ITC’s Classmate adds QR-led learning to defend stationery relevance

ITC’s Classmate is pairing notebooks with QR-led learning tools, including 11 interactive challenges, while widening category and omnichannel distribution. The strategy targets long-term relevance as digital learning, regional value players and price sensitivity reshape India’s stationery market.

— FiledSun, 20 Sept, 2026, 05:34 IST·First seen Sun, 20 Sept, 2026, 05:34 IST·Source Financial Express (via Wayback)

What happened

ITC’s Classmate is defending and expanding its stationery position through digital QR-led learning tools, category diversification and omnichannel distribution.

Key facts

  • 2003
  • Rs 16,500 crore
  • FY25
  • Rs 219,81 crore
  • Rs 1,000 crore
  • 11 interactive challenges
  • NEP 2020

Why this matters

The strategy positions Classmate as a potential education-adjacent platform, making partnerships in edtech, youth content and last-mile distribution more strategically relevant.

What to watch

  • Repeat QR scan rates, completion rates and content usage beyond the first scan.
  • Whether content is offered in major Indian languages and aligned with school grades or curricula.
  • Price premium versus comparable non-QR Classmate and regional-brand notebooks.
  • Expansion of QR functionality into pens, art materials, school kits or direct-to-consumer subscriptions.
  • Competitor launches of QR, augmented-reality or edtech-linked stationery.
  • Marketplace rankings, back-to-school sell-through and modern-trade shelf expansion.
  • Evidence of retailer incentive programs, school partnerships or parent-targeted CRM activity.
  • Paper-price inflation and widening trade-down toward regional value brands.
  • Refresh challenges by grade, subject, language and academic calendar rather than treating QR content as a one-time campaign.
  • Use QR registration and engagement data to segment households, personalize offers and build consented first-party audiences for direct-to-consumer and retail activation.
  • Bundle notebooks with pens, art materials, exam-prep tools and back-to-school kits across marketplaces, modern trade, kiranas and school-focused channels.
  • Partner with educators, edtech providers or child-safety content specialists to establish learning credibility and reduce content-development risk.
  • Create a tiered portfolio: entry-price notebooks for volume defense, QR-enabled mid-tier products for conversion, and premium learning bundles for margin expansion.
  • Link engagement to retailer-led rewards or school-season promotions, giving offline retailers a reason to recommend Classmate over local alternatives.