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"The gift exchange this year is tilted more towards assorted food articles rather than sweets as a result of the sales of former have picked up many times," Assocham said.
Rising health consciousness and change in consumption pattern have resulted in the shift in preferences of consumers, it added.
The sale of sweets has declined due to shift in demand towards dry fruits, cookies, chocolates, namkeens and other affordable articles, besides durables such as bed sheets, crockery and portable electrical and electronics gadgets, Assocham said.
Releasing a study on sweet consumption in New Delhi, Assocham said leading outlets like Haldiram, Bengali Sweet House, Nathu's and Aggarwal witnessed a reduction in sale despite offering different varieties such as sugar-free sweets.
The study said Diwali sale of sweet also dropped by 25 per cent last year. "It is the changing consumer perception towards gifting during festivals that has led to the mushrooming of showrooms and retail chains dealing in super premium items. People are getting tired of receiving and gifting sweets. Moreover, consumer durables products last longer than traditional sweets," Assocham president Venugopal N Dhoot said.
The chamber said consumer durables that are likely to witness large sales volume include MP3 players, kitchen appliances, bed sheets, mobile handsets, PC games, glass sets, clocks and casseroles.
However, the most sought after gift items that are likely to form part of Diwali gifts include silver and gold coins, wrist watches, briefcase, brassware and silver ware, candle stands, suit lengths, iPods, DVD player and carpet, it said.
Assocham also pointed out the sale of sweets has dropped during Diwali even though besan (gram flour) prices fell by 27 per cent, sooji by 18 per cent, maida 20 per cent and ghee 12 per cent as compared to their respective rates last season.