Writing Instruments Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Pen, Coloring Instruments), By Distribution Channel, By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global writing instruments market size was valued at USD 13.9 billion in 2018. An increase in the number of promotional products such as apparel and calendars offered by educational institutions and offices is expected to remain a key factor in driving the market. Moreover, nowadays, the availability of natural and recyclable materials used in the manufacturing process of pens has increased the scope and demand for pens across the globe.

Over the past few years, the introduction of new and innovative multipurpose writing instruments has been playing a key role in expanding the scope of these products. The manufacturers are coming up with new product offerings such as pens with the stylus, different colored inks, and pencils in various sizes. Furthermore, companies are using innovative strategies to penetrate the application scope among students.

The market is expected to witness significant gains owing to the introduction of fancy coloring instruments that are gaining traction among children and school going students. These fancy coloring instruments are also gaining popularity among artists owing to the availability of these products in a wide variety and different shades of color.

The growing use of highlighters and markers among students and working professionals are anticipated to expand the market scope. Many manufacturers are now shifting towards producing recyclable PET pens that are made using PET bottles as a raw material. In addition, the use of eco-friendly colors in coloring instruments such as crayons and sketch pens is expected to propel the market growth over the upcoming years.

The manufacturers are constantly trying to appeal to the customers with customized pen body styles, clips, and superior use of ink. Easy accessibility of eco-friendly products at cheaper prices is expected to exhibit a positive shift in the inclination of consumer preference for these products. Companies specializing in the luxury pen are attracting people from high-income groups owing to their designer's finish look and quality.

Product Insights

Pen dominated the market with a share of 35.6% in 2018. This is attributed to the growing production of biodegradable pen products, coupled with the growing inclination of consumers towards these products.

Coloring instruments are predicted to generate a revenue of USD 3.4 billion by the end of 2025. These products are witnessing an upsurge in popularity and demand owing to growing awareness among the consumers regarding the importance of highlighters, markers, and other coloring instruments. In others, there are sharpeners, erasers, rulers, or measuring stick. This segment is expected to witness a slight decline due to their limited usage and less scope as compared to other products. 

Distribution Channel Insights

Stationeries generated a revenue of USD 5.0 billion in 2018. This segment has been gaining traction owing to its benefits such as physical verification of the product before purchase. Furthermore, the availability of an in-store expert who helps them choose the right product and instant buying is expected to drive the consumers to opt for stationaries as a selling medium. Moreover, due to the development of the organized retail sector, the supermarkets/hypermarkets are providing increasing visibility for the consumer products along with others.

Application Insights

Students accounted for the largest share in terms of application and generated a revenue of USD 7.8 billion in 2018. This growth is attributed to the rise in awareness regarding the importance of education among the population across the globe. Initiatives and policies of the government to encourage more students, especially women in under-developing or developing economies including India, China, and Brazil to pursue education are likely to boost the segment growth. All these factors are anticipated to increase the scope of writing instruments in the near future.

The working professionals segment is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment, expanding at a CAGR of 8.0% from 2019 to 2025 owing to increased use of pens, highlighters, and markers by the professionals to make their work more presentable. Usage of these products makes their work simpler by highlighting the key points, thereby boosting the segment growth.

Regional Insights

As of 2018, Asia Pacific dominated the market, accounting for 31.6% share of the overall revenue on account of increasing awareness regarding the importance of education, along with the expansion of the corporate sector in China, Japan, South Korea, and India. Furthermore, the growing middle-class population in developing countries including China and India is opening new opportunities for manufacturers to expand their business in these regions.

Europe holds a significant share of the industry and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2019 to 2025. Key markets of this region include France, Germany, the U.K., and Spain. The growing trend of using fancy coloring instruments and luxury pens owing to their high spending capacity is anticipated to remain a favorable factor in driving the product demand in this region.

North America is the fastest-growing region and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.3% from 2019 to 2025. Factors such as high spending power and constant launching of innovative products are enabling many users to raise their spending on writing instrument products.

Writing Instruments Market Share Insights

Key industry players in this market include Faber-Castle; Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd.; Linc Pen and Plastics Private Limited; Luxor Writing Instruments Private Limited; Pilot (Pen Company); Flair Group of Companies; Newell Brands, Inc.; Hindustan Pencils Private Limited; Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc.; and Pentel Co. Ltd. New product launches and establishment of strategic business units in developing economies including China and India are expected to remain the key strategies among the industry participants.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2015 to 2025. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global writing instruments market report on the basis of product, application, distribution channel, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Pen

  • Pencil

  • Coloring Instruments

  • Others

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Students

  • Working Professionals

  • Institutions

• Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • Stationaries

  • Hypermarket/Supermarket

  • Departmental Stores

  • Online

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2015 - 2025)

  • North America

    •  The U.S.

  • Europe

    • Germany

    •  U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    •  India

  • Central & South America

    •  Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa