ITC Classmate adds QR learning and school tie-ups to keep notebooks relevant
Classmate is pairing its physical stationery range with QR-based eduGAMES Infinity challenges, school partnerships and Classmateshop.com as ITC works to retain relevance in India’s increasingly digital classroom ecosystem.
What happened
ITC’s Classmate is using omnichannel distribution, school partnerships and QR-enabled educational games to defend stationery relevance as Indian classrooms
Key facts
- Launched in 2003
- India paper-based stationery market valued at Rs 16,500 crore
- ITC FMCG FY25 revenue of Rs 21,981 crore
- Classmate consumer spends exceeded Rs 1,000 crore
- 11 interactive QR-code-based challenges
Why this matters
Classmate’s ecosystem strategy makes edtech content providers, school-network platforms and youth engagement partners logical targets for partnerships or bolt-on capabilities.
What to watch
- Number and quality of school partnerships, especially repeat annual agreements rather than one-off activations.
- QR scan-to-repeat-use rates, challenge completion rates and student retention after the first interaction.
- Traffic, conversion and repeat purchase metrics for Classmateshop.com attributed to notebook QR codes.
- Evidence of teacher or parent adoption, including dashboard usage and school-led challenge participation.
- Competitor launches of QR-enabled notebooks, education-content partnerships or school-focused loyalty programs.
- Regulatory scrutiny or policy changes around children’s data, digital learning content and marketing in schools.
- Whether Classmate introduces paid learning features, subscription bundles or exclusive D2C product drops.
- Expand eduGAMES Infinity into grade-specific, seasonal and exam-linked content with measurable learning progress.
- Use school tie-ups to create teacher-facing dashboards, inter-school challenges and parent communication loops.
- Link QR engagement to Classmateshop.com rewards, replenishment reminders, bundles and personalized product recommendations.
- Build consented first-party data capabilities while keeping child-data privacy, parental permissions and school compliance central.
- Add adjacent categories such as study planners, art supplies, test-prep kits and digital learning subscriptions to raise lifetime value.
- Partner with edtech, publishers or curriculum providers to reduce content-production burden and improve credibility.