Pokémon Go offers small-business opportunities

Pokémon Go has lured both children and adults into the bandwagon and businesses could actually profit from this latest craze. Image The Pokemon Official Channel

While drivers offer their service to drive budding pokémon trainers around for a hefty sum, small shop owners could also get a slice of the Pokémon Go craze.

READ: Pokémon Go Uber could be the next big thing

An article in Business Insider offers a few suggestions for taking advantage of how the game is played.

The game generally picks out local landmarks around the player and turns them into either Pokéstops or Pokémon Gyms. These could be historical landmarks, tourist spots, houses, churches and even establishments. Shop owners can take advantage of this by setting down pokémon lures and watch the pokémon hunters trickle in.

One pizzeria owner commented on Reddit threads that putting down a lure has given his business a boost with the influx of adults and children walking in to look for pokémon. The adults ended up buying a slice of pizza and a drink until the pokémon lure ran out.

If near a Pokémon Gym, establishments could do giveaways of custom Gym badges, keep score of who’s currently in control, and take to social media to publicize updates on the Gym’s current status.

Finally, entrepreneurs could simply follow where the pokémon roams, in this case places near Pokéstops and plant a lure. One could open up a small refreshment stall, sell some trinkets, and whatever else business-minded folk can think of provided it’s legal and the proper paperwork has been done.

Pokémon Go is taking the world by storm and there is little sign of it dying down any time soon. Whether entrepreneurs can capitalize on this or not is entirely up to what their business instincts tell them.  Alfred Bayle

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