That advising body, attached to the Economist Group, estimated that sales in Asia will increase 4.6 percent, compared to 2.5 percent in North America and 0.8 percent in Europe next year, according to reports published by local media on Wednesday.

Editor Laurel West, quoted by the state news agency Xinhua, said that Asia's consumer market has been led by the growing economic power and independence of women in the Asian continent, and they are the main clients on Internet shops.

The report is based on a survey that consulted 5,500 women in major cities in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, as well as in India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, 43 percent of whom held administrative, executive or professional posts.

In the case of Chinese women, 69 percent favored online shopping and 63 percent said they buy goods and services online at least once a day, while 30 percent said they resort to online shopping one or more times a day.(KH)