Pokémon Go and Agile CRM

Millions of people are headed outdoors, with cell phones in hand, in the search for digital creatures while playing the game, Pokémon Go. A new traffic pattern has manifested across the globe making news daily, ranging from the negative effects of people trampling through cemeteries in game pursuits to the positive foot traffic it brings to businesses.

Augmented reality is a fairly new technology with massive potential that is just in its teething months. However, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, Niantic (creators of original augmented reality adventure app, Ingress), have maximized its potential and achieved the most prolific app launch ever. People who usually spend massive amounts of time on social media and smartphone apps each year now are spending a large part of it catching Pokémon.

With players obsessed with the game and hunting for Pokémon, there’s a real-world opportunity in this hot new trend.

Currently, a business can utilize the game for promotional campaigns offering any manner of reward or coupon for a limitless variety of tasks. Having players snap a picture of a Pokémon for a little incentive is one-way businesses are doing this.

Businesses lucky enough to have a brick and mortar store near a pokestop have an even greater opportunity. When near one of these pokestops, in-game items called “lures” can be attached to them to cause more Pokémon to appear in that location for the following half hour. Lure-equipped stops spray pink confetti and can be seen from about a mile away on the in-game map, enticing active players. Once prospective businesses establish an account, it can be used to purchase unlimited lures through the in-game store, providing a steady stream of player traffic. With a little creativity, anyone can be the first to capitalize on a multitude of the game’s elements.

Niantic has hinted about giving businesses the option to purchase their own pokestops directing game traffic to their stores. However, this is not currently available and might never actually become reality.

However they engage, businesses can maximize their efforts to drive sales through the Pokémon Go craze by leveraging Agile CRM. With Agile CRM, you can tie website popups to Pokémon Go promotional efforts and better track potential customers for targeted follow-up marketing campaigns.

Businesses that tie their augmented reality marketing efforts to Agile CRM’s sales and marketing automation functionality also can develop a range of triggered follow-up campaigns that capture additional information from players that can then be used for targeted sales.

It is early days for the augmented reality trend. As businesses investigate their various options for maximizing the business opportunity presented by the game and the technology in general, they would be wise to consider how their other business systems can advance and deepen their efforts.

Agile CRM, at least, can definitely contribute to better marketing efforts around the Pokémon Go craze.