ITC’s Classmate broadens beyond notebooks to stay relevant in digital-first India
Classmate is expanding its writing and art-supplies portfolio while adding QR-led learning features. The Rs 1,000-crore-plus ITC brand is leveraging integrated paper sourcing and omnichannel distribution to compete in India’s price-sensitive, increasingly digital stationery market.
What happened
ITC’s Classmate is expanding from notebooks into writing and art supplies while adding QR-led learning features. The Rs 1,000-crore-plus brand uses ITC’s paper
Key facts
- 2003
- Rs 16,500 crore
- FY25
- Rs 21,981 crore
- Rs 1,000 crore
- 11 interactive challenges
- June 19, 2025
Why this matters
Classmate’s broadened stationery-and-learning platform makes adjacent education-content, edtech, and creative-supplies partnerships more strategically relevant than a notebook-only portfolio.
What to watch
- Launch cadence and SKU breadth in writing instruments, art materials and school kits.
- Evidence of QR engagement: scan rates, repeat usage, content completion and conversion into repeat purchase.
- School or edtech partnerships, especially curriculum-aligned content integrations.
- Classmate's share changes in pens, art supplies and premium notebooks versus Navneet, Camlin, DOMS, Cello and local brands.
- Gross-margin trend as lower-margin adjacent categories scale.
- Back-to-school season sell-through, marketplace rankings and quick-commerce availability.
- Consumer response to sustainable-paper offerings and willingness to pay for premium formats.
- Bundle notebooks, pens, art kits and QR learning content into grade- and exam-specific packs.
- Build teacher and school partnerships to make QR content part of homework, revision and classroom workflows.
- Use ITC's paper integration to introduce sustainable or recycled-paper lines with credible quality claims.
- Expand marketplace, quick-commerce and direct digital distribution for replenishment categories such as pens and art supplies.
- Use regional-language learning content and localized curriculum alignment to improve QR-feature adoption.
- Test loyalty or reward programs tied to QR scans, repeat purchases and school-season bundles.