Yihan Ma
Research expert covering e-commerce and FMCG in Greater China
Stationery and office supplies in China - statistics & facts
The Chinese stationery and office supply market offers a variety of products ranging from writing instruments to paper products. It also includes desktop and drawing instruments, as well as storage products and consumables. In recent years, China's stationery and office supplies market has experienced an impressive growth thanks to economic prosperity and rising disposable income. In 2021, the stationery and office supply market in China totaled around 22 billion U.S. dollars, nearly tripling its value a decade ago.
Furthermore, stationery production in China exhibited a strong regional pattern. The majority of stationery and office supply manufacturers are agglomerated in coastal provinces such as Guangdong, Shandong, and Zhejiang due to convenient transportation and cheap labor. Besides, most of China's stationery and office supply retail and wholesale markets are also located in East and South China. Yiwu, the world's largest stationery wholesale market, generates almost a fifth of China's stationery sales and more than eight percent of the global stationery sales.
A recent trend among Chinese stationery manufacturers has been to cater to the novelty needs of the younger generation. A good example is the collaboration with popular intellectual properties, such as manga or gaming, to produce co-branded stationery products. Additionally, products such as mystery stationery boxes encourage consumers to collect different designs of stationery. Nevertheless, targeting younger consumers raised public concerns including the rise of consumerism and a skewed attitude towards money.
The competitive development of stationery industry
China has been the world's largest exporter of stationery and office supplies for decades. Owing to low labor costs and technical thresholds, China is home to more than seven million registered stationery manufacturers, ranging from family workshops to listed companies. This makes the market highly competitive. The five leading stationery manufacturers in China accounted for less than a third of the total market in 2021, with its largest player Deli Stationery making up ten percent of the market.Furthermore, stationery production in China exhibited a strong regional pattern. The majority of stationery and office supply manufacturers are agglomerated in coastal provinces such as Guangdong, Shandong, and Zhejiang due to convenient transportation and cheap labor. Besides, most of China's stationery and office supply retail and wholesale markets are also located in East and South China. Yiwu, the world's largest stationery wholesale market, generates almost a fifth of China's stationery sales and more than eight percent of the global stationery sales.
New trends in China’s stationery retails
Despite traditional channels such as stationery specialty shops still holding the majority of sales in China within the market, e-commerce is growing. A younger generation of consumers love the convenience of online shopping. Online platforms such as Tmall, Taobao, and JD.com provided consumers with a wide range of stationery products, including many innovative and co-branded products, which drive e-commerce growth in the stationery market.A recent trend among Chinese stationery manufacturers has been to cater to the novelty needs of the younger generation. A good example is the collaboration with popular intellectual properties, such as manga or gaming, to produce co-branded stationery products. Additionally, products such as mystery stationery boxes encourage consumers to collect different designs of stationery. Nevertheless, targeting younger consumers raised public concerns including the rise of consumerism and a skewed attitude towards money.
