Asset Tracking Market to Flip by 2032 as Reusables Take Over

By 2032, the majority of growth in asset tracking will no longer come from vehicle telematics, according to analysts at Counterpoint Research. Instead, the gains will come from devices tracking everything from individual inventory to reusable packaging — the humble tote, finally getting its sensor moment.

The shift reflects demand to monitor just about everything moving into, around and out of a warehouse — down to the containers and packaging used for small orders alongside bulk freight. Reusable packaging is predicted to be one of the newest drivers of the market flip, the analysts wrote in a July report.

"For years, the asset-tracking market has been largely driven by vehicle telematics, with fleet management and logistics accounting for the majority of deployments," the Counterpoint researchers wrote. "However, the market is entering a new phase as enterprises shift their focus from tracking vehicles to tracking individual assets, industrial equipment, and inventory, along with newer categories such as reusable packaging and livestock."

The tailwind is real. Global Market Insights estimates the reusable packaging market will grow about 6% annually over the next decade, driven by waste-reduction and sustainability programs. Rising pools of plastic pallets, totes and containers mean rising demand to keep tabs on them — and the tags must survive harsh environments and regular wash cycles.

What does this change for shippers?

More than location, in short. Experts say successful deployments open visibility into condition monitoring, predictive analytics and risk mitigation — not just where a box is, but what's happening to it.

Reusable packaging maker Orbis designs its containers to accept RFID tags, GPS monitors and Bluetooth devices, matching the technology to both container and application, according to Scott Krebs, the company's senior director of marketing. Placement is the make-or-break detail.

"One of the most important factors in a successful implementation is the placement of tags or labels on the packaging," Krebs said. "Consistent placement helps ensure reliable scanning and accurate data capture throughout the supply chain."

Orbis tests tags, devices and label locations for each application, then ships containers ready to plug into the customer's tracking system.

Adherence is the second battle. Amir Khoshniyati, vice president at supply chain technology firm Wiliot, describes the company's battery-free Bluetooth sensors — postage stamp-sized devices called IoT Pixels — as stickers that power themselves by harvesting radio waves from off-the-shelf gateways in facilities, trucks or anywhere else monitoring is needed.

For consumables like cardboard boxes, the tag works like a standard label and simply stops emitting when the package is discarded. Reusables get tougher treatment: standard tags are converted to a laminate that acts as a plastic enclosure against impact, wash cycles and extreme temperatures.

"That lamination creates a buffer on the tag that can withstand impact and wash cycles," Khoshniyati said. "We have applications that have been in the [marketplace] for three years and are still transmitting data."

Wiliot claims more than a billion units working in supply chains to date. Next on the bench: embedding IoT Pixels directly into corrugate, so packages arrive tracking-enabled from the start. "From the moment [the package] is provided, it's enabled with Wiliot," Khoshniyati said. "That's the future."

Beyond the pin on the map

The commercial payoff is spoilage avoided and recalls dodged. Khoshniyati points to perishables: a shipment whose temperature rises 10 or 15 degrees in transit may become unsellable. Instant alerts let shippers intervene before the financial and reputational damage lands.

The sensors' signals feed Wiliot's Physical AI platform, which can anticipate trouble — a desert crossing, an incoming heat wave — and set triggers to keep the trailer performing, or sound an alarm when it doesn't.

Krebs frames the goal as decision speed: the right monitoring tech flags shortages, delays and risks at the first sign of trouble, letting companies respond proactively rather than forensically. "Proactive decision-making is the end goal — to get the most value and ROI from increased supply chain visibility," he said.

If Counterpoint's timeline holds, the tracker market's center of gravity moves from the cab to the crate over the next seven years — and shippers that start tagging reusables now will have the data pipelines ready before the flip completes.