Back-to-school Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report, by Product Type, and Sales Channel : Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030

The global back-to-school market is expected to reach $131.1 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 4.8% during the forecast period. The stationery segment led in terms of market share in 2020, and is expected to retain its dominance during the forecast period.

Back-to-school supplies comprise all the essential items required for school-going children such as backpacks, pencils, pens, erasers, rulers, uniforms, and shoes. Many of these products are conventional in nature, however, many unique ideas have been implemented among these products, which are propelling the market expansion. Backpacks have seen prominent changes over the years. For instance, backpacks, nowadays, are made with memory foam shoulder pads to provide maximum comfort and support at back. In addition, these backpacks are designed to distribute the heavy weight of the text books and note pads evenly to reduce the stress on shoulders. On the similar lines, novel innovations in pens have been witnessed in recent years such as leak-proof cartridges, smooth flow ink, and vibration reduction technology to reduce the vibrations while writing, which have fostered the market expansion. Moreover, the introduction of notebooks with ideas such as interactive origami papers and 3D front covers to make them more appealing to children is notably contributing toward the market growth. Thus, increase in innovations in back-to-school supplies fosters the growth of the global market.

Multiple countries in the regions of Asia-Pacific and LAMEA are in their developing stage. For progress, the youth of these countries need to be educated to contribute to the development process. Thus, the governments of various countries in the regions are emphasizing on primary education and education initiatives to increase the literacy rate. However, major portion population in the region still lives in rural areas with no schools or sources of education present in the regions. 

To overcome this challenge, governments are spending significant amount of money and resources on the development of educational infrastructure in such areas with a focus on education and skill development. Moreover, many NGOs are aiding these government endeavors by providing children with school supplies to facilitate education. These efforts put in by the government and by NGOs to promote education in the region are anticipated to foster the demand for back-to-school supplies, thus contributing toward the market growth.

Segment review

The global back-to-school market is segmented into product type, distribution channel, and region. Depending on product type, the global market is segregated into backpack, electronic, stationery, clothing, shoes, and others. On the basis of distribution channel, it is categorized into hypermarket/supermarket, e-commerce, dollar stores, specialty stores, and others. Region wise, the market is analyzed across North America (U.S., Canada, and Mexico), Europe( UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and rest of Asia-Pacific), and LAMEA(Latin America, Middle East, and Africa).

By product type, the stationery segment was the major revenue contributor to the market, due to the fact that stationery is the primary tool used for education and learning.

Depending on the distribution channel, the specialty store segment was the predominant channel in 2020 for the purchase of back-to-school products; however, the e-commerce segment is expected to exhibit the highest growth rate during the forecasting period.

The report focuses on the growth prospects, restraints, and opportunities of the global back-to-school market. The study provides Porter’s five forces analysis to understand the impact of various factors such as competitive intensity of competitors, bargaining power of suppliers, threat of substitutes, threat of new entrants, and bargaining power of buyers of the global back-to-school market.

Some of the major players profiled for in the back-to-school market analysis include Acco Brands, Faber-Castell, Harlequin International Group Pty Ltd., ITC Limited, Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd., Pelikan International Corporation Berhad,Schwan stabilo group, Staedetler, Wh Smith Plc, and Zebra Pen Corp. Other prominent players analyzed in the report are Nike, Skybags, Izod, Staedtler., Puma Se, Adidas AG, Canson, and Wildcraft.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

• The back-to-school industry was negatively impacted by the pandemic, owing to country wide lockdown and closing down of schools.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the sales of back-to-school supplies via brick-and-mortar stores, resulting in transition of consumers toward online sales channels to purchase back-to-school products.
• However, with changing consumer behavior demand for innovative, the demand for ergonomic and premium quality products is likely to increase.

Key Benefits For Stakeholders

• This report provides an in-depth analysis of the global back-to-school market to identify the potential investment pockets.
• It outlines the current trends and future scenarios to determine the overall market potential and gain a stronger market foothold.
• It discusses the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities and their detailed impact analysis.
• Quantitative analysis of the market from 2020 to 2030 is highlighted to recognize the financial competency of the market.
• The Porter’s five forces model illustrates the threat of new entrants, threat of substitutes, and strength of the buyers & suppliers.

  Back-to-school Market Report Highlights

Aspects	Details
By Product Type	Backpack Electronics Stationery Clothing Shoes Others
By Distribution Channel	Hypermarket/Supermarket E-commerce Dollar Stores Specialty Stores Others
By Region	North America  (U.S, Canada, Mexico) Europe  (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific  (China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Rest of Asia Pacific) LAMEA  (Latin America, Middle East, Africa)
Key Market Players	PELIKAN INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION BERHAD, FABER CASTELL, STAEDETLER, KOKUYO CAMLIN LTD., ZEBRA PEN CORP., WH SMITH PLC, ITC LIMITED, MITSUBISHI PENCIL CO., LTD., SCHWAN STABILO GROUP, ACCO BRANDS

Analyst Review

This current decade has witnessed a surge in the literacy rate specifically in Asia-Pacific, which is the largest and fastest growing across the globe. In addition, the region is growing in terms of online sales channel, as it is now emerging as one of the prominent sales channels in the retail sector. Many brands have now transitioned toward omni channel market approach. The online sale of school supplies has increased amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift of consumer behavior toward buying their requirement online is likely to continue in the future, which is anticipated to boost the market growth.

CXO further stated that globally, the adoption of digital tools during pandemic has led the education system to move further with the combination of online and offline education system. Universities are planning to continue their digital transformations and workshopping as a new strategies of learning for the upcoming years. Furthermore, the use of books is likely to reduce, whereas the penetration of digital tools such as kindle is expected to rise among students. This is attributed to the fact that kindle itself has multiple advantages, which have led to rise in its usage. In addition, kindle offers free books, cheaper books, dictionary, translations, electronic markers, large print, and search function, as well as  is paperless. Each year, approximately 15 billion trees are cut down just for the production of text books globally; thus, paperless learning is gaining high traction in the global market, thus supporting sustainability. Therefore, owing to multiple advantages associated with kindle, universities are planning to adopt this digital tool into their education system, to ease the burden of weight and shift the students from offline learning to online learning, which is a more fun and easier way to help students in getting better education.

Author Name(s) : Samriddhi Chauhan | Roshan Deshmukh

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