Truemag

  • Newsletters
  • Thought Leadership
  • Mobility
  • Safety
  • Work Trucks
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Media Kit
  • Who We Are

Pokémon Go Can ‘Lure’ Customers to Your Business

By Wendy Eichenbaum

On July 14, 2016, Sprint released a press release titled: “Attention Monster Hunters: Sprint and Boost Mobile Stores Become ‘Must Stop’ Location for Pokémon Go Players.” They advertised that gamers could visit a retail store for lures, free charging stations, and help from gaming experts. The Pokémon Go game is free. In the United States, 64 percent of the population uses smartphones, and over 21 million people play Pokémon Go daily. Players’ addiction to Pokémon Go promises a new way to reach out to your customers.

Last month, we examined the potential for Pokémon Go to change users’ expectations of game and mobile app experiences. Now we will explore how this game can revolutionize the way that you incentivize your customers to reach out to you.

One of the primary tasks in Pokémon Go is for players to capture Pokémon monsters. Players literally walk around town to find the monsters. The monsters are more likely to be found at landmarks, called PokéStops. Players flock to these landmarks in their attempt to collect all 151 monsters. But soon, not all stops will be landmarks.

Niantic Labs is signing up official sponsors. The sponsors’ locations will serve as landmarks and gyms in the game. McDonald’s is Pokémon’s first sponsor, and already has launched in their restaurants in Japan.  Niantic Labs used this model to great success in their previous game Ingress, where they signed up companies such as Jamba Juice and Zipcar.

But even small businesses can attract players. A business owner can play the game and place a lure at a PokéStop. This lure attracts Pokémon, and thus Pokémon players, for 30 minutes. One artist in set up a booth near a PokéStop in San Diego’s Balboa Park, and placed a lure. Players would come by to catch Pokémon, and stay to look at her art. And Bloomberg reported that a pizzeria in Queens NY increased sales 30% by placing lures.

During the Comic-Con convention in San Diego, a Pokémon Go fan organized a pub-crawl downtown, where several bars each placed a lure at a different time. Players would follow the lure schedule, catching monsters and drinking at each stop. In NYC, players can take a Pokémon tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where they can learn about art as they catch the monsters.

Now imagine that you have a booth at a trade show. Place a lure at your booth and Tweet about it. Then see how many people stop by. Those 21 million daily users are not all Millenial students. If you visit popular PokéStops, you will see a range of ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. You can earn lures when playing the game. Or you can purchase lures in-game, one of the many monetizing opportunities for Niantic Labs.

Finally, there is a growing secondary market for businesses that support players. Food trucks now visit locations that regularly have an influx of players. Vendors also go to these locations to sell external phone batteries. The NPD Group, a firm that tracks consumer spending, reported a 100% increase in battery sales compared with July 2015. [9] And Amazon has targeted consumers with special deals on prices.

As more people get smart phones with unlimited data plans, and download the free Pokémon Go game, there is a growing market for businesses to reach out to existing and potential customers. Customers will eagerly come to you in search of monsters, and stay to learn about your business as they wait for their next catch.

About the Author

Wendy Eichenbaum has been a UX professional since the early-1990’s. She began her career as a technical writer. She then earned a Master of Arts in Professional Writing at Carnegie Mellon University, studying both writing and UI design. Over the years, she has worked across verticals, from start-ups to multi-national firms, in many areas of UX including research & strategy, Information Architecture, usability testing, and focus groups. She started her own UX consulting firm in 2008, Ucentric Design. And she is an adjunct professor at Cal State University, Fullerton. There she teaches a class that she created, User-Centered Design for Web and Mobile Interfaces.

www.ucentricdesign.com
[email protected]

 

 

 

Sep 26, 2016Janice
Case Study: How One Company Increased Driver Safety, Decreased AccidentsImportant Webinar on Cybersecurity Taking Place On Wednesday, October 5! Register Now!
Recent Posts
  • Opportunities Abound for Women in Trucking
  • Ford Introduces Hybrid Tech to Mid-size Truck segment with Ranger Plug-in EV
  • WIFM Keynote Speaker Sherine Clarke Presents ‘Embrace Your Personal Power’ at AFLA Conference
  • How Fleet Marketing How Can Generate More Sales Opportunities
  • UAW, Detroit Three in Standoff as Wider Strike Looms
  • Ryder Begins Rollout of BrightDrop Zevo 600 Electric Van Rentals
  • The Increasing Significance of Making Accurate Contract Decisions for Transportation Fleet Procurement
  • EV Fleet Charging Solution Gets Green Light in Tennessee
  • IIHS: Minivans Don’t Make the Grade When it Comes to Rear-seat safety
  • Transform Your Fleet’s Safety Culture
ASSOCIATION NEWS
WIFM Keynote Speaker Sherine Clarke Presents ‘Embrace Your Personal Power’ at AFLA Conference
EVs & Reducing Emissions at AFLA 2023
NAFA Seminar in New Orleans: Essentials of Fleet Management
Upcoming AFLA 2023 Conference to Highlight Safety and KPIs
NAFA Announces Winners of 2023 Green Fleet Awards
AFLA & WIFM: The Value of Mentorship
AFLA Learning Webinar: Risk & Safety – Driving Under the Influence
TECHNOLOGY
You May Soon be Able to Unlock Your Car with an IPhone or Apple Watch
Motorq Joins Mercedes-Benz to Transform Fleet Analytics, Connected Vehicle Insights
Tesla’s New Car-Building Process Could be a Huge Industrial Breakthrough
Fleetio Appoints Tyson Goeltz as CRO to Drive Revenue Growth
The Role AI May Play in Keeping Vehicle Repair Costs in Check for Fleets
10 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Charging Your EV
This Revolutionary Breakthrough Could Help EVS Drive 10 Times Longer Before They Need a Recharge
CONFERENCES & WEBINARS
WIFM Keynote Speaker Sherine Clarke Presents ‘Embrace Your Personal Power’ at AFLA Conference
EVs & Reducing Emissions at AFLA 2023
NETS Strength in Numbers Conference: Last Day for Special Hotel Rate is September 12
NAFA Seminar in New Orleans: Essentials of Fleet Management
Upcoming AFLA 2023 Conference to Highlight Safety and KPIs
NETS ‘Strength IN Numbers’ Conference: Keynote Speakers Announced for Indy
NETS Full Program, Keynote Speakers Announced for EMEA Regional Conference
INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS
WIFM Keynote Speaker Sherine Clarke Presents ‘Embrace Your Personal Power’ at AFLA Conference
How Fleet Marketing How Can Generate More Sales Opportunities
EVs & Reducing Emissions at AFLA 2023
ALD | LeasePlan Releases its Strategic Plan and Financial Objectives to 2026
Cox Automotive: August Fleet Sales Strongest in 3 Years
NETS Strength in Numbers Conference: Last Day for Special Hotel Rate is September 12
Geotab Partners with Greater Than to Unlock AI Crash Probability Intelligence

Fleet Management Weekly Newsletter Archive
Access to back issues of the FMW newsletter.

FMW Mobility
How mobility is rapidly changing the fleet management landscape.

Newsletter

Subscribe

FMW Fleet Videos
Video clips of industry leaders speaking on a variety of engaging hot topics in fleet.

2014-2020 © Fleet Management Weekly