In this week’s teardown, I analyze a 22-year-old luggage eCommerce website, LuggagePros.com. The site receives 59k organic traffic per month (Ahrefs estimate).
This brand has a very long history as a brick-and-mortar business for over 50 years and has had an eCommerce website for over 20 years.
Luggage can be a profitable niche because it has high-priced items and people are willing to pay a premium for high-quality brands. Also, there are many related products for airline travel like neck pillows, travel blankets, backpacks, travel gadgets, etc.
The travel accessories market is supported by the strong growth in the travel industry. Travel has rebounded strongly from the pandemic and international visitor spending is estimated to reach $1.89 trillion in 2024, nearing an all-time high.
In this week’s teardown, I examine what this site is doing well and what I would improve to grow the business.
This is what I cover in this report:
- Website overview
- Major highlights
- Competitor overview
- Easy wins to increase revenue and/or traffic
- Actionable takeaways you can apply
Let’s get into it!
✅ Website Overview & Highlights
The website has had strong growth since the beginning of 2023 and is near its peak at about 59k organic traffic. It has not been affected by recent Google algorithm updates.
After over two decades of eCommerce experience, the site has accumulated 2,900 referring domains including many high-authority media sites.
The website’s domain has been active since 2002 and has had several redesigns as the Internet has evolved.
Luggage Pros was first established in 1973 as a luggage specialty store near Minneapolis, Minnesota. They were an early mover into the eCommerce space and pre-date most other online luggage stores.
They offer a wide range of luggage brands and products with about 1,600 pages in the Google Index.
However, the website design is dated and could use a refresh to make it look more modern and professional.
One issue with the site design is that the text extends to the edge of the page with no margin on the left which hurts readability. It also lacks design elements like navigation menu buttons, which make the site seem less professional and trustworthy.
Highlights
- 2,900 referring domains
- About 1,600 pages in Google’s index
- Facebook page with 3,500 followers
- A physical store with 4.6 rating on its Google Business Profile
Why is this site winning?
- Long history as an active website (20+ years)
- Several high authority links like Fox News, Today, and GQ
- Good branded search volume of about 100 searches per month
Top 3 Competitors
Here are similar competitors targeting many of the same keywords.
- LuggageFactory.com – One of the most popular luggage eCommerce stores with 26k monthly organic traffic (Ahrefs).
- LuggageBase.com – Another luggage eCommerce store with 10k monthly organic traffic (Ahrefs).
- LuggageOnline.com – A similar luggage eCommerce store also with 10k monthly organic traffic (Ahrefs).
Let’s get into the easy wins to grow this specific website.
🔥 5 Easy Wins To Grow This Website
There are opportunities to significantly grow this brand. I break down the following easy wins:
- Add unique content to product pages
- Add upsells to the checkout page
- Add more trust signals to product pages
- Add Buy Now, Pay Later financing options to product pages
- Set up a cart abandonment email automation
Let’s get into it!
➡️ Win #1: Add Unique Content to Product Pages
Several of the product pages I checked use the manufacturer’s descriptions which are also used by other luggage eCommerce sites on their product pages.
This creates a duplicate content problem where the page is competing in Google Search Results with other pages with identical content. In some cases they are competing against Best Buy, Amazon, and manufacturers like Tumi which use the exact same text.
They have a better chance of ranking for specific products in Google if they add unique content such as rewriting the descriptions in their own words.
➡️ Win #2: Add Upsells to the Checkout Page
Currently, the checkout page only shows the products that have been added to the cart.
The site could display complementary products that the customer may also be interested in. For example, if someone is buying luggage, they may also need travel accessories like luggage tags, packing aids, and neck pillows. If they are buying a checked luggage product, offer the matching carry-on.
Adding upsells during the checkout process is one of the fastest ways to increase the average order amount, which will increase sales and profit.
Additionally, they could display discounted offers with free shipping after the checkout is completed. It is more likely to get a customer to add to their order when they have just made a purchase and don’t have to pay for shipping.
➡️ Win #3: Add More Trust Signals to Product Pages
There is a lack of trust signals like badges that assure visitors that they are safe purchasing from the site.
One trust signal they could add is to feature some of the best positive reviews near the top of the product page. HappyGardens.com, a site we reviewed recently, does an excellent job of this.
They can also add a badge that highlights their 50+ years in business. People trust companies that have been in business for a very long time.
Happy Gardens does a good job of displaying trust badges on its product page below the “Add To Cart” button.
Additional trust badges they could add are a “100% Money-Back Guarantee” badge, review badges like Trust Pilot and the Better Business Bureau, and security badges like Norton Secured and McAfee Secure.
One potential red flag for some customers is the lack of a phone number displayed prominently in the navigation (it is hidden in the footer). Having a phone number assures customers that they are buying from a legitimate business with real people that they can talk to.
➡️ Win #4: Add Buy Now, Pay Later Financing Options to Product Pages
Many eCommerce sites offer Buy Now, Pay Later financing through services like Affirm, Sezzle, and Shop Pay. These services provide attractive interest-free payment options for customers.
Since luggage can be expensive, it can immediately increase conversions if the customer has the option to pay for the product over time with zero interest.
According to RBC Capital Markets, BNPL can increase the conversion rate by 20-30%. One Affirm survey found that 49% would not buy from a retailer that does not offer a pay-over-time option at checkout.
➡️ Win #5: Set Up a Cart Abandonment Email Automation
When potential customers abandon their cart, a follow-up email can automatically be sent to prompt the customer to reconsider.
According to Shopify, abandoned cart emails can recover from 5% – 11% of otherwise lost sales.
Shopify has a free abandoned cart automation that can be set up in the Shopify settings. Shopify says one of the best ways to recover a sale is to offer a discount code in the email.
Many top online retailers like Costco send abandoned cart emails to nudge customers to complete the checkout process for items they are considering.
👉 Actionable Takeaways
Here are actionable takeaways that you can apply to your niche website today:
- Add unique content to product pages to help them stand out from competitors that rely on manufacturer’s descriptions.
- Add trust signals like a prominent phone number and trustworthy badges to increase buyer confidence.
- Adding a Buy Now, Pay Later financing option can increase conversion rates significantly, especially for higher-priced items.
- Setting up an abandoned cart email automation can be done in an hour and recover a small percentage of abandoned carts over the long term.
