Gaming communities are turning into marketplaces, and Stan is seeing the payoff. The social gaming and creator platform has recorded a 15X growth in monthly buyers on StanShop over the past six months, with repeat customers now accounting for 70 per cent of purchases.
StanShop, Stan’s gaming commerce layer, lets users purchase digital products including gaming gift cards, game credits, top-ups and vouchers within the same ecosystem where they discover creators, connect with fellow gamers and participate in communities.
The growth comes largely from Stan’s young, Gen Z-heavy audience, where digital purchases are becoming a recurring part of the gaming experience. Rather than making one-off transactions, users are returning to purchase products linked to the games and digital experiences they already engage with.
The Bharat market is also playing a sizable role. Tier- two and Tier- three cities account for around 67 per cent of Stan’s user base and nearly 72 per cent of monetised engagement, according to company data. Users from these markets also record 17 to 18 per cent higher ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) than those in Tier- one cities.
For Stan, the 70 per cent repeat-purchase rate is a key indicator of how its community is translating into commerce. The platform is seeing existing users return to make recurring purchases, rather than acquiring users specifically for shopping. In other words, the community comes first, and the transaction follows.
The trend reflects a wider evolution in India’s gaming ecosystem, which now counts more than 500 million gamers. As the market grows, the focus is moving beyond player acquisition towards creators, communities, identity and digital spending.
Stan co-founder and CEO Parth Chadha stated, “The most interesting part for us is not just the growth in buyers, but that people are coming back to buy again. StanShop is about making the products they already use as gamers available within that experience. The 15X growth and 70 percent repeat purchases give us early evidence that commerce can grow naturally from the community.”
The company’s community-first approach also extends to its engagement with Japan’s gaming ecosystem. Stan has existing relationships with Sony and Bandai Namco, both investors in the company, giving the India-built platform links to two established gaming and entertainment ecosystems.
The next move is Tokyo Game Show 2026, where Stan will engage with publishers, gaming companies and industry stakeholders as it explores taking its community and commerce model to international markets.
With more than 50 million users across gaming, creators and communities, Stan is now looking beyond simply building a gaming audience. StanShop adds another layer to that ecosystem, allowing users to discover, connect, participate and transact within communities they already belong to.
From gaming sessions to digital purchases, Stan’s latest numbers suggest the community is no longer just playing along, it is becoming part of the business model.
