, air and rail fares were assigned a combined weight of only 0.3%, with taxi and auto fares receiving 0.56%. These categories are expected to be given higher weightage in the revised index.
In preparation, MoSPI recently conducted a survey to identify the most frequented retail outlets in each area. The ministry will also expand the coverage of CPI tracking from 2,295 markets at present to around 2,900, and the number of items monitored is set to increase from 299. The aim is to provide a more accurate reflection of modern consumption patterns and inflation dynamics in India.
