Three proven tactics to strengthen protection for high-value electronics shipments and help operations build a more resilient, cost-efficient strategy for peak season and beyond!
Protecting High‑Value Electronics at Peak Volume
Phones, tablets, gaming gear and smart devices are some of the most sensitive items moving through today’s parcel networks. And with peak volume already underway, every shipment faces more touchpoints and less room for error.
What electronics brands need most at this time of year is consistent protection and performance that hold up no matter how much volume spikes. This is why a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) perspective is so important. While many teams focus on the cost to replace a damaged device, the companies that focus on TCO track the full financial impact: rework, labor hours, carrier fees, customer service time and the operational friction that compounds when attention shifts away from active orders. During peak season, these hidden costs stack up quickly and can hurt your bottom line if protection strategies can’t keep up with demand.
Below are three proven tactics to strengthen protection for high-value electronics shipments. Peak season is already underway, but these principles are key for building a more resilient, cost-efficient strategy for the current rush, and beyond.
1. Select Protection Built For Real-World Peak Conditions
The right protective materials must be able to absorb stresses without sacrificing performance. Foam, paper and bubble each offer different strengths, and aligning the material to the product’s fragility helps lower damage rates and avoid the hidden operational costs tied to returns and rework.
For items exposed to long ship cycles or heavy handling, foam-in-place solutions provide a custom molded, secure fit to keep high-value, fragile items stable. On-demand paper systems can provide dense pads well suited for vibration-heavy routes, while air cushioning delivers lightweight, efficient protection that minimizes package weight. The goal is to choose protection that maintains consistency and durability from packing through final delivery, especially when volume spikes and transit conditions intensify.
2. Standardize Packing Processes To Ensure Consistency at Scale
Seasonal labor and higher speeds introduce variability that raises the risk of damage. Standardized, validated packing processes supported by clear workflows and on-demand packaging systems help ensure every operator follows the same method across shifts and facilities.
On-demand systems play a major role in maintaining that consistency. They dispense materials uniformly to limit human error, rely on preset repeatable settings and include built-in features that support quality control and uptime such as thermal printing and predictive maintenance. With these controls in place, teams can keep protection steady across high volumes while helping reduce the rework and added labor time that often surfaces when packing processes vary.
3. Choose The Strategic Solution That Fits Each Electronics Application
Not all electronics require the same protection. Pregis solutions are engineered to deliver reliability across a wide range of product sizes, form factors and fragility levels.
- For small electronics such as phones, earbuds and gaming accessories: Pregis EverTec® lightweight cushioned mailers offer a streamlined alternative to boxed packaging. They require fewer materials and reduce labor time because loading a mailer is faster than assembling a box with dunnage.
- For mid-size electronics that need reliable cushioning at high speeds: The AirSpeed® Ascent™ high-pressure cushioning system delivers speed and strength in one compact solution. It rapidly dispenses AirSpeed Hybrid Cushioning (HC) Film, engineered for maximum protection during transit. Thanks to its proprietary square pattern, HC offers greater surface coverage and superior shock and vibration absorption, keeping products safe.
- For large or fragile electronics requiring superior protection and shock absorption: Pregis PolyPlank® engineered foam delivers durable cushioning without unnecessary weight. Available in multiple densities and thicknesses, PolyPlank can be fabricated into custom solutions tailored to your product and shipping method. This high level of customization minimizes material use while maximizing performance—helping reduce freight costs by lowering dimensional weight.
When matched to the right application, these solutions can help improve protection, streamline packing steps, and support more efficient use of labor and materials. That stability is what improves TCO, giving teams greater control and predictability over costs and performance, even during peak periods.
Validate, Test And Verify
Even if your operation is following every best practice, protection isn’t guaranteed. Regular testing is pivotal. It ensures that materials and workflows stand up to peak-season conditions. Without it, hidden issues can slip through and cause unnecessary losses.
Pregis IQ delivers analysis and performance testing to verify that protection strategies fully scale. Electronics brands that excel during peak are the ones that validate early, maintain consistency and use TCO to guide every packaging decision. Taken together, these practices create a more resilient operation that stays steadydelivers analysis and performance testing to verify that protection strategies fully scale. Electronics brands that excel during peak are the ones that validate early, maintain consistency and use TCO to guide every packaging decision. Taken together, these practices create a more resilient operation that stays steady even when demand climbs.
