Global Retail Alliance
info@gra.world
  • Login
  • Register
  • Newsletter
  • Virtual Library
  • Choose your country
    • Australia
    • Brazil
    • China
    • Poland
    • Latin America
    • Middle East
GRAGRA
  • Home
  • Membership
    • Silver
    • Gold
    • Platinum
  • Event
  • News
  • Retail Tour
    • Our Tours
    • Europe Retail Tour
    • Retail Tour – New York
    • Retail Tour – Düsseldorf
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Membership
    • Silver
    • Gold
    • Platinum
  • Event
  • News
  • Retail Tour
    • Our Tours
    • Europe Retail Tour
    • Retail Tour – New York
    • Retail Tour – Düsseldorf
  • Contact

Innovation & Technology

  • Home
  • Innovation & Technology
  • Pokemon GO could be next big marketing tool for retailers

Pokemon GO could be next big marketing tool for retailers

  • Categories Innovation & Technology
  • Date July 14, 2016
  • Comments 0 comment

Pokemon GO, a mobile game that has rocketed to the top of Apple Inc and Android app stores in record time, looks set to challenge young internet companies which specialize in increasing foot traffic for small businesses and may end up playing a role in major brands’ marketing, according to industry experts.

The augmented reality game from Japan’s Nintendo Co Ltd, where players walk around real-life neighborhoods to hunt down virtual cartoon characters on their smartphone screens, has more than 65 million users in the United States just seven days after launch.

That is more users than Twitter Inc, and the game is already helping local restaurants, coffee shops and small retailers to attract new customers.

L’inizio Pizza Bar in Long Island City in New York claims its sales jumped 75 percent over the weekend by activating a “lure module” feature that attracts virtual Pokemon characters to the store, thereby tempting in nearby players. The store’s manager spent $10 to have a dozen Pokemon characters placed in the location, according to a report in the New York Post. (nyp.st/29zU4HO)

That sort of instant effect is a potential threat for Groupon Inc, LivingSocial Inc, Foursquare and other relatively new companies which have revolutionized online marketing for small businesses in the last few years.

Pokemon GO’s instant popularity appears to be the result of nostalgia for the classic 20-year-old cartoon franchise and players’ desire to win kudos within the game by capturing as many characters as possible.

“People born in the 1980s and 90s, they grew up with this. It’s approachable and reassuring and that’s whyit’s gone from zero to millions of users in just a few days,” said Jeremiah Rosen, managing director at creative agency Reason2Be in New York City. “I see McDonald’s, Home Depot, national brands playing into the culture.”

A report on tech news site Gizmodo on Wednesday said a student in Australia had uncovered code in the game’s workings that indicated a sponsorship system and mentioned the name of McDonalds Corp (bit.ly/2a9DjnF). McDonald’s declined to comment on the matter or any of its marketing plans.

DISRUPTING DISRUPTERS

The popularity of Pokemon GO threatens companies like Foursquare, which has a service called Swarm offering coupons and prizes to customers who “check in” at participating venues, and social e-commerce sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, which many businesses use as a vehicle to offer discount deals. Such “daily deal” sites get a cut every time a customer buys a retailer’s coupon.

Groupon and LivingSocial were not immediately available for a comment. Foursquare said it was too soon to tell the impact of Pokemon GO.

Marketing experts said small businesses may increasingly turn to Pokemon GO – and redirect some of their marketing spend – as the mobile game racks up a bigger user base.

“With Pokemon GO, you are seeing it as bypassing a lot of digital (marketing) channels that the brick and mortar shops have been relying on for the past few years,” said Christophe Jammet, director of social media and mobile at consultancy DDG in New York.

“There hasn’t been a geolocation social platform that can lure so many people all at once.”

Pokemon GO players are highly engaged, spending far more time in the app than they do with some of the most popularsocial apps such as Facebook Inc’s Instagram and messaging services WhatsApp and Snapchat, according to SimilarWeb, a market intelligence and web analytics firm.

Many shops are attracting customers by advertising themselves as “Poke Stops,” a place where gamers can grab new Pokemon balls and increase their level of power within the app. Experts said it is only a matter of time before major brands jump on the bandwagon.

“They are already looking into it,” said Tom Kelshaw, director of technology at Maxus Global, a media investment management group in New York.

The Pokemon GO craze – and potential for further revenue from third parties – has sent Nintendo’s shares skyrocketing since the game’s debut on Thursday, adding nearly $10 billion to the company’s market value.

From: Reuters

  • Share:
gsiino

Previous post

Google launches new visual search ads for retailers
July 14, 2016

Next post

Startups need to respect the laws of retail physics
July 14, 2016

You may also like

solana
Crypto project Solana is opening a store in NYC. Take a look inside
27 July, 2022
Senza-titolo-2
Co-op extends robot deliveries to Bedford
25 July, 2022
aldi-new-store-trigo
Trigo, ALDI Nord Open Netherlands’s First AI-Powered Frictionless Supermarket
19 July, 2022

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search News:

News category:

News Archive:

Last News:

Walmart Has a New Idea to Take on Amazon
10Aug2022
The Supermart by ZALORA x adidas opens at Bugis Junction
06Aug2022
Brands are getting creative with being real
02Aug2022
Mango Teen opens new store in Barcelona
27Jul2022
Crypto project Solana is opening a store in NYC. Take a look inside
27Jul2022

Twitter:

GRA_World Follow

An association made up and dedicated to the retail industry world's leading companies. Become a member today!

Gra_World
Retweet on Twitter GRA_World Retweeted
meshaalbomairh Meshaal Bin Omairh @meshaalbomairh ·
19 May

Very happy to announce that I am now a member of the GRA, one of the world’s most important associations for #retail industry leaders.
يسعدني جدًا أن أعلن أنني أصبحت عضوًا في GRA ، وهي واحدة من أهم الجمعيات في العالم لقادة صناعة البيع بالتجزئة: https://twitter.com/Gra_World/status/1526975525411033089

gra_world GRA_World @gra_world ·
20 May

🚀Los invitamos al próximo #webinar #GRA donde un panel de líderes de #Latinoamerica van a compartir tendencias, experiencia y el futuro de #Marketplaces✍🏻: https://bit.ly/3yNggfI

Load More...

© 2022 Global Retail Alliance | info@gra.world | Privacy Policy