Ten years ago, roughly one in five suitcases was sold online. Today it's more than half. That single shift explains most of what happened to the global luggage industry between 2013 and 2023 — and a good chunk of what happens next.
We've watched this decade from the inside: a factory in Ji'an, Jiangxi, filling orders that end up as Amazon listings, flagship-store shelves and airline check-in counters. The market reports paint the same picture we see in our own order book. Here's how it actually unfolded, piece by piece.
Market Size: Down, Then Back Up
Euromonitor's numbers tell the story in three acts. From 2013 to 2019, the global luggage market climbed steadily from roughly $15 billion to nearly $19 billion — a compound annual growth rate of 3% to 5%. Then COVID gutted tourism: the market dropped to about $14 billion in 2020. As travel came back, so did the market, rebounding to over $17 billion in 2023, with expectations of exceeding $22 billion by 2028.
Regionally, the picture splits in two. The US, the world's largest single market, grew from $6 billion to about $7.5 billion between 2013 and 2019 at roughly 3%-4% a year, fuelled by strong demand for mid- to high-end luggage. It fell to about $5 billion in 2020 and recovered to over $6.5 billion by 2023. Europe went from $5 billion to approximately $6 billion over the same pre-pandemic stretch, dipped to around $4 billion in 2020, then climbed back as restrictions eased.
The emerging markets were the real engine. India doubled from $1 billion to $2 billion between 2013 and 2019 on a growing middle class and unleashed travel demand. The Middle East — oil wealth plus tourism draw — moved from $800 million to roughly $1.5 billion over the same period, growing 12% to 18% a year. Africa started from a smaller base but held 10% to 15% annual growth, and is expected to keep that pace.
Product Innovation: The Suitcase Grew a Brain
Smart features came in waves. First USB charging, which solved the dead-phone problem and spread fast. Then GPS tracking, so travelers could watch their bag's location from an app — a hit with international flyers. Then smart weighing, which killed the airport overweight surprise. High-end models now carry electronic locks that open by fingerprint, password or phone via Bluetooth.
The benchmark was Away. The American brand's smart suitcase — built-in rechargeable battery, GPS tracker and electronic scale — became the category's reference point.
Materials moved just as fast. PC (polycarbonate) took over the hard-shell market on toughness, impact resistance and formability; Rimowa's polycarbonate cases, launched after 2000, proved the material early. Aluminum alloy stayed the choice for premium business and travel lines. Recycled plastics and bio-based materials arrived with the green-consumption wave — some brands now mould shells from recycled ocean plastic, which sells as hard as it travels.
Design went two directions at once. Minimalism ruled one lane — clean lines, solid colors, Rimowa's grooved aluminum cases becoming a fashion icon rather than just luggage. The other lane ran toward art: Louis Vuitton's collaborations with renowned artists turned suitcases into collectibles. In between, design got practical, splitting by use case — business cases with laptop and document compartments, outdoor cases that are waterproof, wear-resistant and big.
Brands: Giants Reinvented, New Names Exploded
Samsonite spent the early decade shopping. Between 2013 and 2016 it bought French brand Lipault, American brand Gregory and premium business brand Tumi, stretching from young fashion to executive travel. A short-seller attack in 2018 hit performance, but strategic adjustments brought a strong rebound in Europe and the US. In the first quarter of 2023, its top three brands — Samsonite, American Tourister and Tumi — accounted for 90.35% of total sales.
Rimowa's story is the LVMH story. After the 2016 acquisition, the brand went younger: a revamped logo, collabs with Supreme and Off-White, limited editions that pulled in a new generation. It rebuilt its global store presence, reclaimed distribution rights in markets like China, and upgraded the in-store experience. By 2024, sales had nearly quadrupled in five years, with double-digit growth.
Away, founded in 2015, proved the direct-to-consumer model could break the old retail machine. Minimalist, practical, USB charging and TSA-approved locks, sold straight online with social-media marketing and lower intermediary costs. Within a few years it passed a $1 billion valuation.
Delsey, meanwhile, ground out steady share the old-fashioned way: product lines for every segment — lightweight carry-ons, large-capacity family cases — new materials like PC and aluminum alloy, and a growing network of stores and counters worldwide.
The competition itself changed shape. Price and quality stopped being enough. Brand image, design, channels and after-sales became battlegrounds: Tumi sponsoring high-end business events to own the premium-business image, brands building omnichannel retail, and after-sales services like extended warranties, free repairs and fast response times turning into loyalty tools.
Sales Channels: The Online Flip
Online sales went from about 20% of the global luggage market in 2013 to over 50% by 2023. Amazon became the default shelf: in 2023 it sold over 200,000 luggage items, generating nearly $29.12 million in sales. Combination suitcases — typically three-piece sets of ABS and fabric — were the most popular format at 51%. eBay and Shopee offered their own lanes.
What nobody anticipated was how much data the shift created. Brands now read browsing and purchase patterns to customize products and target marketing, which is a very different game from guessing at a trade show.
Offline didn't die; it got theatrical. Rimowa opened flagship stores on upscale shopping streets worldwide — part display, part brand history, part customization studio. The omnichannel loop closed: browse and order online, pick up in store or get it delivered; the store becomes the showroom, the experience center and the repair counter.
What Comes Next
Tourism keeps recovering, and the World Tourism Organization expects the global tourism market to grow 5%-8% a year for the next few years — which flows straight into luggage demand. Smart luggage is heading deeper: tighter smartphone integration, automatic obstacle avoidance and tracking. Eco materials should get lighter and stronger. Customized 3D-printed products are on the horizon for brands that want one-offs without mold costs.
The challenges are just as real. More brands keep entering a growing market, so differentiation costs more. Plastics and metals swing with international commodity markets, squeezing cost control. Supply chains proved fragile during the pandemic, with factory shutdowns and logistics disruptions hitting production and sales. And environmental regulation keeps tightening, pushing R&D and production costs up.
Honest read from the factory floor: the brands that will survive the next decade are the ones treating compliance, data and channel integration as product features — not overhead. The market's still growing, but the easy wins are gone.
About the Author
Written by the CLK Manufacturing Team — 16+ years of custom luggage OEM/ODM experience from our factory in Ji'an, Jiangxi, China. Updated: 2026-08-15.
Related Products & Sourcing
CLK Luggage (Jiangxi Chengleke Leather Co., Ltd.) manufactures custom hard-shell luggage, aluminum-magnesium cases and luggage sets for brands, retailers and corporate clients. Relevant resources:
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