Delhi hotspot for global shoppers

There is no denying the fact that Delhiites love shopping sprees. Thanks to bazaars like Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Janpath, Kamla Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Lajpat Nagar and the mother of them all - Chandni Chowk that are catering to multifarious demands of customers, irrespective of their requirements.

For those looking to loosen their purse strings a bit more, there is Khan Market, Greater Kailash, Gurgaon, Saket and Vasant Kunj based hi-flying, swanky malls decked up with international brands. But what attracts the international shoppers to Delhi, which recently figured amongst the 10 most attractive cities for international shoppers in the Asia Pacific region in a survey by the Globe Shopper Index?

From affordability to cost of transportation and bargaining, the national capital has turned out be hot favourite of global shoppers. The good performance was driven by its score in five categories covering shops, affordability, convenience, hotels and transport, culture and climate. The index measured attractiveness of 25 major cities from the region for international travel shopping. A few points behind Delhi are Bangalore and Mumbai at 14th and 16th positions respectively.

Twenty-five year old Trixi Hartmann of Germany who has been working with a travel company in India since the last one-and-a-half years finds the City an interesting place to live and shop. “It is the sheer variety of traditional fabrics and clothes that are items of attraction. Visit any state emporium and you can get so much stuff that it becomes hard to resist. Market places can easily swing your mood and force to buy decorative items for home. But there is no point buying branded products from here because the cost is nearly the same and it is easily available in our own country,” says Trixi.

Agreeing with Trixi is Jane from Canada who is on her first visit to India along with her California-based friend Pamela: “I wanted to see India for a long time. You don’t have to shell out much to visit the country. Staying in Delhi is not so expensive and one easily get hotels according to budget. There is a lot to choose from in terms of clothes, jewellery and decorative items,” says Jane.

However, when it comes to bargaining international shoppers are not far behind their Indian counterparts. The City provides good opportunities for bargaining especially in places like Sarojini Nagar. Bargaining is the reason why Delhi has been ranked second on the index. “Shopping in Delhi is fun. Everything is available at cheap prices. It is easy to bargain here. We know that the shopkeepers charge more from us and we force them to bring the rate down. Surprisingly, they do it. The more you shop from here, the more you learn,” says Michaela and Wendala, who have come all the way from Europe and were engrossed in shopping when Metrolife caught up with them in SN Market.