What is Pokémon Go?  Well if you have just returned from a long weekend on Mars, then you can be forgiven for not knowing about the phenomenon taking the world by storm that is Nintendo’s newly released Pokémon Go.  However, if like me, you have a young adult living in your home, you will be all too familiar with the notion that Pikachu is lurking by the bathroom door and Squirtle is hanging out next to the fridge.

The launch of this augmented reality version of the popular 90’s game has seen it downloaded more times than Tinder in a matter of days.  It has also seen Nintendo’s share price (they have a 33% stake in the company) rise by 25% in the past week adding an amazing $7bn to the company’s value.

There are already reports of armed robbers in the US targeting Pokémon Go players.  And police in the US and Australia have warned against people trying to play the game whilst driving.

So how can retailers utilise this technology?  Perhaps a game where shoppers collect points or ‘gifts’ when they are in store which they can redeem to purchase products.  Watch this space… Oh, there’s Charmander sitting on my sofa!