Image Credit: JIM WATSON / Getty Images
Pokemon Go is on everybody’s lips right now, with the game shooting to the very top of the Google Play and App Store, raking in millions upon millions of dollars for Nintendo and steadily becoming one of the most swiftly successful games in history.
With it reliant upon players venturing outdoors in order to catch more Pokemon and obtain valuable items, many businesses are therefore looking to capitalize upon its success and increase their profits by way of the mobile game. As such, we’ve put together a guide in order to outline how stores and restaurants can easily use the game in order to do so. Here’s how you can profit from Pokemon Go:
Set up lures at Pokestops
This will cost you some money in microtransactions, though will be key to generating foot traffic during busy periods of the day for your company.
In Pokemon Go, Pokestops are located near places of interest and other landmarks. These Pokestops grant players extra items like Pokeballs and eggs, meaning that you’ll likely see many people congregating near them with their smartphones in hand. A lure module is an item that can be placed at these Pokestops, with it attracting wild Pokemon to them in order for them to be captured by players. When a lure is placed on a PokeStop, a pink ring of flowers circles it alerting any other players that are in the vicinity. This means that players are more likely to venture towards these Pokestops in the hope of getting their hands on more Pokemon.
However, lures only last for 30 minutes at one time, and are not easily obtained in the game without the use of real cash. Lures cost 100 Pokecoins, which translates to $0.99 in real-world cash. It’s more advantageous to purchase 8 lure modules for 680 Pokecoins, though, with 1,200 Pokecoins costing $9.99. This means that for a little under $10 per day you could have a lure set up at a Pokestop for four hours, which you could then time to coincide with periods of the day that are likely to generate the most foot traffic. The closer you are to the Pokestop the better, obviously, because you’re therefore more likely to get passers by entering your store to and from the Pokestop.
Setting up lures can prove to be a hugely lucrative venture for businesses. Speaking to FOX 10 Phoenix, Critical Threat Comics and Games owner Erik Miller said that attaching lures to Pokestops and capitalizing on Pokemon Go had led to “at least a 50% increase in revenue” during the store’s slower days, while this number rose even higher during weekends when more people would be inclined to leave their homes.
If you’re in an area with more than one Pokestop in close range then you’re in luck, because placing a lure at one of these destinations will attract Pokemon from a more varied range of locations, thus making them more appealing to passing players. After placing a lure at the Pokestop near your company, all you then need to do is leave a sign outside expressing how “Pokemon Go trainers are welcome” and wait for an increased amount of people glued to their smartphone to enter your establishment.
How to:
- Click on the Pokeball in the bottom of Pokemon Go‘s home screen
- Select ‘Shop’
- Purchase 1,200 Pokecoins
- Purchase 8 Lure Modules with these coins
- Go to ‘Items’
- Select the Lure Module
- Place the Lure Module on the nearest PokeStop (the blue icon on your map)
Pokemon Go exclusive deals
As My Family’s Pizza have outlined in the above image, another great way of enticing Pokemon Go trainers is to offer them exclusive deals. Rewarding them with food/drink for reaching certain levels will encourage them to spend a lengthier amount of time in your restaurant, while also indicating that your store is a place in which they can meet fellow players. There is an underlying social aspect of Pokemon Go, but one that isn’t currently adequately explored by the game itself, so encouraging Pokemon Go players to meet one another within your store will be a unique way to capitalize on its success.
Get ready for trading
Pokemon Go doesn’t feature trading between players at the time of this writing, though developers Niantic are looking to introduce it in a future update. Considering how hotly requested this feature is, we imagine it will be coming sooner rather than later, and when it does it could prove to be massively useful for your business.
Pokemon trading will ensure that Pokemon Go players will be looking for places to socialize with one another in order to exchange Pokemon. If you specify that your store/restaurant is a place in which they can do so, then you should expect an influx of players eager to begin trading with one another. Put a sign out front and simply wait for them to come piling in.
