ITC’s Classmate resurfaces June 2025 bet on QR learning and omnichannel reach to defend stationery relevance

Resurfacing a June 2025 move, Classmate paired premium stationery with QR-enabled eduGAMES content while expanding across general trade, modern retail, e-commerce, quick commerce, D2C and schools in India’s price-sensitive Rs 16,500-crore paper-stationery market.

— FiledTue, 25 Aug, 2026, 05:35 IST·First seen Tue, 25 Aug, 2026, 05:34 IST·Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

ITC’s Classmate is pursuing premiumisation and digital engagement in India’s Rs 16,500-crore stationery market, using QR-enabled learning content and

Key facts

  • Rs 16,500 crore Indian paper-based stationery market
  • Launched in 2003
  • FY25 ITC FMCG revenue: Rs 219,81 crore
  • Classmate consumer spends exceeded Rs 1,000 crore
  • 11 interactive eduGAMES challenges
  • Updated June 19, 2025

Why this matters

ITC’s strategy highlights partnership or acquisition opportunities in education content, school distribution, quick commerce and D2C capabilities that can extend a legacy consumer brand beyond the physical product.

What to watch

  • QR scan rates, repeat scans per user and conversion from content engagement to repeat stationery purchase.
  • Whether QR content is available without purchase or becomes gated through product registration and bundles.
  • Growth of Classmate's premium SKU mix and realized price per notebook during the next back-to-school season.
  • Share gains in quick commerce, marketplaces and D2C relative to general trade.
  • School tie-ups, institutional bulk orders and teacher-led adoption of eduGAMES content.
  • Competitive launches of QR-enabled notebooks, licensed learning content or aggressive private-label pricing.
  • Evidence that ITC links Classmate data to its broader consumer ecosystem, loyalty programs or adjacent education products.
  • Bundle QR learning access with premium notebooks, exam-prep packs and school-season kits rather than selling digital content separately.
  • Build a loyalty and CRM layer around QR scans, segmenting parents, students and schools by grade, geography and purchase frequency.
  • Use quick-commerce and D2C data to test city-specific assortments, replenishment packs and personalized learning-content offers.
  • Expand school partnerships that position Classmate as an educational ecosystem supplier rather than only a notebook vendor.
  • Defend general-trade distribution with lower-price SKU ladders so premium digital innovation does not create an affordability gap.