A search for Pokémon merchandise during a recent visit to Mall of America, in light of the Pokémon Go phenomenon, points to the challenges of capitalizing on a quick-rising trend. Just a handful of MOA’s 520-plus stores are currently highlighting Pokémon products, despite the abundance of visitors who were playing the game while walking the mall on a summer Friday.
Survey Monkey estimates that 20 million U.S. gamers play Pokémon Go each day (with the most recent measurement taken at the end of July). A survey conducted by marketing communications agency MGH, released last week, finds that nearly 60% of those fans are likely to enter a business offering Pokémon-branded discounts to players, 38% are likely to purchase a Pokémon-branded product offering, and 60% view businesses hosting Pokémon promotions favorably. Players surveyed are most likely to have seen promotions in restaurants and bars (71%), retail stores (44%), and entertainment venues/attractions (42%).
At MOA, the shops that are currently highlighting Pokémon merchandise are those that likely already had products in inventory and are now featuring them more prominently. Examples include Spencer Gifts, which has a wall display of items including knitted hats, positioned near the registers in center store; GameStop, which has a similarly located wall of merchandise such as costumes, as well as some figures at the checkout; and Go! Games and Toys, which has a small display of figures and cards at the door.
In terms of Pokémon-themed promotions, Claire’s has signage at the front of the store telling customers to share a snap of their Pokedex on Instagram and tag @clairesstores and #ClairesLovesPokemon to get 20% off their in-store purchase. The chain’s website promotes the offer as well. Outside of Claire’s, few retailers are noticeably featuring promotional initiatives to tie into the Pokémon Go trend.
It stands to reason that the Pokémon Company and its licensees and retailers are working to get more merchandise into stores, especially in time for the holidays. The question is how long Pokémon Go will retain its current status as a gaming and pop-culture sensation that can drive licensed product sales.
Reminder: Raugust Communications’ monthly e-newsletter comes out tomorrow (August 16, 2016) and will include observations on retail trends for the back-to-school season. If you are not yet a subscriber of this free publication, please sign up here.
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