Small Stationery, Big Market | Chinese Stationery Products "Burst" into India: Is This Business Really Easy to Do?

In the tide of the global economy, the stationery industry may not seem eye-catching, but it contains huge commercial potential. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, in 2023, the export value of China's cultural and educational office supplies reached as high as $38.929 billion, a year-on-year increase of 5.47%, setting the highest level in the past five years.

The domestic stationery market began to recover from 2023 and gradually showed a growth trend, but it also showed signs of saturation. It is expected that in the next few years, the concentration of China's stationery industry will further increase. With the increasing competition in the domestic stationery market, stationery companies must seek to expand into overseas markets, and going global has become a new path for the growth of stationery companies.

▲Ranking of major companies in the global stationery market

In the stationery market of the Asia-Pacific region, India is undoubtedly a rising star. According to a report by Research And Markets, in the Indian stationery market in 2022, China accounted for the largest share of imported products, at 72.27%, a market that Chinese companies cannot afford to miss.

Hidden business opportunities in the Indian stationery market

The market size is expected to reach $6 billion by 2025

In 2019, the market size of the Indian stationery market was about $4.5 billion, and it is expected to grow to $6 billion by 2025, with an annual growth rate of about 5%-15%. This is undoubtedly an attractive entry point for Chinese companies seeking overseas opportunities.

Strong purchasing power of the new middle class under 35

In 2023, India's population increased to 1.43 billion, becoming the largest in the world, with young people under 35 accounting for about 800 million. India's large population base and the continuously growing size of the middle class make it one of the most potential consumer markets in the world.

400 million students build the world's second-largest education market

India is the world's second-largest education market, with 400 million students and a large number of educational institutions. In recent years, the Indian government has continuously emphasized the importance of education, promoting the popularization and quality improvement of education through policy guidance and financial investment. This not only provides a large consumer base for the stationery and office supplies market but also stimulates the demand for education-related products in society.

Why can Chinese stationery stand out in India?

Indian consumers are extremely sensitive to price, and they are accustomed to buying products that are both suitable and cheap. Chinese stationery products, with their standardized production processes and low prices, especially pen-type stationery, are very popular among Indian consumers.

For example, Chinese-made gel pens may be 20%-30% cheaper than local Indian products or products from other import sources under the same quality. In addition, the lack of standards in local Indian production, the absence of unified prices for stationery products, and the arbitrary pricing by producers also make Chinese stationery products more attractive in the Indian market.

Against this backdrop, in recent years, the Indian consumer market has seen a large number of imported gift stationery from China, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries. Chinese stationery is not only affordable but also diverse, ranging from basic writing tools to creative stationery, and its quality has been recognized by consumers, thus allowing Chinese stationery products to continuously expand their market share in India.

Which stationery items are popular in India?

The Indian stationery market can be divided into paper stationery and non-paper stationery. In terms of value, the latter accounts for a larger market share. Paper stationery accounts for about 42% of the market (about 162 billion rupees), and non-paper stationery, including writing instruments, office supplies, and art supplies, accounts for about 58% of the market (about 223 billion rupees). Among non-paper stationery, writing instruments account for about 60%, office supplies account for about 21%, and art supplies account for about 5%.

▲Proportion of popular products in the Indian stationery market

Writing instruments

The demand for basic writing instruments in the Indian market is large, and products such as ballpoint pens, signature pens, pencils, etc., are relatively popular, with prices usually ranging from 100-300 rupees.

▲Popular items on Amazon India

Paper stationery

India's education market is huge, especially with the rapid growth of school stationery demand, and the market demand for paper stationery increases by 5%-15% every year. Products such as notebooks, exercise books, diaries, loose-leaf paper, scratch pads, and memo books are widely used in office and learning scenarios, and the quality and functional requirements for these products are gradually increasing, with prices usually ranging from 50-500 rupees.

▲Popular items on Flipkart

Office supplies

With the development of India's economy and the improvement of office automation, the demand for efficient office supplies is also increasing. There is a certain market demand for file organization systems, binding equipment, stamping equipment, and business luggage supplies in India's business office environment.

Creative stationery

The creative stationery market in India is gradually emerging, especially products such as drawing pens, pigments, drawing paper, creative materials, and handicraft supplies, which are popular among students and art enthusiasts. The price of ordinary products is usually between 50-200 rupees, and the price of professional high-end products is usually between 200-1000 rupees.

▲Popular items on Amazon India

Electronic stationery

With the digitalization of education and office work in India, the demand for electronic stationery such as calculators and electronic notepads is also gradually increasing.

▲Popular items on Amazon India

"Intelligent" manufacturing of Chinese stationery supplies

Laying out the Indian market

Most domestic stationery companies are still at the stage of "product export" when going global, but in recent years, many Chinese stationery brands have emerged in the Indian emerging market. For example, Deli became the first Chinese office stationery company to establish a branch and operate independently in India in 2008, actively carried out localized market construction, achieved brand landing, provided fast and effective service support for local customers, and maintained high growth in brand sales.

There is also the Chinese marker brand Ohuhu, which sold a popular product with tens of thousands of orders in India within one year, with annual sales exceeding 8.6 million, becoming one of the top 5 on Amazon India in one year, and a 300% increase in turnover within two years. According to data from SimilarWeb, the number of visits to the Ohuhu independent station has exceeded 130,000 times in the past three months.

▲Source: SimilarWeb

Chinese stationery exports to India not only have a broad market prospect but also face many challenges. However, with the gradual rooting of Chinese stationery brands in the Indian market and the continuous upgrading of the Indian consumer market, it is believed that more Chinese stationery brands will shine in the Indian market in the future, using the "Chinese standard" to redefine the South Asian stationery market landscape.

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