For those refusing to engage with the media mayhem surrounding the game, Pokémon Go is an app that leverages mapping and augmented reality technology to allow users (aka “trainers”) to travel through the real world to find, catch and nurture creatures called Pokémon in the virtual world. The objective is to “catch them all” and battle Pokémon against each other.
The app continues to get press for a variety of reasons. Besides phenomenal user growth, the game is bringing people together in the real world and to Pokémon havens in and near brick and mortar locations. A new study from the “ad to store attribution” experts at Placed has found some interesting insights into where Pokémon Go users eat and shop.
Red Robin, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cold Stone Creamery, Steak ‘n Shake and In-N-Out Burger made up the top five restaurants app users visited. Hot Topic, Fred Meyer, Victoria’s Secret, Express and GameStop made up the top five retailers.
This insight is important because it highlights which stores have the most to gain from the app. Whether creating deals strictly for Pokémon Go users to becoming a “PokéStop” or “Gym” which attract users to a location, these brands have an opportunity to leverage the game’s popularity among existing customers to drive more store visits.
However, not every business should be making Pokémon Go part of its marketing strategy. In addition to popular places, the Placed data highlighted the least popular places among Pokémon Go users which consisted of Food Lion, Publix, Cracker Barrel, Bed Bath & Beyond, Marshall’s and more.
“While Pokémon Go dominates the news cycle, data should determine the attention that it deserves in marketing,” said David Shim, Founder and CEO of Placed.
The study focuses on multi-location brands, but small businesses are similarly getting into the game. Sponsored opportunities are reported to be on the way, and at this point, the marketing impact of the app hasn’t been fully realized.
