Supporting Information

The stationery industry in India comprises of various products to fulfill the needs of schools, colleges
and offices. It includes both paper and non-paper items. It was believed that with the introduction of
tablets and smartphones in this new digital era, the need for paper notebooks would decline and
eventually disappear from market. However, paper has found a new status in this digital world and
market experts believe stationery is a segment of promise. According to a recent report, it’s
estimated that this industry is growing at 8 % per annum with new products being added up very
often. There are many factors that have contributed to this growth like increase in literacy level,
addition of new schools, institutions, corporate offices, advancement in technology, more online
shoppers and trend among the youth to have quality stationery products that reflect their individual
style.

Notebook market in India has been traditionally dominated by the unorganized segment. From the
endpoint of marginal retailers to independent sellers, all were dependent on China. However, the
market has developed to achieve a substantial valuation which was not there until 2000.
Introduction of organized brands such as ITC Classmate, Navneet, Camlin and others have added
premium to the market and the prices went up by 5-6 folds and even more than that. The rapid
growth of the market demonstrates that there are vast opportunities for emerging players like Casio
who are willing to initiate notebook business in India.

Last year Japanese stationery major Shachihata Inc announced a huge investment in India. A few
years before that, the Kokuyo Group entered this market after purchasing majority shares in Camlin,
a well-known stationery manufacturer in India.

There are multiple divisions within the notebook category with respect to different sizes in which
notebooks are offered, paper quality, hardcover or softcover, price range, spiral binding etc. Total
notebook industry in India has a market size of Rs. 6000 crores. Main players in this category include
ITC Classmates which has around 25% of total share, Kokuyo Camlin with market share of 10%,
Navaneeth notebooks with 6%.

Competition is intense even on online platforms like Flipkart and Amazon. Flipkart, for instance,
claims to stock 10,000 SKUs of notebooks.

In coming years, we can expect more foreign investment in this sector and with EasyNote we expect
to a gain a fair share in the notebook market.

Sources:https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/the-paper-tiger-roars/article7403735.

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