ITC’s Classmate bets on QR learning and omnichannel reach to stay relevant, resurfacing a June move
Resurfacing a June 2025 move, Classmate paired its stationery portfolio with QR-enabled learning games, expanding products and strengthening digital and physical distribution. The ITC brand’s platform offers 11 interactive challenges as it seeks to retain relevance amid price-sensitive demand and the longer-term shift to screen-based learning.
What happened
ITC’s Classmate is pursuing relevance in India’s digital-first education market through QR-enabled learning games, product expansion and omnichannel
Key facts
- India paper-based stationery market: Rs 16,500 crore
- ITC FMCG FY25 revenue: Rs 21,981 crore
- Classmate consumer spends: over Rs 1,000 crore
- Classmate QR-code platform: 11 interactive challenges
Why this matters
Education-content, gamification and edtech partnerships could accelerate Classmate’s platform differentiation while ITC’s distribution scale reduces go-to-market risk.
What to watch
- Evidence of scan-to-repeat-use rates, registered users, and engagement after the initial purchase period.
- Expansion from 11 challenges into curriculum-aligned, multilingual, or grade-segmented content.
- QR activation tied to prizes, loyalty, school contests, or retailer-specific offers.
- Changes in Classmate's e-commerce assortment, bundled school kits, and direct-to-consumer data capture.
- Competitor adoption of QR, augmented-reality, or digital learning features in notebooks and school supplies.
- Back-to-school sales growth versus category growth, especially in lower-priced notebook formats.
- ITC disclosures or campaign signals indicating investment in education partnerships, content production, or consumer data infrastructure.
- Link QR activities to product registration, loyalty rewards, and school-season promotions to convert scans into identifiable repeat users.
- Build grade, language, and curriculum-specific content rather than generic games, prioritizing markets where Classmate has strong distribution.
- Bundle QR-enabled notebooks with pens, art materials, exam stationery, and school kits to raise basket size across general trade, modern trade, and e-commerce.
- Use scan and redemption data to optimize local inventory, identify high-engagement cities, and target retailer replenishment.
- Pursue school, teacher, and parent-community partnerships that make the content useful between purchases rather than solely at unboxing.
- Maintain entry-price packs and visible paper-quality value to prevent digital features from raising effective price points in a price-sensitive category.