CHINESE consumers intend to spend 11 percent more to shop online during this year's holiday season, a survey by Visa International said yesterday.

They will fork out an average of US$822 in spending this year, the biggest increase among eight markets surveyed in Visa's Online Holiday Spending Study.

The figure is higher than the US$701 overall figure, the credit card firm said in the survey of 502 respondents in China.

A total of 4,033 consumers between 18 and 55 in eight markets in the Asia Pacific, including Japan, Singapore and Australia, were covered in the survey.

The Chinese respondents said they plan to increase their online spending as they are able to enjoy merchant discounts and a wider choice of products, the report said.

Half of Chinese shoppers interviewed said they plan to buy from overseas and domestic websites, and an increasing number of shopping sites are realizing the importance of the Chinese market.

"There are lots of deals to be found on the web and many shopping sites are offering special delivery services to Asian customers, which makes it easier to shop from overseas websites," said Paul Jung, director of Visa's e-commerce business for Asia Pacific, central Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Online shoppers opt for clothing as the most popular intended purchase followed by shoes and cosmetics.

Taobao, a major Chinese website, said over 2.8 million packages of chocolate were sold to Chinese in the past two weeks.