Pokemon Pikachu.png

Since Pokémon GO arrived and went viral in early July plenty of businesses have benefitted. Nintendo saw its shares spike and, despite a drop-off, still settle at a higher point than before the app's release. McDonald's in Japan has seen increased revenues with help from a GO tie-in, and even smaller businesses near PokéStops have been savvy in using that proximity to earn more customers.

Beyond direct app tie-ins, general interest in Pokémon has increased. Here in the UK we've seen all four main series 3DS entries return to the top 40 charts, and the effect has been seen elsewhere. Using data from Adobe's Digital Price Index, Bloomberg has reported that online sales of Pokémon merchandise in the US went up an average of 105% year-on-year in July, which is a pretty effective way to show GO's impact on the broader brand. As you can see in the chart below Pokémon-related electronics (including games) have been a big beneficiary, with the likes of GameStop benefitting.

Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube788k
Watch on YouTube
Bloomberg sales.png
Image: Bloomberg

Bloomberg also quotes Ansony Morales, assistant manager at a Build-A-Bear in Fairfax, Virginia, on the impact of GO and the current Pokémon frenzy. Build-A-Bear has a Pikachu-led Pokémon range that's proving rather popular.

It feels like the '90s all over again. We just had a group of kids in the store that got a lot of Pikachu dolls and they were playing and talking in the cute Pikachu voices.

Like all viral crazes, Pokémon GO is now settling down. That said, The Pokémon Company and Niantic will want to keep momentum solid and roll out updates to maintain interest, and Pokémon Sun and Moon on 3DS will also generate plenty of hype in the Holiday season.

What do you make of the Pokémon craze of the past month? Let us know in the comments.

[source bloomberg.com]