To say that Pokémon GO is the newest trend in gaming is an understatement. The augmented reality smartphone game plays off of the ’90s nostalgia of millenials and the newest technology obsession of Gen Z-ers and since the game debuted last week, it is close to surpassing the number of Twitter’s daily users. So what is this new game all about and how can your small business capitalize on its popularity?
In the 1990s, Nintendo, a popular video game company, published the first Pokémon video game for their handheld GameBoy consule. The game focuses on Pokémon, which are “pocket monsters” with various powers, and Pokémon Trainers, who are humans who catch and train Pokémon to use them to fight other Trainers. There are two main goals when playing Pokémon: to catch all of the Pokémon from the wild and to train them to beat all of the other Trainers in the Pokémon League.1
In Pokémon GO, the goals are still the same, but instead of a character roaming a fictional world to collect wild Pokémon, the app uses augmented reality to place the Trainer in the real world to find Pokémon in everyday places. To “catch ’em all” as the slogan says, users of the app have to go outside and walk along as Trainers of old did, and manually collect Pokémon. This has caused a significant increase in people walking or biking outdoors.
And because more people are outside, there is more foot traffic for local businesses. To take advantage of this increase of potential customers in and around your business, here are some ideas:
- offer discounts on food items for people with the Pokémon GO app or who are a part of a specific team
- set up chairs outside of your storefront for all of the hard-working Pokémon Trainers
- see if you can bring more Pokémon to your location for only $1.19 an hour
- put up screenshots on social media or set up a sign to let people know about rare Pokémon in the area
- ask Pokémon Go players to share what Pokémon they found at your business on social media
This might seem like a passing trend, and who knows how many people will venture out to play in the Chicago winter, but by providing great customer service to the wide range of people playing Pokémon Go now, you can make a lasting impression that your business is people-centered and focused on delighting customers.
To see how Sparkfactor can help you take advantage of local marketing, sign up for a free consultation.
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