Consumer Trends Of Luggage And Bags In The Sinking Market

Consumer Trends of Luggage and Bags in the Sinking Market

 

The sinking market is becoming the core growth pole of China's bag luggage bag industry, encompassing third-tier and lower cities, county areas, and township markets. Leveraging a massive population base and the potential for consumption upgrade, it is reshaping the industry's market landscape. In 2024, the luggage and bags market size in third-tier and lower cities reached 111.5 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 6.8%, significantly higher than the 4.1% growth rate in first and second-tier cities. This market continues the consumption gene of "practicality first" while also showcasing new characteristics like quality upgrading and channel diversification. The evolution of these trends deeply reflects the transformation trajectory of mass consumption in China.

 

I. Market Size: From Supplementary Market to Core Growth Engine

 

Luggage consumption in the sinking market has upgraded from an "optional" accessory demand to an essential item for mandatory consumption scenarios, achieving a dual breakthrough in scale and growth rate.

 

(I) Continuous Expansion of Scale, with County Contribution Prominent

 

With the rise in residents' disposable income, the scale of luggage and bags consumption in the sinking market is steadily expanding. In 2024, the national per capita disposable income reached 41,000 yuan, supporting the growth of non-essential consumer goods. Bag luggage bag consumption in the sinking market accounts for 33% of the national total, an increase of 5 percentage points compared to 2020. County markets, as the core carriers, are particularly prominent: the annual sales of luggage and bags in a certain province's county market in Central China have exceeded 2 billion yuan, maintaining an average annual growth of 12%, with some economically active counties achieving growth rates of over 15%. Among sub-categories, daily commuter bag trolley bag is the largest category with a share of 36.7% and sales reaching 39.9 billion yuan. Traveling bags and trolleybags, such as a 24 inch trolley bag or 20 inch suitcase, closely follow, achieving a scale of 115 billion yuan due to the rise of short-distance tourism.

 

(II) Growth Rate Leads the Entire Area, with Significant Structural Optimization

 

The growth vitality of the sinking market far surpasses that of core cities, making it the industry's "ballast stone" for growth. In 2024, the year-on-year growth rates of luggage and bags consumption in Central and Western regions such as Sichuan, Hubei, and Shaanxi reached 9.7%, 8.9%, and 8.3% respectively, all higher than the national average. More critically, the consumption structure is shifting from solely low-priced items to "value-for-money + quality": the proportion of mid-to-high-end products priced above 1,000 yuan increased from 8% in 2020 to 12% in 2024, while mid-range products priced between 200 and 500 yuan have become the absolute main force, accounting for 45%. This has completely changed the previous market dominated by low-priced products ranging from 50 to 200 yuan.

 

II. Product Trends: Based on Practicality, Dual Upgrade in Quality and Personalization

 

Consumers in the sinking market are no longer satisfied with "just usable", but are gradually pursuing reliable quality, adapted design, and personal expression on the basis of practicality, forming diversified demand characteristics.

 

(I) Price Sensitivity and Quality Pursuit Coexist

 

"High value-for-money" remains the core decision factor, but "low price and low quality" has been abandoned. Data from platforms like Pinduoduo and Kuaishou shows that domestic brands in the 200–500 yuan price range are the most favored, with order volume increasing by over 40% year-on-year. Products in this price range meet both durability requirements (e.g., trolleybags with no malfunction after 5,000 pulls, wheel wear $\le 0.5$mm after 8km travel) and cost expectations. The layering characteristics in county markets are more evident: basic models of bag trolley bag priced at 50–200 yuan still account for over 60%, mainly used for student school bags and daily shopping bags; while business travel and short-distance tourism scenarios prefer mid-range products priced at 300–800 yuan, accounting for 35%.

 

(II) Function Adapts to Scenario-Based Needs

 

Product design closely aligns with the living scenarios of the sinking market, and functionality becomes the core competitiveness. The rise of short-distance tourism drives the demand for 20 inch suitcase and 24 inch trolley bag lightweight luggage case hardside luggage sized 20–24 inches. These products account for 58% of travel suitcase sales in the sinking market. For example, the TraveRE (China popular luggage brands TraveRE) bag luggage bag with its lightweight design (weight $\le 3.5$kg) and expandable capacity (15% expandable capacity) accurately matches the needs of local tourism. In daily commuting scenarios, the sales growth rate of backpacks integrating USB charging ports and multi-layer compartments reaches 18%. Outdoor scenarios favor durable, waterproof canvas bags and gym bags with shoe compartments. The repurchase rate for these functional products in the sinking market reaches 32%, higher than ordinary styles.

 

(III) Chinese Style and Minimalist Design Become New Trends

 

Confidence in local culture and aesthetic upgrading drive a shift in design preferences, with Chinese style elements filtering down from first-tier cities to county markets. Luggage and bags enterprises in Baigou, Hebei, by incorporating auspicious patterns and traditional color schemes, launched the "Auspicious Series," which exceeded 1 million units in sales in two months, driving the enterprise's sales growth by 30%. Brands like Li-Ning and Anta integrate elements such as Miao silver clasps and intangible cultural heritage embroidery into backpack designs, increasing their premium capability by 35% in third- and fourth-tier cities, with an acceptance rate of 62% among young consumers. Concurrently, minimalist design is highly favored: luggage and bags that are logo-free and solid-colored (black, dark gray, Morandi color scheme) account for 58%, adapting to daily wear while meeting the demand for low-key texture.

 

(IV) Smart Features Permeate Basic Models

 

Smart luggage is no longer exclusive to first-tier cities; basic smart features are gradually sinking. In 2024, sales of smart travel suitcase bag trolley bag in the sinking market increased by 14.3% year-on-year, with basic models priced below 300 yuan (only including USB charging and simple anti-theft) accounting for 45%, advanced models (adding GPS positioning, waterproofing) priced at 300–800 yuan accounting for 38%, and high-end models priced above 1,000 yuan accounting for less than 10%. Although the penetration rate of smart suitcase and smart luggage is only 5%, features adapted to travel scenarios like removable batteries and automatic weighing have become a focus for county business people. Basic smart models from brands like 90 Points, Horizon 8, and TraveRE (China traveling bags brands TraveRE) have surpassed 100,000 units in monthly sales on Douyin E-commerce.

 

III. Channel Trends: Integration of Online and Offline, Live E-commerce Becomes a Key Engine

 

The channel landscape of the sinking market exhibits characteristics of "online explosion, offline consolidation, and accelerated integration," with channel transformation directly boosting consumption growth.

 

(I) Online Channels: Live and Social E-commerce Drive Growth

 

Online channels have become the main source of growth for bag luggage bag consumption in the sinking market. In 2024, online sales accounted for 42%, an increase of 15 percentage points compared to 2020. Among these, live e-commerce performs the most rapidly: the GMV of luggage and bags on Douyin and Kuaishou platforms reached 28 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 60%. Baigou New City alone added 12,000 Taobao Live accounts, with the highest single-session sales reaching 16,000 units and turnover of 400,000 yuan. Pinduoduo, relying on the "low price + direct supply from the origin" model, contributes 45% of online sales in the sinking market. Its "Agricultural-Cloud-Pintuan" system allows county consumers to purchase luggage and bags at ex-factory prices, with order volume increasing by 40% year-on-year.

 

(II) Offline Channels: Experience and Instantaneous Demand Highlighted

 

Offline channels still hold the dominant position (accounting for 70% of the county market), but the format is shifting towards smaller, experience-focused stores. Department stores and brand specialty stores remain core touchpoints for mid-range products. Brands like Samsonite have opened 50 counters in county markets, with an average annual sales revenue of 800,000 yuan per store. Simultaneously, demand for instantaneous retail has surged: instant delivery orders for luggage and bags on Meituan Flash Purchase increased by 189% year-on-year in 2023. The penetration rate of the "online order, in-store pickup" model increased from 9% in 2022 to 17% in 2023, and is expected to reach 30% in 2025. This precisely meets the emergency needs of the sinking market (such as buying a suitcase for last-minute travel).

 

(III) Omni-channel Integration Becomes an Inevitable Choice

 

Brands are beginning to integrate online and offline data to achieve "scenario complementarity". Ximanuo Company in Baigou collects consumer demand through live streaming, rapidly iterating over 40 different product patterns, and then displaying samples in offline stores. This forms a closed loop of "online traffic, offline experience," resulting in sales growth of over 30%. Jingdong Jingzao and Tmall Supermarket also launched the "offline try-on, online order" service, setting up sample points in cooperative convenience stores in county areas. This solves the pain point of online shopping being "unseen and intangible," driving a conversion rate increase of 25%.

 

IV. Trend Drivers: Empowerment by Income, Infrastructure, and Concepts

 

The evolution of luggage and bags consumption in the sinking market is the result of the combined effect of resident income growth, infrastructure improvement, and consumption concept upgrading.

 

(I) Income Growth and Travel Recovery Lay the Foundation

 

In 2024, the national per capita disposable income reached 41,000 yuan, with a growth rate of 7.2% in third-tier and lower cities, directly boosting the ability to consume bag trolley bag. Concurrently, the recovery of the culture and tourism market activates travel demand: domestic civil aviation passenger transport volume exceeded 650 million person-times in 2024, an 18% increase year-on-year. The increased frequency of local and inter-provincial travel by county residents drives a 22% sales growth in categories such as traveling bags and backpacks. The normalization of business travel also plays a significant role: the growing travel demand from owners of small and medium-sized enterprises and workplace professionals in county areas drives the proportion of business luggage sales to 26.4%.

 

(II) E-commerce Infrastructure Connects the "Last Mile" of Consumption

 

The improvement of logistics and digital infrastructure breaks down geographical restrictions. In 2024, the express delivery coverage rate in rural areas reached 95%, and the proportion of packages achieving "next-day delivery" in the county market exceeded 60%. This solves the previous problems of slow delivery and difficult returns for luggage and bags. The popularity of short videos and live streaming reduces the information gap: the penetration rate of short video users in the sinking market reaches 88%. Consumers can directly understand the product material and function through live streaming, shortening the decision-making cycle from 7 days to 3 days, and increasing the proportion of impulse purchases to 28%.

 

(III) Consumption Concept Shifts from "Durable" to "Quality Life"

 

The younger generation (Gen Z) has become the main consumer force in the sinking market, accounting for 52%. Their concepts are closer to those of first- and second-tier consumers, focusing on both practicality and the pursuit of "aesthetics" and "individuality". At the same time, "self-pleasing consumption" is on the rise. The frequency of county female consumers purchasing fashion handbags increased from 1.2 times to 1.8 times per year, and sales of accessories like small tote bags increased by 9.3%. The acceptance of Morandi color schemes and customized color matching has significantly improved.

 

V. Challenges and Future Outlook

 

Currently, the sinking market still faces problems such as product homogenization, low brand awareness, and weak after-sales service systems: among low-end products in the county market, design plagiarism accounts for 30%, while brand after-sales service network coverage is less than 40%, making difficult repairs a hot spot for complaints. However, in the long run, with industry upgrading, these issues will gradually be alleviated.

 

In the future, luggage and bags consumption in the sinking market will show three major trends: First, the rise of green consumption. Due to environmental concepts and value-for-money, the market share of recycled material suitcase and traveling bags is expected to increase from 12% in 2024 to 25% in 2027. Second, scenario-based segmentation will intensify. Products for segmented scenarios such as citywalk, parent-child travel, and outdoor work will continue to emerge. Third, local brands will dominate the market. Brands from industrial clusters like Baigou and Pinghu, relying on the advantage of "direct supply from the origin + rapid iteration," are expected to increase their market share from 28% in 2024 to 40% in 2027.

 

The upgrading of bag trolley bag consumption in the sinking market is essentially a microcosm of the "inclusive upgrading" of the Chinese consumer market. From "just usable" to "good-looking and good-to-use," and from "hard to buy offline" to "instantly available," the evolution of this market not only provides new growth space for luggage and bags enterprises but also reflects the vitality of the Chinese county economy and the improvement of residents' quality of life. Whoever can accurately grasp the core logic of "value-for-money + quality + scenario adaptation" will gain the initiative in the sinking market's blue ocean.