More people are traveling than ever before, and, despite COVID-19 setbacks, the travel industry as a whole has been growing rapidly over the past decade. Luggage is no exception to that.
In the wake of COVID-19 and the emergence of a host of startup luggage brands, the market is continually changing. Here are the key statistics for understanding the luggage market.
US Luggage Retail Sales Over Time
From 2010 to 2019, US luggage retail sales increased by nearly 130% according to Statista. This growth was driven by more people traveling combined with innovation in the industry and more focused marketing online and in social media.
The chart and table below show the total retail sales for luggage in the US from 2010 to 2021.
|
US Luggage Retail Sales |
|
| Year |
Billion USD |
|
2010 |
$16.8 |
| 2011 |
$19.7 |
|
2012 |
$22.2 |
|
2013 |
$28.2 |
|
2014 |
$32.0 |
| 2015 |
$30.0 |
| 2016 |
$30.2 |
|
2017 |
$32.5 |
| 2018 |
$37.5 |
|
2019 |
$38.4 |
|
2020 |
$15.6 |
|
2021 |
$32.5 |
From 2019 to 2020, COVID travel bans caused a 59% drop in US luggage retail sales. By 2021, luggage sales had returned to 85% of pre-pandemic levels in the United States.
Global Luggage Market Size Forecast
In 2022, the global luggage market was valued at $17.6 Billion, according to Statista.
The chart below shows the past and forecasted growth of the luggage market worldwide, from 2017 to 2025.
|
Global Luggage Market Size Forecast |
|
|
Year |
Billion USD |
|
2017 |
$19.7 |
| 2018 |
$22.0 |
|
2019 |
$22.9 |
|
2020 |
$15.3 |
| 2021 |
$16.2 |
|
2022 |
$17.6 |
| 2023 |
$20.2 |
|
2024 |
$23.1 |
| 2025 |
$24.6 |
While the global luggage market was still far below pre-pandemic levels in 2022, it is expected to surpass those levels by the end of 2024. From 2019 to 2029, researchers at Mordor Intelligence predict a 7.2% compound annual growth rate in the luggage industry.
More people are traveling around the world, and we can only expect that trend to continue. That’s good news for both established luggage brands and newer startups in the business.
In the years and months leading up to COVID-19, several new brands emerged in the luggage and travel gear space.
While the pandemic was a challenging time for new travel brands, those that did manage to survive (Beis, Monos, July, and others) will likely experience significant growth in the coming years as the luggage industry as a whole continues to grow rapidly.
Luggage Search Interest by Month
While the seasonal trends in luggage sales and search interest are not as striking as for backpacks (which are most in demand at “back-to-school” season), there definitely are yearly-repeating patterns.
The table below shows US search interest in the term “luggage” by month from January 2021 to December 2023 according to Google Trends.
The pattern in the chart above shows that every year there are two spikes in search interest for luggage.
The first is a gradual ramp-up through the spring that peaks in July. Summer is the season that universally sees the most travel, and this trend reflects that. As school summer vacations start, people are shopping for luggage to gear up for trips.
The second spike is in the holiday season, especially Black Friday Weekend. This is the most profitable time of year for many consumer goods industries, so it’s no surprise that people are more interested in luggage during this time.