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Pokemon GO is just insane right now. This is in Central Park.
It’s basically been HQ for Pokemon GO. pic.twitter.com/3v2VfEHzNA

— Jonathan Perez (@IGIhosT) July 11,
2016

1. Location is key – are you near a Gym or Pokéstop?

As previously mentioned, Pokémon Go makes use of augmented reality in the
real world which forces people to leave the comfort of their homes to play.
Part of the game sees players battling against each other at Gyms or
collecting rewards and items at Pokéstops. Locations for these in-game
stops are usually set in a public place and tend to draw in players,
boosting foot traffic, without any extra effort.

Heading to Bullring this lunchtime – we’ve got plenty to
tempt #PokemonGO
players. What’s your most exciting find? pic.twitter.com/94m1lzpaic

— Bullring
Birmingham (@Bullring) July 25,
2016

However, in order to fully benefit from increased foot traffic to your
store, retailers should work out if they are, or are near to a Gym or
Pokéstop and engage with players accordingly. For example, retail property
company Hammerson, which owns 58 shopping centres and retail parks in the
UK and France, has embraced the hype surrounding the game by deploying
teams with portable battery chargers in its UK shopping centres, while
boasting on social media it’s impressive 26 Pokéstops and 7 Gym locations.

Never lose power whilst on the go – @PokemonGoApp that is! #gottacatchemall
pic.twitter.com/C2eCXyABhq

—
Brent Cross (@brentcross) July 30,
2016

The app is known to drain mobile phones battery, so by offering players the
chance to recharge their smartphones for free, Hammerson is increasing the
period of time players spend in their shopping centres, thereby increasing
chances of players making a purchase. “Pokémon Go has taken the UK by
storm,” commented Fiona Campbell-Roberts, UK head of marketing at
Hammerson. “Our Recharge Rescuers will be on hand to help people power up
on the go and keep on playing for longer.” Retailers may also consider
offering shoppers the chance to charge their mobile phones while they shop,
or offer discount

2. Use Lures to “lure” players in

Of course, for retailers who are not afraid of spending a little cash to
drive footfall, then there is always the option of using Lures. If you are
lucky enough to be near a Pokéstop (shown on the game map as a blue
diamond) then you can invest in the game’s Lure Module. An in-game app
purchase, a Lure costs 100 “PokéCoins” (equal to about 79 pence or 89
cents) and attracts all wild Pokémon to a specific area for 30 minutes.
These Pokémon are in turn visible and free to catch to all players in the
area, who are drawn to Lures like moths to a flame.

While some may wonder if it worth splashing out the cash on Lures, the
success rates logged by some businesses may help convince them otherwise.
For example, Max Robinson, the cofounder of workwear clothing store Ace
Workwear in Scotland, has spent 50 pounds on Lures, but stressed the amount
is “next to nothing compared to the amount we can spend on advertising
campaigns on social media.” Robinson revealed to Business Insider that the
Lures were in fact “by far the best way we’ve managed to jump on the
Pokémon Go train. We got people actually coming into our store which was
great.”

However, one of the most successful example of the power of the Lure was
set by L’inizio Pizza Bar in Queens, New York, which managed to boost its
walk in business by 75 percent within a matter of days.

3. Available soon near you: Sponsored Pokémon Go locations

No Pokéstops or Gyms in your area? Fear not, for although at the moment it
is not possible to create one of these locations yourself, in the future it
will be. John Hanke, CEO of Niantic has confirmed that they will be
introducing ‘sponsored’ locations in the future. Retailers will be offered
the option of sponsoring locations, and likely pay Niantic a fee based on
the number of in-store visit they attract due to the game. However, at the
moment the exact cost of sponsoring a Pokéstop or Gym has yet to be
announced.

Just here for the Pokemon

A photo posted by oscargrut (@oscargrut) on Jul 16, 2016 at 11:08am PDT

4. Create a Pokémon Event

Nothing brings people together like a unique, free event. By organising a
special event, such as a Pokémon Battle or Hunt, you will be able to bring
together a group of like minded people together. Dutch teen fashion
retailer Coolcat was one of the first fashion retailers to organise a
Pokémon Battle at one of its branches in Lelystad, which was located near a
Gym. “Our target audience is very much involved with Pokémon, which is why
we wanted to organise something unique for them,” explained Laura de Man,
social media marketer at Coolcat to FashionUnited NL.

Trainers who had pledged to one of the three teams were invited via
Facebook to attend the battle, which took place on July 28. Every hour
between 12 and 5, the current Gym leader was awarded a ‘Coolcat
Pokémon-package’: 1750 Pokémon Coins, a Coolcat gift card of 50 euro and a
Pokémon t-shirt. The event managed to draw in dozens of trainers and was
deemed a success by Coolcat and the attending players. If you do decide to
host a Battle or a Hunt for rare Pokémon keep the logistics in mind – a
Pokémon Go crawl in San Francisco drew over 6,000 players last month.

A
very impressive Pokemon catching outfit
pic.twitter.com/DPhAYiGudP

— Julia Carrie Wong (@juliacarriew)
July
21, 2016

5. Launch an social media/in store Pokémon incentive

A number of retailers and cafes have launched social media driven Pokémon
incentives which draw potential customers to their stores. Some have been
promoting the emergence of rare Pokémon in their stores in a bid to attract
more players, whilst others offer discount to Pokémon trainers who catch
Pokémon in their store. For example, luxury fashion retailer Rebecca
Minkoff was offering 15 percent discount to customers who caught a Pokémon
in their Soho store in New York, and shared the screenshot on Instagram
under the hashtag ‪#‎RMcatchemall‬.

A photo posted by Rebecca Minkoff (@rebeccaminkoff) on Jul 17, 2016 at 8:44am PDT

This is a simple way to drive foot traffic to stores and engage with
customers at the same time. The custom hashtag helps retailers spread their
message whilst ensuring the promise of discount is only offered to either
the brand’s target audience, or new potential fans, turning it into a
win-win situation for all. Other businesses have opted to offer discount to
trainers belonging to a certain team, or on featured products for other
in-game achievements (have you just levelled up your Pikachu?).

6. Pokémon as a (social media) marketing tool

Whether you’re hunting #Pokemon or new accessories, you can catch them all at VQ #PokemonGO #leeds #yorkshire pic.twitter.com/SLpkIT1rOh

— VictoriaQuarter (@VQLeeds) July 24, 2016

Retailers do not necessarily have to rely on promotional offers to drive foot traffic in stores –
a smart social media campaign can work wonders as well. For example, C&A and HEMA have been sharing
screenshots of wild Pokémon waiting to be caught via their Facebook and Instagram channels, and Leeds’
Victoria Quarter remains shoppers that they will be able to catch them all, whether it be Pokémon or
clothing or accessories they are after in their stores. Another way to engage with customers passing by
stores on their mobile phone within walking distance is by using beacon technology to send special discounts their way.
Once in the store, you can also ask if players if they want to sign up to mailing list to receive news on new Pokémon
sighted in store, products and incentives.

A photo posted by C&A (@ca) on Jul 15, 2016 at 8:35am PDT

Other retailers, such as Australia’s Woolworths, have been engaging with players via Facebook and trading tips and tricks on where to find the best Pokémon in store and catch them all, much to their followers and game players delight.

7. Pokémon Fashion

Of course, one of the most logical ways for fashion retailer to tap into the hype surrounding Pokémon Go is by launching their own Pokémon capsule collection. Think of inspired t-shirts, cute character prints, or accessories rather than a whole character costume to make it more accessible to other potential customers. Value retailer Primark, which was already stocking and offering Pokémon inspired collections before the mobile game launch, has been busy promoting its current offering of Pokémon merchandise both online and in store, and will be expanding its collections in the near future.

Gotta catch ’em allllll Pikachu sock set for only £2.50/€3.50 #Primark #PokemonGO #Pikachu

A photo posted by Primark (@primark) on Jul 17, 2016 at 7:13am PDT

US teen retailer Hot Topic has taken the best of both worlds by offering Pokémon players 25 percent discount on Pokémon related merchandise in their stores when they show their
Pokédex in-store or click the link in their Instagram bio, an offer which ensure everyone is winning.

Catch ’em all … for less! Get 25% off Pokémon merch in stores when you show your Pokédex or click the link in our bio to shop. #PokemonGo

A photo posted by hottopic (@hottopic) on Jul 13, 2016 at 9:15am PDT

Photos: Flickr.com