Inside Modern Luggage Retail

The Gold Standard in Physical Retail for Luggage 

While much of the world has shifted online drawn by increasingly frictionless e-commerce experiences, physical retail still dominates luggage sales in the US. According to recent figures from the Travel Goods Association, offline channels account for roughly 64-70% of total sales. 

Why does brick-and-mortar remain so resilient in this category? And what does “best in class” look like for physical luggage retail today? 

The answer starts with the nature of the purchase itself. Luggage is a high-involvement decision: it’s expected to last for years, reflect the owner’s personality and values and crucially, protect their belongings throughout a journey. Functionally, customers want to get hands-on: to test the wheels, extend the handle, assess the weight and explore features like external pockets or cupholders. These are tactile, sensory checks that are difficult to replicate online. 

But leading brands go beyond simply enabling product trial. What truly differentiates the strongest players is how they “eventise” the retail experience. As Monos co-founder Victor Tam puts it, the goal is to “facilitate the experience of travel before customers go travel.” 

Most people who walk into a luggage store have a trip on the horizon: a moment charged with anticipation and emotion. Winning brands design around that energy, creating environments that tap into the excitement of travel rather than just showcasing products. The store becomes a destination, not merely a point of sale, engaging all five senses: touch, smell, taste, hearing and sight. 

In this model, retail spaces evolve into more than stores. They become knowledge hubs and community centers, offering workshops, repair services, events and opportunities to connect with like-minded travelers. These experiences deepen engagement, increase “stickiness,” and ultimately build stronger, more enduring brand affinity. Although people might not purchase luggage regularly, they can visit an upscale cafe to hang out with friends – and absorb many of the micro signals that means a luggage brand features higher in their consideration set when the right time to purchase arrives. Here are some of the brands that understand this customer journey particularly well.   

Monos Postcard 

Next door to Monos’ Chicago store sits Postcard, their first cafe concept, a modern lounge at the intersection of music, design, and hospitality. Inspired by the liminal spirit of travel, Monos describes the store as “a new chapter…a place of gathering and exploration that bridges design, culture, and community – inviting guests to arrive as they are and depart a little changed”. 

Calpak  

Calpak’s first physical location in Westfield Century City in Los Angeles, the store hinges on one big idea: celebrating both everyday and faraway adventures. The brand worked with design and architecture firm Gensler to bring this concept to life by creating various visual windows or pathways throughout the store. “These are windows into different spaces, windows of opportunity and windows of your life,” Calpak Marketing VPJeannie Shin said. “There’s a front window display, but behind that there is a wall with another window that peeks into the store. And then when you walk into the front of the store, there are all these different areas of products - different windows of different stages of your life, or moments of your life that you’re entering.” The final window, which leads to the luggage area, emulates the feeling of being in the air, almost like shoppers are looking out of an airplane window. The store also has distinct spaces where shoppers can touch, feel and test products. For example, there are two packing stations that feature Calpak’s various luggage sizes and organizational offerings, so customers can see how much they can pack in a single bag. 

Rimowa  

Rimowa’s physical offering blends the aesthetic and the practical, meeting their customers where they are, with architect designed stores which feel more like elegant art galleries. In their London store, there is an entire floor dedicated to client care, providing immediate onsite repairs and access to replacement parts. This service is part of the lifetime guarantee introduced in 2022, ensuring that each RIMOWA suitcase remains a trusted companion on every journey. The service also includes product customisation, whether that’s stickers commemorating destinations visited or creating a truly unique case through selecting colours for body, wheels, handles and luggage tag.   

We’re always keen to hear which brands are driving additional value for their current and future customers through outstanding physical retail, so please let us know who else deserves to be featured in this article.