Asia-Pacific 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 Asia-Pacific back to school market size was valued at $26.3 billion in 2020, and is projected reach $58.2 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 6.0% from 2021 to 2030. The stationery segment led in terms of Asia-Pacific back to school market share in 2020 and is expected to retain its dominance throughout the forecast period.

Back-to-school products include essential items such as Bagpacks, pens, pencils, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, uniforms, and shoes. Most of these products are conventional, however, many unique ideas are being implemented in these products, which are driving the market expansion. Bagpacks have seen prominent changes over the years. For instance, Bagpacks, nowadays, are made with memory foam shoulder pads to provide maximum comfort and support at back. Furthermore, Bagpacks are designed to evenly distribute the weight of the materials to lower 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 have resulted in market expansion. In addition, 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 market in Asia-Pacific.

The outbreak of COVID-19 began in late 2019, and has spread throughout the world in early 2020. After the diseases was declared a pandemic, affected countries declared complete lockdown, which resulted in the closure of schools. Classes were shifted online, which caused a reduction in the sale of clothes, shoes, lunch boxes, water bottles, and art & craft supplies. The sales of stationeries were reduced, as students were staying at home, as the study material was recorded and shared in a digital format, which led to major losses for stationary brands. Moreover, schools remained closed for months, and were reopened periodically for a few weeks or a months, depending on the various conditions of the pandemic in the region. Thus, closure of schools was a major setback for the growth of the back-to-school market.

Segment review

The Asia-Pacific back to school market is segmented on the basis of product type, distribution channels, and countries. Based on product type, the Asia-Pacific market is divided into bagpack, electronic, stationery, clothing, shoes, and other. The report also segments the market on the basis of distribution channels mainly hypermarket/supermarket, e-commerce, dollar stores, specialty stores, and others. Furthermore, it includes revenue generated from the sales of Asia-Pacific back to school market across China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Rest of Asia-Pacific.

By product type, the Asia-Pacific back to school market is segmented into bagpack, electronic, stationery, clothing, shoes, and other. Stationery is the largest segment in the market due to the fact that stationery is the primary tool used for education and learning. Stationery is expected to remain the dominant segment at the end of the forecast period.

Depending on the distribution channel, the Asia-Pacific back to school market is divided into hypermarket/supermarket, e-commerce, dollar stores, specialty stores, and others. Specialty store are the most predominant channel for the purchase of back to school products and the e-commerce segment is expected to have the highest growth.

The report focuses on the Asia-Pacific back to school market growth prospects, restraints, and opportunities of the Asia-Pacific 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 Asia-Pacific back to school market.

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

Covid-19 Impact Analysis

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

Key Benefits For Stakeholders

• The report provides an extensive analysis of the current and emerging Asia-Pacific back to school market trends and opportunities.
• The report provides detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis of the current trends and future estimations that help evaluate the prevailing Asia-Pacific back to school market opportunities in the market.
• The Asia-Pacific back to school market forecast is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.
• The market analysis is conducted by following key product positioning and monitoring the top competitors within the market framework.
• The report provides extensive qualitative insights on the potential and niche segments or regions exhibiting favorable growth.

Asia-Pacific Back to School Market Segments

By Product type

• Bagpack
• Electronic
• Stationery
• Clothing
• Shoes
• Others

By Distribution Channel

• Hypermarket/Supermarket
• E-Commerce
• Dollar Stores
• Specialty Stores
• Others

By Country

• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Singapore
• Vietnam
• Rest of Asia-Pacific

  Asia-Pacific Back-to-school Market Report Highlights

Aspects	Details
By Product type	Bagpack Electronic Stationery Clothing Shoes Others
By Distribution Channel	Hypermarket/Supermarket E-Commerce Dollar Stores Specialty Stores Others
By Country	China India Japan Australia South Korea Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Vietnam Rest of Asia-Pacific
Key Market Players	ACCO BRANDS, KOKUYO CAMLIN LTD., ITC LIMITED, MITSUBISHI PENCIL CO., LTD., ADIDAS AG (REEBOK), WH SMITH PLC., PUMA SE, ZEBRA PEN CORP., PELIKAN INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION BERHAD, HARLEQUIN INTERNATIONAL GROUP PTY LTD.

Analyst Review

Last few years have witnessed an increase in the rate of literacy in Asia-Pacific. A large number of children are getting access to primary education, due to the efforts and initiatives taken by governments to improve the education standards in the countries. Moreover, many rural areas are establishing new schools and facilities to promote education, with many other nongovernment organizations pitching in to further improve education across the region.

The COVID-19 outbreak was witnessed in the Hubei province of the Wuhan city in China in late December. A lot of countries in Asia-Pacific imposed complete lockdown that resulted in closing down of schools for a significant period of time. In addition, the impact was felt by manufacturers and retailers of stationery and related products. However, with reopening of schools, the demand for stationary products is likely to escalate in the upcoming years.

In addition, with changing consumer behavior toward online shopping, engaged stakeholders in the industry have transitioned toward online channels to deliver back-to-school products. Higher convenience, secured payments, and myriad of options have resulted in increasing popularity of online channels. Thus, sales of such products is likely to proliferate with improving digital infrastructure and rising awareness regarding such channels.

Author Name(s) : Himanshu Vig | Roshan Deshmukh