VIP Vs American Tourister

A well-planned trip can lead to memories that last a lifetime but planned poorly, those memories are more likely to be horror stories.

The right luggage for your journey is an integral piece of those plans that can play a significant role in the outcome of your travel experience.

You want to choose a suitcase that effectively caters to your travel style and needs, without straining your budget. That begs the question: which is the best suitcase to buy?

American Tourister and VIP are among the most popular luggage brands on the market today.

For decades, these two brands have been vying for the top position in the luggage market.

VIP takes pride in being your partner in travel aiming to make your trip comfortable and luxurious. The last thing VIP wants is for you to worry about your luggage.

As such, they’ve always strived towards providing exceptional solutions in terms of design, style, and utility.

American Tourister, on the other hand, is all about traveling with style and confidence. So, they strive to ensure that all their products exemplify durability, elegance, functionality, and cost-effectiveness.

But if you are to choose one brand, which should it be?

Both American Tourister and VIP have their advantages and shortcomings.

In this article, we comprehensively compare the two, so you can have an easier time choosing which to factor in your travel plan.

American Tourister and VIP: The Beginning

American Tourister has been in business for over 80 years, while VIP has been around for about 40 years. VIP is from India. The American Tourister, on the other hand, is a North American brand.

American Tourister luggage models are generally pricier than the VIP models. Despite this glaring price difference, the two brands offer virtually the same quality.

However, VIP’s popularity has been dwindling over the years. In the late 90s and early 2000s, the Indian brand was enjoying 70 percent of the country’s luggage market.

This has since dropped to about 50 percent. There are several possible explanations for this slump:

• Competition

One of the most probable causes of VIP’s downturn is stiff competition from other leading international brands like the American Tourister. Another potential reason is that VIP’s simplistic style comes off as old-fashioned. This has hurt their sales with younger consumers in particular.

• Demand for hard-shell luggage

The demand for hard-shell luggage has also seen a significant drop in the recent years. This slump in demand has really affected VIP’s sales as they focus largely on producing hard-shell luggage.

In an attempt to counter this situation, VIP introduced the Skybags line,durable backpacks and soft-shell luggage. Skybags products are available in a variety of colors and styles.

This has helped VIP reclaim some of the younger consumer market share.

Unfortunately, VIP failed to inject enough resources into their Skybags line, resulting in a fall in their popularity.

In the early 2000s, VIP’s grip on the market began to loosen, and a significant share of the market was lost to American Tourister.

It is worth noting that American Tourister was formed by Samsonite, their parent company, purposely to compete against VIP.

As VIP’s profits tanked to single digits, they brought in Radhika Piramal, a Harvard Business graduate, to resuscitate their dying brand.

With the aim of catering to the needs of younger consumers, VIP relaunched the Skybags line in 2012. While the Skybags brand was a favorite among youth as expected, it was too little too late to recover VIP’s sales.

In a final effort to save the company, VIP introduced the Carlton line. The Carlton line is a premium option that caters to the needs of professionals who seek international brands.

Carlton is only available at exclusive stores and has been widely successful growing by 30 percent annually.

Another one of VIP’s strategies to counter American Tourister is their handbag offerings. Caprese is perhaps the most popular of VIP’s handbag models.

As VIP hopes to double their profits in the next five years, American Tourister has ventured into the specialized luggage market segment as well.

It should be interesting to see how the sales struggle between these two brands plays out in the future.

Similarities and Differences Between the American Tourister and VIP Luggage

American Tourister and VIP are virtually the same in terms of quality. However, VIP luggage comes with a somewhat lower price.

American Tourister is designed to appeal to younger consumers, but they also have a professional touch. This means they are suitable for professional and leisure travelers alike.

VIP luggage, on the other hand, sports a somewhat outdated look. This isn’t to say they lack modern quality though. They can make a great choice if you prefer simplistic styles.

It’s also important to note, though, that VIP is located in India. If you are in America and decide to purchase VIP luggage, you may have to pay higher shipping costs.

This means you might be better off choosing  American Tourister if you are basing your purchasing decision on price alone.

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The verdict: VIP Vs American Tourister

VIP lost significant market share to American Tourister primarily due to its old-fashioned appearance, especially in the younger market.

As a result, they’ve put a great deal of effort into modernizing their brand. Nonetheless, they haven’t been able to beat American Tourister in terms of style and general appeal as of yet.

Overall, we would recommend American Tourister luggage. While these two brands are virtually similar in quality, American Tourister has a broader selection of hard-shell and soft-shell luggage.

You have more options to choose from with American Tourister, and after shipping, the price will likely be similar as well.