E-commerce player Snapdeal registered 52 per cent higher Diwali sales compared to last year, owing to increase in first-time users from smaller towns which more than doubled from the last Diwali season, the company said on Sunday.

Nine out of 10 orders that Snapdeal received this Diwali came from non-metros, the company said in a statement.

"The extent and depth of orders from non-metros is an unequivocal confirmation that e-commerce is now a strong channel for buyers in smaller cities. Bharat is now embracing e-commerce and making it its own," said a Snapdeal spokesperson.

Also Read: Facebook News: Boon for Some, Ban for Many

The traffic on the platform crossed the 225-million mark in the festive season.

The business volumes more than doubled in 120 non-metro cities, including Satara, Anand, Bharuch, Roorkee, Jhansi, Hazaribagh, Tezpur, Itanagar and Hassan, among others.

The first time users (FTUs) grew faster in smaller cities. In cities like Nashik, Surat, Chandigarh, Panaji and Guwahati, the FTUs grew by 2.3 times (YoY), said the company.

There was a 300 per cent increase in the sale of digital gift cards over last year.

Various features on Snapdeal drew immense interest, with nearly 35 million users engaging with various promotional games.

"In September, Snapdeal's total monthly transacting customers hit the highest number in the history of the company," it said. (IANS)