Unless you have been living under a rock for the last month, you’ll most likely have either heard how popular Pokémon Go has been or (more likely) played it yourself.
But despite the initial interest in the game dying down, retailers are still seeing a massive interest in Pokémon Go-related merchandise.
Online sales for Pokémon-branded merchandise in the U.S. (including physical toys, electronics, and clothing) rose 105 percent in July compare to the previous year. These figures come from Adobe’s Digital Price Index, and don’t even begin to consider the additional effect that the game has had on non-Pokémon branded goods (such as those all important battery packs).
While you would be forgiven for thinking that Nintendo or The Pokémon Company alone are responsible for the merchandise you see in shops, plenty of major players in the U.S. toy industry have licenses to sell Pokémon-related merchandise, including Hasbro Inc., Scholastic Corp., GameStop Corp., Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc., and Party City Holdco Inc.
Pokémon Go itself was recently updated with (among other things) a replacement to the “Nearby” feature that was recently removed. Meanwhile, it was also announced that those of you waiting for the Pokémon Go Plus accessory will have to wait a bit longer than expected for it.
So, have you gone out and bought a Pikachu jumper for that late night Pokémon hunting? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Bloomberg