Street retail is declining as shoppers spend less time pounding the pavement for necessities and take their business online.
That has been bad for brick-and-mortar retail, but a new game heralds a unique way to attract customers.
Pokemon Go is a game played on a smartphone. Players walk around trying to catch some characters hiding in their real-life environment. Like a scavenger hunt, some characters are rare and players travel out of their yards or homes to find them.
Now, businesses are buying game lures that attract players to their businesses. It's an idea that is expected to generate new ways of advertising.
In urban areas, Pokemon Go has been a boon for restaurants. One pizza shop owner spent $100 for 84 hours of Pokemon lures. His cost was a mere $1.19 per hour. His business went up 75 percent.
Savvy marketers are hinting about Pokemon Go stops on their Facebook pages. The first 20 people who snap a picture of the lure, will get a gift certificate, for example. And you have to get to the store to snap the picture.
In Indiana, one manager was thrilled when Pokemon Go players hit his 500-acre state park — for $7 a pop. Other parks and gardens are doing the same, making a scenic setting for players hoping to catch a character.
Bars are big into the game of attracting thirsty Pokemon Go players.
The game hasn't hurt the transportation business either.
According to USA Today, a small Colorado cab company devised a 90-minute Pokemon Go tour so that players can ride to hot PokeStops (real places — like restaurants — where players can grab virtual items for the game). It's good for tourists who can play the game and tour the city. It's good for drivers since they don't have to dodge distracted pedestrian players.
On the other hand, some cemeteries are posting signs that say that walking around the headstones playing Pokemon Go is not appropriate.
The challenge for Niantic, Inc., developer of Pokemon Go, is to keep the excitement going. Selling permanent Pokemon business hubs might be next.
One thing is for sure: The success of Pokemon Go suggests that all kinds of virtual lures will be developed, and that is good for street retail.
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