New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS): More than two out of five consumers in India have expressed their intent to shop online from Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) merchants this festive season, a new report said on Wednesday.

According to the buy-now-pay-later platform Simpl, this surge in consumer interest can be attributed to an increasing number of people turning to D2C merchants in recent years to suit their changing requirements.

The report found about 41 per cent of consumers have strong online shopping plans during this festive season, with 33 per cent planning to purchase fashion and accessories, followed by 23 per cent for travel, and 11 per cent for personal care.

Gen Y (between 1982 and 1994) and Millennials (between 1981 and 1996) highlighted their strong preference for festive shopping online, including D2C merchants, to cater to their specific and unique needs.

Nearly 70 per cent of D2C merchants are also expecting a 2x-4x increase in sales during the festive season.

These merchants are significantly adding manufacturing and warehousing capacities, along with increasing manpower and spending on marketing, the report mentioned.

"Considering D2C merchants service the majority of their annual business during this period, we are focused on enabling these merchants to offer a 'better than marketplace' experience on their platforms," said Khanaz K.A, CXO - D2C Business at Simpl.