Stationery is such a product which is required from school going children to CEOs of large organization. It is known as the blood stream of any organization. Indian stationery industry, is a very wide market divided into school and office stationery. This market is hugely unorganized and with only 15 - 20 % of the market being organized, it becomes very difficult to keep track of it's progress. But still over a period of years one can judge that it's office stationery sector has progressively shoot up and is said to be climbing the steps of further success. The office stationery sector comprises of diversified products from files and folders, writing instruments, PP stationery, paper stationery and now a days other popular stationery i.e. computer stationery seems to be ruling the market. Paper products like notebooks, writing pads, diaries etc and writing instruments like pen, pencil etc are the daily used products in office. The market for writing instruments and notebooks in India is estimated at over Rs.45 billion and is witnessing a sharp growth of 30 percent per annum from the past years. This growth is expected to last at least for the next five years. This market has seen many trends lately and is poised for constant change. Change is the need of today's generation and if the manufacturer does not work as per this aspect he is sure to be thrown out of this cutthroat industry into the dumps. People today not only want change but they want constant change. Therefore the manufacturers are on look out for new product changes, which might be in shape, design, packaging or whole together a new product displayed to the targeted audience. Plenty of new erasers, sharpeners, file, folders, staplers, etc are flooded into the market every year to satisfy customer want.
The customer today gets platter of products to choose from and he too has changed his habits of buying these products. Previously the customer use to buy a simple notebook / diary to write which sufficed his need but today he demands fancy designed notebooks / diaries, which not only serves the purpose of writing but also stands out from the rest. The book should be a unique piece that enhances his personality and office atmosphere as well as leaves the viewer spellbound. Some renowned corporates also look notebooks and diaries as an effectual promotional tool. Same principle is applied for other paper stationery products like ruled papers, note pads, scribbling pads, stickers, 'post it' etc.
One can conclude from that, the customer today is looking for value added services apart from the product uses. So the seller today has to produce just more than the product.
The other stationery sector today after writing instruments and paper stationery is the PP stationery industry, which includes products like PP visiting cards, PP folders and PP box files, PP pouches etc. These stationery products are made from big PP Stationery Making Machines from raw material polypropylene, which is very durable, has excellent chemical resistance and is strong. Stationery made from this material is bound to serve for long period and will hold a lot more weight than normal stationery, which were traditionally used before.
The old but newly upcoming sector in stationery is the computer stationery sector. With the gaining computers in offices a need for another stationery category has emerged and that is the computer stationery that broadly comprises of fax rolls, mouse pads, printing papers, CD covers and more. The market for this is slowly arising and making a strong hold in the stationery sector. It is said to be growing at the rate of 20 % per annum. The industry for this sector is definitely headed with the technological revolution in the country.
Apart from these there is also a small but relevant market for other stationery products like stickers, labels, all kinds of pins, glue products, calculators etc that come in various size and type thus sufficing the stationery needs of Indian customers.
Future of stationery market is all set to witness increased competition from global players at the premium end and at the low-end segments from Chinese imports. But over all the whole stationery consumers market is changing slowly. The cheap goods market is slowly vanishing as the affordability among the people are increasing, even government's focus on education has brought another boom for the stationery industry. The supply patterns in the recent years has undergone a drastic change. Also people today care for the environment and have become very conscience about it which again has whole together brought a new segment, i.e. environmental friendly stationery. Though for now the planet happy products in India cater to the premium segment slowly it is bound to attract the common public with it's attractive colourful appearance and reusable features.
For now the sector has seen it's ups and downs and is growing strong with some renowned organised brands like Camlin, Pidilite, Navneet, Sundaram along with many other local manufacturers, foreign brands like Faber Castle and many other ruling the sector. These brands are very popular in India and supply the demand of stationery in the Indian market with newer trends and innovation as their best marketing tool.
