ITC’s Classmate expands beyond notebooks as it adapts to digital-first learning
Classmate is broadening into writing, geometry and art products, pairing ITC’s paper supply chain and omnichannel reach with QR-led gamified learning to retain relevance as classrooms digitise.
What happened
ITC’s Classmate is expanding from notebooks into writing, geometry and art products, supported by omnichannel distribution and QR-led gamified learning. The
Key facts
- Launched in 2003
- Indian paper-based stationery market valued at Rs 16,500 crore
- ITC FMCG Education and Stationery Products Business revenue of Rs 219,81 crore in FY25
- Classmate consumer spends exceed Rs 1,000 crore
- eduGAMES Infinity offers 11 interactive challenges
- NEP 2020
Why this matters
Classmate’s repositioning makes it a more credible education-and-stationery platform, suggesting partnership or acquisition opportunities in edtech content, learning gamification and adjacent student-product categories.
What to watch
- Launch of Classmate-branded pens, geometry boxes, art kits or bundled school-supply packs at national scale.
- QR engagement metrics such as scan rate, repeat visits, session completion and coupon redemption.
- Evidence of placement gains in modern trade, e-commerce school-storefronts and independent stationery retailers.
- Pricing gaps versus Navneet, Camlin/Kokuyo, DOMS, Reynolds, regional brands and private labels.
- Partnerships with schools, edtech platforms, tutoring networks or education-content creators.
- Changes in notebook demand growth, paper costs and back-to-school consumer spending.
- Competitor moves linking physical stationery to digital learning, rewards or parent-facing tools.
- Build grade- and curriculum-specific QR content that gives parents and students a reason to return after the initial scan.
- Launch coordinated back-to-school bundles across notebooks, writing instruments, geometry and art supplies, with retailer-specific pack formats.
- Use ITC's distribution data to identify cities and school clusters where adjacent-category trial is highest, then localize assortment and inventory.
- Partner with edtech, tutors or educational creators for credible learning content rather than relying solely on brand-led gamification.
- Develop refillable, recycled-paper and sustainable stationery propositions to create differentiation beyond digital features.
- Track cross-category repeat purchase and QR-to-purchase conversion before scaling content investment nationally.