As Pokemon Go sweeps the nation, and in the next few months the world, let’s take a look at what the world recognizable game that encourages you to travel means for businesses. First off, let’s break down what is making Pokemon Go the phenomena that it is. The series of games has been in the U.S. since 1996 and have built an elite fan base around those who grew up watching the show. With consistent high sells for games and much anticipation over nearly every venture the brand has been involved with, GO is the closest thing we have to a real life Pokemon adventure and for some we have relished and dreamed of the opportunity for decades and now that it’s here we can’t put it down.
The game itself promotes exploring and movement. The more you travel the more likely you are to find rare Pokémon. Another key component to the game are Pokéstops that give you eggs, experience points, and many other important items you need to enjoy the game and to progress through it properly. The glory of a Pokéstop comes from the items you can use on them to attract more Pokémon and like a moth to a flame more players will be drawn to those locations. I’ve seen hordes of players of all ages run to a space with a Pokéstop using a Pokélure at 3 a.m. in a neighboring plaza. Not every day does a phone application bridge the gap between generations and create temporary friendships. There have even been events in large cities such as Tampa that bring players together for special events.
Now for a place that has many Pokéstops there’s bound to be more than a few groups in the area looking for Pocket monsters. The great thing about this for stores in the area is a built in advertisement from the google maps setup used by the game. The more traffic in the area is bound to increase daily transactions right? For a few businesses that’s exactly what’s happening. A Taco Bell in Riverview, Florida is experiencing this boom since the game was released less than two weeks. Their averages sales have nearly doubled with their busiest hours coming at between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. depending on the day of the week but none the less in this case we can see that this game brings much more than just a family fun atmosphere; it brings great revenue while the game is at its peak even in its earliest stages.
That same Taco Bell in Riverview is in the works of requesting that their store be made a Pokéstop. McDonald's is also in works with the game to have a mass partnership with the game on a global scale and many storefronts are doing the same with discounts for Pokemon Go users. But with news surfacing almost everyday about crimes, accidents, and tensions among people rising, should this make businesses weary of being so intertwined with the game? Some reports of people being set up while playing the game and even ridiculous and hopefully false claims of one person being stabbed while playing and refusing to go to the hospital for treatment. If any of these things were to happen on a company's premises could there be lawsuits by the dozens for those players harmed in the crossfire?
Is the potential cost worth the benefit? Is a business's revenue stream more important than an individual's safety? For many people, the game is just that: a game. But for others, the economic benefits the game brings is game changing and that may be enough to draw in a bigger crowd be the game's life cycle is complete. Until then the world may never know. Only time will tell but for now get your thumbs ready because there's still time to catch them all.
