ITC’s Classmate uses QR-led learning tools to stay relevant beyond notebooks
Classmate is expanding from notebooks into broader stationery and QR-enabled digital learning products, including eduGAMES Infinity. Backed by ITC’s paper supply chain and omnichannel reach, the brand is targeting growth in India’s ₹16,500-crore paper stationery market amid changing learning habits and price competition.
What happened
ITC’s Classmate is expanding beyond notebooks into stationery and QR-led digital learning tools, supported by ITC’s paper supply chain and omnichannel
Key facts
- Launched in 2003
- India paper-based stationery market valued at Rs 16,500 crore
- ITC FMCG FY25 revenue: Rs 21,981 crore
- Classmate consumer spends exceeded Rs 1,000 crore
- eduGAMES Infinity offers 11 interactive challenges
Why this matters
Classmate’s QR-learning expansion makes education-content, gamified learning, and school-distribution partnerships more strategically valuable than a standalone digital acquisition.
What to watch
- Repeat scan rates and time spent on QR-linked content after the initial purchase.
- Launch of subscription, freemium or parent-data-led loyalty programs around Classmate learning content.
- School partnerships, teacher endorsements or curriculum-aligned content announcements.
- Growth in premium notebook, activity-kit and educational game share relative to core notebooks.
- Competitor responses from domestic stationery brands, edtech firms and low-price marketplace sellers.
- Changes in paper input costs and whether digital differentiation supports pricing power.
- Build grade- and curriculum-specific QR content packs tied to notebooks, workbooks and eduGAMES products.
- Use scan data to segment parents, students and geographies, then target replenishment, back-to-school and cross-category offers.
- Recruit teachers and schools through classroom activity kits, educator content and institutional bulk programs.
- Bundle physical stationery with low-data, multilingual digital experiences to widen adoption beyond affluent urban users.
- Expand omnichannel merchandising so QR demonstrations appear consistently in modern trade, kirana stores, school-book channels and marketplaces.