Analytics and Check In Guide

Every time a gamer walks through your door and scans your store's QR code, a chain of valuable data begins. Check-in is the single action that powers attendance tracking, prize drawings, event participation, reservation verification, and the analytics that help you understand who your customers are and what they love.

This guide covers how your store gets a QR code, every check-in scenario your gamers can use, how that data flows into your analytics, and why making check-in a habit at your store is one of the most advantageous things you can do.

How Your Store Gets a QR Code

Each store on Game Haven Guild is assigned a unique QR code by the platform administrators. Here's how it works:

  • Admin-assigned — QR codes are created and managed centrally (in the Admin Console's QR Code Management area). Each QR code has a title, a downloadable image, and a linked URL that points into the Game Haven Guild check-in flow.

  • Linked to your store — when a QR code is assigned to your store, it's saved to your store's profile as its qr_code_id. Only one QR code is active per store at a time.

  • If your store doesn't have one yet — the Store QR Code page (Dashboard → QR Code tile) shows a clear notice: "No QR code has been assigned to your store yet. Please contact the administrator to request a QR code." Reach out to the Game Haven Guild admin team and one will be assigned.

Your Store QR Code Page

Once assigned, the page shows:

  • The QR code image itself, large and ready to display.

  • A Download button — saves the image as a PNG named after your store (YourStore-QR-Code.png).

  • A collapsible "How to use this QR code" guide with placement tips.

How to Use Your QR Code

  1. Download the image from the Store QR Code page.

  2. Print it at a reasonable size — large enough to scan comfortably from a few feet away.

  3. Place it in visible locations — entrances, the front counter, event tables, and near your game space. The easier it is to spot, the more check-ins you'll get.

  4. Keep it clean and undamaged — scratched or faded codes are hard to scan and frustrate customers.

  5. Leave it up permanently — the same QR code works every day; you never need to reprint it unless it's damaged.

When active events or games are running, QR-code check-ins automatically record attendance for those activities — no separate action needed.

The Check-In Flow (What Gamers Do)

A gamer checks in by tapping the Check-In button in the app header, which opens the camera scanner. The whole flow is built around a single scan that captures everything they're eligible for at once.

Step 1 — Scan

  • The camera opens automatically and looks for your store's QR code.

  • When it detects a valid Game Haven Guild QR code, it decodes the 6-character code, matches it to your store, and stops the camera.

  • If the code isn't a registered Game Haven Guild code (or no store is linked to it), a friendly "Scan Failed" screen offers troubleshooting tips and a Try Again button.

Step 2 — Select

After a successful scan, the gamer sees a single Check-In at [Your Store] screen listing everything they're eligible to check into right now, each with a Yes/No toggle:

  • Store Check-In — auto-set to Yes the first time they visit your store that day. This is the core foot-traffic record.

  • Events — any of your events running within the check-in window (1 hour before start through end time). No registration required to check in — attending the event is enough.

  • Game Sessions — casual, tournament, or league games they're registered for, running within the window. (Generated child matches are excluded; you check into the parent game.)

  • Matchmaking Games — matchmaking posts they created or joined, running within the window.

  • Table Reservations — their own reservations (host or invited) currently in the check-in window, excluding reservations tied to events/matchmaking/game sessions (those are captured via the activity they belong to).

Items they've already checked into today show a green ✓ Done instead of a toggle, so there's no confusion about what's already recorded.

Step 3 — Shirt Color (for games and matchmaking)

If the gamer selects any game sessions or matchmaking games, a Shirt Color picker appears. The color they pick applies to all their game check-ins and helps opponents identify them at the table — a small but powerful touch for in-store play.

Step 4 — Confirm

They tap Confirm. Each selected check-in is recorded, and a green Check-In Complete! success screen lists everything they checked into (store, events, games, matchmaking, reservations). After a couple of seconds, they're returned to the app.

The 1-Hour Check-In Window

Check-in becomes available one hour before an activity's start time and stays open until its end time. This window ensures gamers can check in as they arrive — even a little early — without missing the cutoff once an event has ended.

Automatic Follow

The first time a gamer checks into your store, they automatically follow your store (if they aren't already). This means one scan turns a walk-in into a long-term follower who'll see your announcements and events in their home feed going forward — a built-in loyalty engine.

Every Check-In Scenario

  • Walk-in with no plans — The gamer checks into Store only. You learn a pure foot-traffic visit occurred, and the gamer now automatically follows your store.

  • Attending an event — The gamer checks into Store + that Event. You learn they visited the store and attended the event (they're added to the event's attending list).

  • Registered for a game session — The gamer checks into Store + that Game Session. You learn they visited, participated in the game, and you capture their shirt color so opponents can identify them at the table.

  • Created or joined a matchmaking post — The gamer checks into Store + that Matchmaking game. You learn they visited, participated in the matchmaking game, and you capture their shirt color.

  • Has a table reservation — The gamer checks into Store + that Reservation. You learn they visited and confirmed their reservation via check-in.

  • Doing several things at once — The gamer checks into Store + every eligible item in a single scan. You get the full picture of their visit — attendance across multiple activities (event + game + matchmaking + reservation) all from one confirmation.

  • Already checked in earlier today — Items already done show a green ✓ Done; only new, not-yet-checked-in items toggle. No duplicate records are created, keeping your daily counts clean and accurate.

  • Scans the wrong code or an unregistered code — The gamer sees a Scan Failed screen with troubleshooting tips. Nothing is recorded; they can retry until they scan a valid Game Haven Guild store QR code.

How Check-In Powers Your Analytics

Open Store Dashboard → Analytics (owners and staff with analytics access). Every number and chart on this page is fueled by the check-ins, registrations, and visits your store generates.

Date Range & Quick Filters

  • Pick any Start Date and End Date.

  • Quick buttons: Today, 7D, 28D, MTD (Month-to-Date), YTD (Year-to-Date).

  • All metrics recalculate instantly for the selected range.

Two Activity Views

  • Store Activity — foot-traffic, events, games, matchmaking, reservations, followers.

  • Linkpage Activity — visits and clicks on your public Linkpage (where people came from and which links they pressed).

Store Activity Metrics

  • Followers — all-time total + new followers gained in the date range.

  • Store Check-Ins — total check-in records + unique users (so you can tell repeat visitors from one-timers).

  • Store Activity chart — a daily breakdown across the range showing store check-ins, event check-ins, and event registrations side by side, so you can see which days buzzed and which were quiet.

  • Reservations chart — reservations created per day (excluding store blocks).

  • Matchmaking chart — completed matchmaking games per day.

  • New Followers chart — follower growth per day.

Game Interest Overlaps (Your Secret Weapon)

This is where check-in data becomes genuinely strategic. The analytics combine three engagement signals — store check-ins, event check-ins, and event registrations — and cross-reference them with each gamer's favorite games. The result:

  • Game Interest list — every game your engaged customers love, with three counts:

    • Store check-ins who favor that game.

    • Store + event check-ins who favor that game.

    • All engaged (check-ins + registrations) who favor that game.

  • Sortable — rank games by any of the three counts to see your most-popular titles.

  • Game Interest Overlaps — pick any game and see the other games its fans also favor, ranked by overlap count. This tells you, for example, that your Magic: The Gathering players also love Disney Lorcana — so stocking Lorcana or scheduling a crossover event is a data-backed decision, not a guess.

Linkpage Activity Metrics

  • Linkpage Visits — total visits + unique visitors in the range, plus a breakdown of referrer sources (Google, Facebook, Instagram, Discord, Twitter/X, Reddit, TikTok, Direct) so you know which platform actually drives traffic.

  • Linkpage Clicks — total clicks + which specific links were pressed, so you can see which buttons earn their keep.

Why It's All Connected

Analytics doesn't work in a vacuum. A gamer who never checks in is invisible to your metrics. The same gamer who scans your QR code once becomes a follower, shows up in your check-in counts, contributes to game-interest data, and — if they click through from social media — shows up in your referrer breakdown. One scan powers the entire analytics engine.

Prize Drawings (The Check-In Reward Loop)

Check-ins don't just feed charts — they feed your Prize Drawings. Every check-in at your store enters the gamer into the eligible pool for drawings, which the admin team can run to reward your regulars.

  • Each drawing records the winner, the store, the check-in date that won, and the total eligible check-ins for that drawing.

  • Drawings are managed centrally by the Game Haven Guild admin team and surface in the Prize Drawings area.

  • Because drawings are tied to check-ins, promoting check-in at your store directly increases your customers' chances to win — a powerful, self-reinforcing incentive.

Why Check-In Is Advantageous

For Your Store

  • Real foot-traffic data — you can't manage what you can't measure. Check-in turns "it seemed busy Saturday" into "127 unique visitors this week, up 18%."

  • Automatic audience growth — every first-time check-in auto-follows your store, building your announcement and event reach for free.

  • Data-driven stocking & scheduling — Game Interest Overlaps tell you exactly which games your actual customers want, so you buy and plan with confidence.

  • Marketing intelligence — Linkpage referrer sources show you where your visitors come from, so you invest promotion where it works.

  • Attendance without paperwork — event and game check-ins replace manual sign-in sheets and roll calls.

  • Prize-drawing engagement — drawings give customers a fun reason to check in, which feeds the data that helps you grow.

For Your Gamers

  • One scan does it all — store, events, games, matchmaking, and reservations in a single flow.

  • Early arrival is rewarded — the 1-hour pre-start window means they can check in as they settle in, not after the dice roll.

  • Shirt color helps opponents find them — a small touch that makes in-person play friendlier.

  • They're entered to win prizes — every check-in is a chance at a drawing.

  • They follow your store automatically — so they hear about your next event the moment you post it.

For Your Community

  • A store that knows its customers can serve them better. Check-in is the bridge between a walk-in and a regular, between a regular and a member, and between a member and a lifelong fan.