WPN Premium is a recognition of the best game stores in the world. But it's not just about calling the best the best—it's about getting more stores into that category.

If you've been following our Premium showcases, you've probably seen how stores have raised their game when it comes to the customer experience, from their fixtures to their trash cans. But the part you haven't got to see is how pursuing WPN Premium has boosted their metrics.

Our data show that Premium stores are growing significantly faster than the rest of the WPN—including stores that were not Premium when the program launched in June. In other words, pursuing Premium correlates with an acceleration of your growth rate.

Let's take a look.

Tickets Are Growing 6% Faster

Getting enough Tickets to make Premium metrics is a common hurdle stores face when reaching Premium status. But you don't have to tick every box before you apply—we can help you get there.

First, the average store working towards Premium sees a 22% increase in Tickets as they work toward the designation. Then, after earning Premium, that acceleration continues: even as attendance numbers grow across the WPN, Premium stores outpace non-Premium stores by 6%.

That means that one of the best metrics to measure great play experiences benefits from the work put into Premium.

Retention is Growing 5% Faster

What's the best way to tell whether a player had a good time at your event? Whether they came back for another one.

The rate at which players are coming back for more is about 5% higher for Premium.

Let's unpack that a little.

Retention is growing across the WPN: the average WPN store got more returning players in 2019 than they did in 2018—perhaps because they're getting directly rewarded for them now, in the form of Promo Packs based on Engaged Players.

But if a store has reached WPN Premium, they're likely to have beat 2018 by a wider margin. And that's not limited to the inaugural WPN Premium class—that accelerated growth rate correlates across WPN Premium.

Prerelease Is Growing 5% Faster

Premium outpaced the rest of the WPN by 5% year over year at Theros Beyond Death Prerelease. Again, that doesn't mean they simply drew more players. It means their growth rate was better—they did better versus the comparable set from 2018 (Ravnica Allegiance).

Bottom line, the data say players love the WPN Premium experience, and they're showing that by coming back for more of it. Each step toward Premium can be a step toward more Tickets, better retention, and bigger Prerelease.

Ready to take the first step? Apply for Premium to start working on your metrics today.