ThinkGeek, a popular American online retailer, recently expanded is collection of anime offerings with a Pokémon mug that looks just like a Poké Ball.
As most familiar with the franchise know, this is a tool used to catch creatures that the trainer, or consumer, comes across. As the company explains, the use for the Pokémon mug is more dire than ever, as players of the franchise's new augmented reality game have become too addicted to make time for sleep any longer.
Considering this, ThinkGeek claims that its necessary they get their hands on one of the Pokémon mugs so that they can fill it up with caffeine in order to fuel their adventures. Despite its likeness to a real Poké Ball, the company warns consumers to not throw the ceramic mug at any imagined creatures.
What's Driving This Trend
- Anime-themed Drinkware
- Opportunity to create more anime-themed drinkware products for customers who are fans of the genre.
- Product Tie-ins
- Opportunity to capitalize on popular franchises by creating merchandise that appeals to fans.
- AR Game Addiction
- Opportunity to create products that cater to people addicted to augmented reality games like Pokémon Go.
Who This Affects Most
- E-commerce
- E-commerce retailers can expand their offerings by including more anime-themed drinkware products like the Pokémon mug.
- Merchandise Manufacturing
- Manufacturers can capitalize on popular franchises like Pokémon by creating merchandise that appeals to fans, like anime-themed drinkware.
- Gaming
- Gaming companies can create products that cater to the addiction of players of popular augmented reality games like Pokémon Go.
