The GAMA Expo 2025 brought together board game publishers, retailers, and industry professionals to discuss key trends shaping the future of the board game industry. Among the many insights shared, one of the most critical discussions revolved around fulfillment logistics—a crucial factor in ensuring games reach consumers efficiently and cost-effectively.
Here are the top five insights from this year’s expo shaping the future of board game fulfillment.
One of the biggest challenges publishers face is comparing fulfillment costs across different 3PL providers. Unlike other industries with clear cost structures, board game fulfillment pricing often lacks transparency, making it difficult to determine the best value.
Common pricing pain points include:
At Ziing, we prioritize clear, standardized pricing models, helping publishers make data-driven decisions to maximize cost-efficiency without sacrificing quality.
Despite Canada being a key market for board games, many publishers still treat it as an international shipping destination, leading to unnecessary costs and delays. The reality? Canada should be considered a domestic market.
With Canada’s e-commerce sector expanding—Shopify alone reported a 26% revenue increase, reflecting a surge in online retail—there’s a clear need for streamlined fulfillment operations. Establishing localized solutions would reduce friction, improve delivery efficiency, and unlock the full potential of this thriving market.
Key considerations include:
At Ziing, we offer strategic fulfillment solutions across North America, ensuring cost-efficient, reliable delivery for publishers looking to scale in Canada and the U.S..
Traditional board game fulfillment providers focus on Kickstarter and direct-to-consumer shipping, but the broader eCommerce industry is evolving fast. To stay competitive, fulfillment companies must:
Meanwhile, Amazon has emerged as both a sales channel and fulfillment partner, offering low-cost services through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). While FBA provides fast shipping, it comes at the cost of customization and quality control—key factors for Kickstarter campaigns and premium board game products.
Ziing offers a hybrid approach—the speed and efficiency of modern eCommerce logistics while maintaining customization and quality control tailored to board game publishers.
GAMA Expo has historically focused on connecting publishers with retailers, distributors, and consolidators, but these channels only capture a fraction of the board game market. The future lies in direct-to-consumer (DTC) growth through platforms like:
For publishers to succeed, they need fulfillment partners that seamlessly integrate across multiple sales channels. Ziing enables multi-channel fulfillment solutions, ensuring publishers reach customers wherever they shop—without logistical headaches.
Despite the board game industry’s growth, many publishers still struggle with small production runs, which limits economies of scale. While other eCommerce industries (such as apparel) work with minimum order quantities (MOQs) of 500-1000 units, many board game publishers still struggle to surpass 500-unit orders, even after a successful Kickstarter campaign.
For fulfillment companies, this means adapting scalable solutions that support both small independent publishers and larger established brands. Without evolution, board game logistics companies risk being outpaced by generalist 3PLs that are aggressively expanding services, technology, and infrastructure.
At Ziing, our scalable warehousing and fulfillment solutions are designed to support publishers at every stage of growth, ensuring they have the flexibility to scale efficiently and cost-effectively.
The Future of Board Game Fulfillment is Here
The GAMA Expo 2025 made one thing clear—board game fulfillment must evolve to match the pace of modern eCommerce. From pricing transparency and market expansion to DTC sales growth and scalable logistics, the industry is at a turning point.
At Ziing, we’re here to help board game publishers and Kickstarter creators future-proof their fulfillment strategies. With tailored solutions, advanced technology, and a commitment to efficiency, we empower publishers to deliver games faster, smarter, and with happier customers.
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