Check out this article from techrepublic.com about how Device Pitstop Maple Grove is one of the businesses drawing in techie crowds with Pokemon Go.
By Brandon Viliarolo
Pokemon Go: Real examples of businesses that have turned it into a moneymaker
Pokemon Go recently hit 100 million downloads, and the number keeps growing. Find out how these businesses turned the craze into increased exposure.
There are now more daily Pokemon Go users than Facebook visitors—that’s how you know it’s a real phenomenon. Facebook makes it easy to increase exposure and profits, so surely there must be a way for Pokemon Go to give your organization a bump—and there is.
There are a lot of businesses out there that have found novel ways to turn Pokemon Go players into customers and clients, even without a storefront. Take a look at these reports from businesses large and small—you might see something that is perfect for you.
Retail and restaurants
Device Pitstop, an electronics buy/sell/trade business, dropped a lure in front of their Maple Grove, MN, location and offered free charging cables to visitors who stopped by that day. By paying to boost the exposure of a Facebook post regarding the event they saw a huge increase in foot traffic—100 more people than usual came into the store on the day of the event.
Tasty Burger, an east coast restaurant chain, noticed that their Harvard Square location was a PokeStop. To draw more players into the restaurant they decided to give away a free order of tater tots to anyone who caught a Pokemon at their stop and showed a photo to the cashier.
Businesses you wouldn’t expect
The list of shops and restaurants taking advantage of Pokemon Go is endless, but they aren’t the only people who can benefit from the trend.
IT services company Nerdio has been working with their clients on an interesting way to get exposure. Nerdio is giving clients like comic shops and arcades a $10 weekly budget to use on lures, and when players catch a Pokemon at the location they can post it on social media with the business name and Nerdio tagged. Each post is an entry for a gift card to the business where the Pokemon was caught.
Even online tutoring marketplace Preply is getting in on the game. They’ve allowed users to sign up as Pokemon Go tutors, creating a marketplace for people who want help learning to play the game. With rates ranging from $2 to $42 per hour there seems to be a lot of money to be made in teaching people to play a simple mobile game.
Boston performing arts festival Outside The Box estimates they drew in an additional 1,000 people per day by dropping lures all over Boston Common during the festival. They tweeted about it a bunch and dropped new lures every 30 minutes, making sure people moved around the grounds and the whole festival got exposure.
IP camera manufacturer Vimtag has managed to gain exposure too. They started a contest for camera owners who snapped photos of people playing the game, and winners were able to receive cash prizes, free cameras, and deep discounts on premium products.
As if that wasn’t niche enough, PRO Housekeepers, a small cleaning and maid service from Tampa, FL, has drawn in a bunch of foot traffic thanks to lures. Increased foot traffic has led to more clients to the tune of almost $2,000.
The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers
- If you have a storefront you should invest in a Pokemon lure, which can be purchased inside the app. Yes, they cost money, but a whole bunch of businesses have seen increased foot traffic because of them.
- Just because you’re not making sales doesn’t mean you won’t benefit from exposure. If people are stopping by they’re going to remember your name and potentially become customers or clients in the future.
- Even if you aren’t selling something you can still make money or gain exposure from Pokemon Go—it just takes a little creative thinking to figure out a way to make a mark!
