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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

PokeStop Shops Catch ’em All

For Scott Frager, general manager of Pinz Bowling Center in Studio City, kids on smartphones are a ubiquitous sight. But when a stream of them began trickling into the alley in early July – not to bowl, but to hover around the lanes, swiping across their devices’ screens – he knew something unusual was up. “Within 24 hours, we had half a dozen or more young folks come in with their phones, but they weren’t staying to bowl,” Frager recalled. “No one knew what was happening.” Finally, a tech-savvy colleague offered an explanation: The mysterious drop-ins were “Pokémon trainers,” players of a new smartphone game called Pokémon Go. Developed by software firm Niantic, Inc. in partnership with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, Pokémon Go is a location-based augmented reality game that allows players to capture and “evolve” Pokémon, fictional creatures first popularized in the mid-1990s by a pair of video games. Trainers compete to improve their rank by battling their Pokémon in arenas, or “gyms.” In Pokémon Go, gyms are real-world locations – and, much to Frager’s surprise, his business happens to be one of them. “Before my co-worker showed me on his phone, we had no idea we were a gym,” Fraser says. “No one told us, no one sent us an e-mail – but however the designers decided to pick us out, they did it right. We get a lot of players.” Foot traffic Pinz isn’t the only local business doubling as a Pokémon gym. At Ladyface Ale Companie in Agoura Hills, owner Cyrena Nouzille shares a similar story. “One of my serving staff, who plays, told me we’re a gym,” she said. “As a mom, I’m all too familiar with Pokémon, but I still had to ask my daughter about the ‘Go’ and ‘Stop’ parts of it. She confirmed the gym status and patiently explained how it works.” Nouzille has realized what many eateries around the nation have already discovered: Pokémon can bring a big boost to business. While she hasn’t quantified the game’s impact on profits, she said the gym designation has drawn in a significant number of new customers. “Newcomers have discovered Ladyface because of the app, and bartenders have remarked that there are lots of new faces coming to the bar to play,” she said. “The other night, two young kids showed up on their bikes. At first they were playing from the sidewalk, but then they came in for a kids’ mac ‘n cheese and a soda on the patio. When they were finishing their game and their dinner, they paid their tab, politely thanked us and even tipped their server.” On the other hand, being part of the world of Pokémon does have its drawbacks. When Nouzille posted an image on social media of Pokémon characters at the restaurant’s entrance, some patrons made comments suggesting the promotion compromised Ladyface’s integrity as a “non-gimmicky, non-trend-chasing” business. Frager noted initial concerns that players would injure themselves while trying to catch Pokémon that hovered over the lanes, though no trouble has been reported so far. At least one restaurateur thinks the craze surrounding Pokémon Go has been detrimental to business: Sawsan Elmor, who owns and operates Pita Pockets in Northridge, said players who come by to take advantage of the “PokéStop” in his cafe have been a nuisance to customers. In Pokémon Go, a PokéStop is a designated landmark where trainers can stock up on various tools to attract and catch Pokémon. The PokéStop at Pita Pockets is a wall mural. “The players come to the tables, but they never order food,” said Elmor. “They just come around and make lots of noise. It’s not good for business and doesn’t attract new customers.” Businesses do not yet have the option to opt out of having a gym or a PokéStop on their property, though Niantic’s consumer marketing director J.C. Smith told the Los Angeles Times that developers are working on a way to remove locations from the game. For now, though, businesses that became part of the virtual world by accident must learn to manage their newfound clientele. For Nouzille, that means embracing the trainers who come to battle their Pokémon at Ladyface Ale. “The way we look at it is that people are having fun. If Ladyface can help people take a break from reality and relax with a craft beer, then we have succeeded at our mission,” she said. Power of Pokémon Just as businesses cannot de-list themselves as gyms or remove the PokéStops on their properties from the game, there is no way for those who do wish to attract trainers to earn those designations. However, there are other ways to bring players to businesses. And with over 20 million active users daily, according to web-based research company SurveyMonkey, there are good business reasons to try to cash in on the craze. Marketing strategist John Findley, whose digital engagement firm Launchfire in Ottawa, Canada specializes in designing game-based promotions, said businesses should first consider their structure before launching any Pokémon promotions. “Be honest with yourself about what type of business you are,” he says. “You’ll want to have space for people to be able to sit and play.” If your business is equipped to handle traffic, Findley suggests downloading the game and purchasing “lures” to place at your location in the game. In Pokémon Go, lures are used to attract rare Pokémon – and wherever there are Pokémon, players are sure to follow. For $100 in Pokécoins, the currency used in the game, a business can purchase 21 eight-packs of lures. Since lures last for about 30 minutes, that amounts to roughly 84 hours of attracting Pokémon – and trainers – at a rate of $1.19 per hour. “If you’re not a gym and don’t have a PokéStop nearby, lures are the ground floor of using Pokémon to bring in customers,” Findley explained. “Then you can add more allure with components that aren’t proprietary to the game, like offering desserts or other perks when customers show you screenshots of the Pokémon they’ve caught at your business.” The final step – getting the word out about your promotion – is key to running a successful Pokémon campaign, Findley added. “Broadcast your message to as many people as possible. Use your e-mail list, word of mouth, any type of advertising you’re already doing,” he says. “If you can amplify that message using your various media outlets – some paid perhaps – you can start to really see some business impact.” ‘Positive feedback’ When it comes to attracting Pokémon players, even simple tactics seem to work: Gourmet hamburger chain Umami Burger has increased foot traffic in their Burbank and Studio City locations by using sidewalk chalk boards outside the restaurants to invite trainers inside. “We’ve received a lot of positive feedback for welcoming players,” said Brian Rosman, a company representative. “People are definitely excited. Someone started screaming at our Burbank location the other day because they caught a Pikachu on our bar.” Just how long will the excitement last? There’s no way to know for sure, said Findley, but businesses should act soon if they want to make the most of Pokémon madness. “I would say the window to get in on this is about two months,” Findley said. “After that, you’ll still get the enthusiasts, but the ‘causal Pokémon-ers’ will drift away.” But even if businesses don’t “catch ‘em all” this time around, Findley is confident Pokémon Go won’t be the last chance to tap into player-driven profits. “What’s interesting about this is not the immediate opportunity. It’s the augmented reality aspect,” Findley said. “Smartphones have reached a point where everyone has access to this technology, so businesses have a lot to look forward to.”  

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