Google search trends for a period of 90 days ending February reveal that it is the smaller states in India which are spending more online as compared to the metros, contributing to the rise of e-commerce in the country.

A recent report by Forrester Research forecasts India's online retail spending to reach $16 billion by 2018, which is an eight-fold increase from 2013.

As per Google trends Meghalaya takes the lead, followed by Goa, Odisha and Puducherry, reported The Hindu.

The trends also find that south India tops the list in case of a comparative analysis of cities, with small towns such as Coimbatore, Vishakhapatnam, Thiruvananthapuram and Thrissur being the top spenders. Google analysts say the trends signify that online shopping websites are a boon to people living in ‘remotest locations’, who would have otherwise had to travel to cities nearby.

The findings of Google search trends are corroborated by the report by Forrester which says that the Tier-II and III cities are ripe for picking courtesy the relative absence of the organised retail segment in these markets, which represents an opportunity for online retailers since the so-called unorganised retail sector does not have the same product selection as larger chains.