(FILES) This file photo taken on July 26, 2016 shows the 'Pokemon Go' app on the screen of a smartphone, in Paris, on July 26, 2016. Pokemon Go fever brings teachers and education experts to question the use of this game in classrooms. Can Pikachu help the teachers to interest and motivate students ? / AFP PHOTO / Thomas SAMSON
KUALA LUMPUR: Axiata Group Bhd is experiencing a 30% increase in its CelcomPay service due to high transactions related to Pokemon Go since the virtual-reality game was launched in the country.
CelcomPay is a debit facility that allows online purchase of apps, movies, games, books, etc in Google Play Store.
“Thirty per cent of CelcomPay’s sales are actually on Pokemon Go,” the telecommunications provider’s managing director/president and group chief executive officer Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim said after a briefing on the group’s second-quarter results in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
Pokemon Go was launched in Malaysia on Aug 6, 2016, more than a month after its launch in Australia and the US.
The application (app) game, where players walk around real-life neighbourhoods to hunt down virtual cartoon characters on their smartphones, can be downloaded for free on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
The augmented reality game, developed by Japan’s Niantic Inc, has sparked a global frenzy since its launch, breaking the record for the most-downloaded game in the first week.
There are over 65 million users in the US just seven days after the game was launched.
Numerous news, positive and negative, on Pokemon Go has flooded all over the countries, showing the hype of the ‘Pikachu’ effect.
Market analysts and rating agencies said Pokemon Go phenomenon provides an avenue to drive data dependency among consumers, benefiting telecommunications provider (telco) like Celcom (Axiata’s business operation in Malaysia) and others.
“I do not know about the other operations in other countries, but in Malaysia, yes. There’s a major spike recently,” Jamaludin said.
Recent reports also showed that not only telco, but global craze game also offered a substantial sales for retailers.
Pokemon GO could be the next big marketing tool for retailers as the game has the traction of simply bringing shoppers into malls and other physical stores, where players can collect rewards at so-called Pokestops. - Bernama
* See also Axiata revises up 2016 capex
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