Wearables Are Reshaping Healthcare–Does Your Packaging Keep Pace?

Direct-to-consumer shipments of medtech wearables continue to climb—IDC estimates 534.6 million units were shipped in 2024. At the same time, the global wearable market is valued at $103.04 billion in 2025 and  will rise to $324.73 billion by 2032. These devices are often high-value, sensitive technologies requiring careful handling, especially as more brands embrace D2C delivery models. With category growth, product fragility, and shifting distribution channels, an optimized packaging strategy has become essential for protecting products, controlling costs, and delivering a strong customer experience. 

So, what exactly is a wearable? In the medtech world, wearables are electronic sensors worn on—or even implanted in—the body to continuously capture health data. Think wrist-worn smartwatches that log heart rate and activity, arm-mounted continuous glucose monitors, adhesive ECG patches for cardiac monitoring and sleek sleep-tracking rings.

As these devices more and more frequently journey from manufacturers, clinics and retailers direct to consumers’ homes, your packaging must evolve. Here are five strategies to balance product protection, user experience and material efficiency:

1. Right-size every package
Excessive void space means wasted material and higher freight fees. Variable right-sizing solutions use sensors or vision systems to scan the size of the product and package it accordingly.This approach customizes and adjusts the size of the mailer or box to the exact dimensions of the product, such as wellness watches and metabolic monitors, speeding up fulfillment, reducing waste, and making packaging more cost-efficient.

2. Combine function with consumer appeal
In medtech, packaging needs to protect sensitive devices while meeting consumer expectations for sustainability and presentation. Pregis AirSpeed® HC Renew™ PCR Packaging Film is one way to deliver on both. With a proprietary square pattern, the film offers more surface area to absorb shock and vibration during shipping​, perfect for items with fragile internal components like CPAP machines. Plus with a minimum of 80% post-consumer recycled content and designated store drop-off recyclable through the How2Recycle® program, the film provides an elevated unboxing experience for health-focused consumers.

3. Streamline the return journey
Medtech wearables aren’t always a one-way shipment. Devices may need to be returned for servicing, data collection, or after a trial period. Packaging that includes clear instructions, secure closures, and optional return labels can reduce friction and improve the overall customer experience, especially for premium devices that require care in handling. 

4. Build a damage-prevention strategy from the ground up

For fragile, high-value medtech products, even minor shipping damage can drive up costs and erode customer trust. The Pregis Innovation Headquarters (IQ)  helps quantify the impact of damage and identify the ideal packaging materials and formats—ensuring adequate protection without unnecessary overpacking.

5. Custom packaging solutions for optimized inside-the-box protection
As medtech health companions get smaller and more advanced, even minor in-box movement can cause damage or disruption. To address this, packaging strategies can consider custom interior protection that stabilizes and braces devices during transit. Think Pregis PolyPlank® Engineered Foam, which can be custom-fabricated into inserts tailored to the device’s shape and fragility. With a wide range of densities, performance grades, and fabrication options, these inserts ensure that products arrive intact, ready for immediate use by the consumer.

The rise of medtech wearables underscores the critical need for an evolution in packaging strategies. As demand for these sophisticated devices continues, the journey from manufacturer to consumer, and even back again, must be seamless, secure, and sustainable. By embracing right-sizing, innovative cushioning, streamlined returns, damage prevention, and custom design, medtech companies can ensure their packaging not only safeguards valuable devices but also enhances the overall customer experience.

Ready to transform your medtech packaging?
Contact a Pregis representative  to discover how we can optimize your device protection, streamline workflows, and elevate user experience in this rapidly growing market.