New CPI series to track online shopping in 12 cities; weights to be finalised within two months

Amidst the rapid growth of e-commerce and quick commerce, India will, for the first time, begin tracking online shopping behaviour across 12 cities as part of its upcoming Consumer Price Index (CPI) revision, sources told Moneycontrol.

The new CPI series, which will replace the current inflation measure based on 2011–12 data, is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2026, alongside a revision in gross domestic product (GDP) calculations.

“We will be tracking online purchase behaviours of customers across 12 cities with a minimum population of 2.5 million,” a person aware of the developments said.

The weights assigned to different consumption categories in the new CPI will be finalised within the next two months, the source further noted.

Online Shopping Gains Prominence

In its latest household consumption surveys, which are used to set weights and select items for the CPI basket, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) found that online shopping accounted for around 10 percent of urban spending, and 3–4 percent in rural areas.

While the ministry will be scraping data from online platforms in each city, it is also considering advanced techniques such as scanner data, commonly used in developed economies.

“The online markets for each city vary. We’ve selected cities based on which platforms are most popular in each location,” the source noted.

Online spending will include purchases from e-commerce websites, quick commerce, OTT platforms, as well as transport modes like rail and air travel, which have largely shifted online. Ride-hailing apps have transformed urban transport.

In the 2011–12 CPI series, air and rail fares had a combined weight of just 0.3 percent. These categories are expected to receive greater prominence in the updated index. Taxi and autorickshaw fare had a 0.56 percent weight in the old series.

New Base Year, Expanded Scope

The base year for the revised CPI will be set at 2024. MoSPI had conducted a survey last year to identify the most popular retail outlets in each geography, which will inform the revised sampling frame.

The scope of the CPI survey is also being expanded. Currently, the ministry tracks 2,295 markets—about 1,200 rural and the rest urban. This coverage will increase to 2,900 markets in the new series.

In addition, the number of products tracked is expected to rise from the current 299 items, allowing for a more nuanced representation of modern consumer behaviour and pricing trends.