The coveted Lickitung on display in local store

Pokemon Go and Local Sales

Last Friday during a get-together at a friend’s house after work, we decided to go on a lighthearted jaunt for Pokemon. None of us thought it silly that four salaried adults roamed the darkened streets hunting for mythical animals created in the mind of Japanese animators. Nor were we surprised to see other droves of self-respecting adults chasing and yelling into their phones. My hosts seemed determined. We weren’t just strolling through the night. We had a destination: we were heading to a boba tea and desserts place that was known to have location-specific lures that attracted Pokemon characters at certain hours of the night. When we got there the period had ended, but we sat down and stuffed ourselves anyway.

Juggernaut of Mobile Gaming and Marketing

To say that Pokemon Go has become a world-wide phenomenon would be the understatement of the year. Pokemon Go has not only become a juggernaut in the mobile gaming industry but is lauded and feared for its potential to predict customer behavior, drive sales for businesses and digital marketers, and even spy on the unsuspecting masses.

Pokemon Go Stimulates Sale and Visits

It is too early to tell exactly what this phenom of a game will mean for the digital landscape, but a recently published survey by Slant Marketing validates the idea that Pokemon Go-related visitors can stimulate sales and visits to the business. The survey indicated that each game player spent an average of $11.30 for every Pokemon Go-driven visit. Moreover, 48 percent of respondents that visited a store because of the game stayed 30 minutes or longer. But on the other hand, researchers warn against the anomalous data generated by the game since it shapes behavior rather than provide historically consistent information.

In all, although the data generated by Pokemon Go’s users may be overblown, it’s become a most valuable and interesting set of data that has just begun to be unlocked.