Brand Co-Branded Suitcase And Travel Backpack Development Trends

Brand Co-branded Suitcase and Travel Backpack Development Trends

 

Brand co-branding has become the core growth engine for the traveling bags and travel backpack industry. This model of "superimposing brand assets + empowering emotional value" precisely targets the personalized needs of young consumers. In 2024, the global travel bag market size reached 1.92 billion USD, and is expected to increase to 3.05 billion USD by 2033, while the growth rate of IP co-branded models is 2-3 times the industry average. China's IP licensing market exceeded 120 billion RMB in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 23.5%, providing sufficient ecological soil for luggage bag co-branding. Its market response exhibits the distinct characteristics of "frequent blockbusters, value enhancement, and coexisting controversies," and is expected to move towards deeper integration and long-term operation in the future.

 

I. Market Response: Triple Breakthroughs in Sales, Reputation, and Value

 

Co-branded suitcases and travel backpacks, with their unique scarcity and emotional resonance, achieve simultaneous boosts in sales, user feedback, and brand value in the market, becoming highlights of the industry.

 

(I) Sales Performance: Frequent Blockbusters, Outstanding Conversion Efficiency

 

Co-branded models often create short-term sales peaks, becoming a "booster shot" for brand performance growth. The MCM x Honor of Kings co-branded rucksack achieved 230 million exposures on Xiaohongshu, driving a 500% increase in single-day sales on the Tmall flagship store. The NOTHINGNONE x Forbidden City Cultural & Creative 2024 limited edition accordion luggage bag achieved 32 million RMB in sales in its first month online, accounting for 41% of the brand's total revenue for the quarter. Cross-border markets also show impressive performance. The co-branded series between Pop Mart's Labubu and a luggage brand sparked a buying frenzy in the Southeast Asian market, with the series' revenue increasing by 726.6% year-on-year in 2024. The campus-style IP travel rucksack launched by Mesuca in Thailand achieved a 12% conversion rate in the first week, with a single live stream GMV exceeding 180,000 USD.

 

(II) User Feedback: Driven by Emotional Resonance, Social Attributes Highlighted

 

Gen Z has become the main consumption force for co-branded models, accounting for over 70%. Their purchase motivation is more inclined towards emotional fulfillment and identity recognition. Data from the Dewu platform shows that 61% of consumers are willing to pay a premium for IP co-branded gift boxes, and 78% of purchasers stated they "consume due to the emotional satisfaction brought by the IP." Social platforms have become the core battleground for co-branded model dissemination. The challenge launched by MINISO x LINEFRIENDS co-branded series on Douyin accumulated 420 million views, with related topics trending 12 times. The Forbidden City Cultural & Creative co-branded suitcase, carrying traditional cultural symbols, has a repurchase rate of 22%, far exceeding the industry average of 17%.

 

(III) Value Enhancement: Increased Premium Capacity, Expanded Brand Voice

 

Co-branded models effectively break the price ceiling of traditional luggage bags, achieving value enhancement. Co-branded products with strong functional integration can have an average price 2.3 times that of regular models. The NOTHINGNONE x Forbidden City co-branded model was priced 28% higher than the regular model, yet achieved a 97% sell-through rate. The BOTTLOOP x The Three-Body Problem co-branded model, using a limited-edition numbering + blockchain authentication method, had a secondary market premium rate of up to 180%. Concurrently, co-branding can quickly boost brand exposure, driving an average social media follower increase of 120% and a search volume increase of 80%. Sales of Guochao style co-branded traveling bags in the Asia-Pacific market saw a year-on-year growth of up to 38%.

 

II. Core Drivers: Tripartite Empowerment of IP, Consumption, and Channels

 

The explosive growth of co-branded luggage models is the result of the combined effect of IP value release, consumption demand upgrading, and channel communication innovation.

 

(I) Deep Release of IP Value, Reducing Brand Education Costs

 

The global cultural and entertainment industry reached 4.8 trillion USD in 2023. The inherent traffic and emotional recognition of quality IP form the basis for successful co-branding. National-level IPs like the Forbidden City Cultural & Creative have a national recognition of up to 92%, and the Oriental aesthetics they embody can quickly build consumer trust. Trendy IPs like Labubu, relying on "ugly-cute" design and celebrity effect, have become "social currency" for young people in Southeast Asia. Combining with tech elements, such as TraveRE (One of China top 10 luggage brands in the world TraveRE), which uses science fiction elements to attract precise customer groups, achieves brand circle-breaking. The emotional value of IP can further deepen consumer connection. The Harry Potter co-branded traveling bags have a penetration rate of 41% among women aged 18-25, stemming precisely from the emotional resonance with the "Wizarding World" sentiment.

 

(II) Consumption Demand Upgrade, Personalization and Quality Become Key

 

Gen Z contributes over 60% of the incremental growth in the luggage market. They are no longer satisfied with functional products, but pursue a multifaceted experience of "aesthetics + story + personality." Research shows that 68% of millennials are willing to pay a 10%-15% premium for fashion elements like art co-branding, and 76% of Gen Z will pay a 15%-30% premium for "designs with a sense of cultural narrative." The suitcase and travel backpack, as carriers for "high-frequency use + social display," have become important mediums for consumers to express themselves. The scarcity and unique design of co-branded models precisely meet this demand for "differentiated expression."

 

(III) Channel Empowerment Acceleration, Social E-commerce Amplifies Communication Effect

 

Live streaming e-commerce and social platforms have become the core communication battlegrounds for co-branded models. On the Douyin platform, the GMV of co-branded luggage bag models in the travel suitcase category surged by 230% year-on-year in 2023. Top bloggers' conversion rates reached 5.8%, and the interaction rate of mid-tier bloggers was as high as 8.2%. The closed loop of "content seeding - offline experience - online dissemination" linking online and offline has achieved significant results. Content such as "structure decoding" and "designer interviews" in brand self-broadcast rooms can increase user stay time by 127%, effectively promoting the conversion of high-average-price co-branded models.

 

III. Development Trends: From Short-Term Blockbusters to Long-Term Value Ecosystem

 

In the future, co-branded suitcases and travel backpacks will move away from the shallow cooperation of "simple image sticking," evolving towards IP verticalization, design depth, and long-term operation.

 

(I) IP Selection: Vertical Deep Cultivation Replaces Traffic Stacking

 

Brands will prefer to select vertical IP highly aligned with target users, rather than blindly chasing popular traffic. Guochao IP (Forbidden City, Dunhuang) continues to heat up, strengthening cultural identity by restoring traditional patterns through digital technology. Tech IP (The Three-Body Problem) is deeply integrated with luggage functionality, creating "wearable tech products." Co-branding with niche designer IPs and vertical KOLs is on the rise, meeting the personalized needs of segmented circles and avoiding homogenization competition. This includes specialized models like the laptop backpack for tech users or the rugged travel rucksack for outdoor enthusiasts.

 

(II) Design Integration: Functional Embedding Replaces Surface Grafting

 

Co-branded design will shift from "IP element sticking" to "deep functional structure integration." The BOTTLOOP x The Three-Body Problem co-branded model converts the "droplet detector" outline into a rucksack body track design, and the inner compartment simulates the "Wallfacer Project" file logic, achieving a unity of aesthetics and practicality. The NeZha IP co-branded model embeds a magnetic identification badge, and the Labubu co-branded model features detachable plush pendants, making the IP element an organic component of the product's function. This deeply integrated type of co-branded luggage bag can increase user stay time by 4.7 minutes, with a conversion rate 2.1 times the industry average.

 

(III) Operation Logic: Long-Term Ecosystem Replaces Short-Term Promotion

 

Only 12% of brands can achieve long-term operation of IP co-branding, but this proportion will continue to increase in the future. Brands will build a closed loop of "IP co-branding - user retention - continuous operation," enhancing user lifetime value through "IP Passport" point systems, limited digital collectibles, and designer meet-and-greets. The introduction of user co-creation mechanisms, allowing consumers to participate in design theme voting and color scheme selection, enables consumer involvement in the creation of co-branded traveling bags, reducing market trial-and-error costs. Concurrently, developing a series of co-branded products around the core IP, rather than single collaborations, forms a stable IP consumption circle.

 

(IV) Market Layout: Dual Focus on Globalization and Localization

 

International brands are targeting the Chinese mid-to-high-end market by lowering prices for "affordable luxury co-branded suitcases" to the 1,000–3,000 RMB range. Local brands, on the other hand, are using Guochao IP to go global, launching co-branded products in markets like Southeast Asia and the Middle East that are adapted to local needs. The Labubu co-branded model was a bestseller in Indonesia through influencer seeding on Tokopedia and Shopee, and Mesuca successfully opened up the Southeast Asian market after adjusting its price range, validating the effectiveness of "Global IP + Localized Operation."

 

IV. Current Challenges and Future Outlook

 

Currently, the co-branded market still faces three major challenges: severe homogenization (some co-branded models have 20 imitations appearing within 3 months of launch, priced as low as 30% of the original price); short life cycle (sales of most film/TV IP co-branded models plummet by 80% after the film/TV show ends, with a user retention rate of less than 10%); and insufficient supply chain coordination (23% of co-branding projects result in lower-than-expected profit margins due to long design proofing cycles and stock shortages).

 

In the future, as the industry matures, these issues will gradually ease. The application of eco-friendly materials will become an important bonus point for co-branded models, with the proportion of eco-friendly materials expected to exceed 40% by 2025. The integration of smart features and IP will become tighter; technologies like GPS positioning and biometric identification will be deeply integrated with IP story scenarios. The penetration rate of customized services will continue to increase. The customized luggage market share is expected to exceed 15% by 2025, and co-branded models will further develop towards the "one-person, one-item" personalized direction.

 

The development of brand co-branded suitcases and travel backpacks is essentially a transition from "product marketing" to "value co-creation." Only by abandoning short-term traffic thinking, deeply cultivating IP value, optimizing product design, and building a long-term operational ecosystem can co-branded models truly become an extension of brand assets, rather than a short-lived blockbuster. This trend will not only reshape the competitive landscape of the traveling bags industry but also promote travel gear to become a "mobile life symbol" with both practical function, emotional value, and cultural connotation.