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Pokemon GO
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Pokemon GO
Within its initial release in the US, Pokemon GO became the top grossing app in 13 hours, boosted Nintendo’s market value by $9 billion in 5 days and raked in $1.6 million daily1. The trend shows no signs of stopping if its reception in Singapore is any indication. Rare Pokemon have been known to draw local crowds of up to 200, even past midnight.
Here are a few ways you could help your business attract more customers and generate more revenue:
Pokestops are where players head to collect inventory items, while gyms are where teams battle it out to earn points. If your business location is, or is near, a Pokestop, you’re all set. You might have already noticed the increase in foot traffic in your vicinity and the resultant trickle of profit. If your business is not in a prime location, you can request to have your outlet location become a Pokestop.
Lures are in-game purchases that can be placed in any Pokestop to increase the likelihood of Pokemon appearances. Any Pokemon attracted by lures can be seen and caught by everyone, explaining why the feature draws crowds in droves. Given that each lure lasts half an hour, players are more likely to stay in the area until the lure wears off. As lures are also visible to all players on the map, players are more likely to head to a Pokestop with a lure than a Pokestop without one.
Use the lures to first get more people to your business space, then to encourage them to stay. One local business owner states that the game’s ability to draw crowds to her area has extended her daily peak period from 1 hour to 3 hours.
Use the hike in visitorship as an opportunity to advertise your latest products. Reward Pokemon players with offers, such as discounts and perks if they flash you a picture of Pokemon caught in your outlet. Several restaurants have even gotten on the bandwagon and curated Pokemon-themed menus or merchandise to appeal further to players.
The rarer the Pokemon, the more likely people are to seek out your outlet. Local crowds are willing to travel to lengths to find uncommon Pokemon. If you do not have the app, use this Pokemon Radar website to check what Pokemon are in your area. Once you have listed down what characters your area is host to, check them against this rarity chart to see if they are among those less commonly sighted. Announce the rarer ones on social media or even outside your store to invite people to come in, catch Pokemon, and along the way explore your outlet.
If your business is not in a prime location, take it to a place that is. Be it a pop-up store or just an advertisement, get a gauge of areas with higher visitor density and set up there. The Pokemon Radar website gives you an estimate of the locations in Singapore that have rarer, or larger numbers of Pokemon.
Regardless of how you choose to tap into the new phenomenon, keep in mind its key demographic. Research points towards near two-thirds of players being female, with most ranging between 18-29 years of age3. You should also be on the lookout for new updates, some of which might even give players the chance to trade Pokemon and items, which could provide your business with a prime bargaining chip. All signs also point towards augmented reality being a future trend, with Pokemon Go leading the movement.
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