The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the shopping styles and buying behaviour of male and female Indian consumers. The research used the Sproles and Kendall (1986)’s Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) on a sample of 166 men and 98 women. T-test revealed that there are significant differences in the decision making styles among male and female consumers, constituting of 5 factors namely, Perfectionism; Novelty & fashion consciousness; Store loyalty & store image consciousness; Impulsive & carelessness and the Harried shopper. The second objective of the study was to validate the 8 original CSI factors in an Indian context. Exploratory factor analysis was used to analyse and understand the differences in decision-making styles of male and female consumers. The study identified 12 common factors for male and female consumers. Out of the 12 factors, 4 new traits emerged. They slightly vary from the 8 original CSI factors. These 4 new traits are i) Quality Consciousness; ii) Brand loyalty; iii) Store loyalty and store image consciousness and iv) Variety seeking factors. On separately analysing the data pertaining to men and women, 8 and 9 factors respectively emerged, indicating certain differences. They provide new insights into their decision making styles. Our research identified a new factor called ‘harried shopper’, indicating that shoppers make choices in a hurry when pressed for time. Implications and directions for future research are provided based on the results. © Universiti Putra Malaysia Press.