Pokestops drive footfall and nine other augmented reality charts

Businesses near ‘PokeStops’ are enjoying a huge surge in footfall due to the popularity of Pokémon Go, according to our first major piece of consumer research conducted in partnership with Toluna.

The survey into the uptake of augmented reality (AR) found that 44% of consumers said they had used AR on their phone, and that 92% of these AR users had installed Pokémon Go.

Remarkably, almost half (48%) playing the hugely popular game said they did so every day and 85% had gone into a café, store or other venue because of a PokeStop nearby.

Such results show the potential for augmented reality to be used in hyperlocal advertising, particularly in the use of lures.

The survey of 2,000 US and UK consumers, carried out by ClickZ Intelligence using Toluna software, the world’s leading provider of real-time digital consumer insights, was carried out last month five weeks after the launch of Pokémon Go.

Apart from Pokémon Go, other widely used apps include astronomy guide Pocket Universe (used by 35% of those using apps with AR functionality) and navigation aid Spyglass (28%).

The research also underscores the popularity of digital face-swapping, with 70% using these augmented reality apps.

This research shows that augmented reality is past the early-adopter stage and is now being used in everyday life by a large number of consumers. Businesses have the opportunity to tap into this phenomenon in a number of ways.

Mark Simon, Managing Director, Toluna Digital, said:

“AR apps like Pokémon Go can have rapid and pervasive adoption by a wide variety of consumers. Knowing how these users interact with this kind of technology ushers in new opportunities for businesses that are savvy and agile enough to proactively take advantage of these trends.”

This comment from Mark is supported by data showing that 66% of Pokémon Go users say the app has made them more likely to download other similar applications.

However, there is work to be done by marketers in raising the profile of AR apps; for those who have not yet used such apps, more than a quarter (26%) said they had not come across it, while others did not see any obvious benefit or incentive.

This is impacting on the likelihood of users taking up augmented reality in the near future.