Retailers, T-Mobile Can Benefit From Pokémon GO's Success

Meanwhile, many retailers are looking to get in on the action and hope to lure customers to their stores. CNBC cited a research report by Cowen & Co.'s Oliver Chen, who said that augmented reality gaming apps, like Pokémon GO, has "broad implications for retail."

The analyst noted that augmented reality games addresses declining mall traffic with emerging trends such as social experiences and health and wellness.

Retailers and mall owners can make use of a "lure module" feature that attracts Pokémon characters to their store. Chen stated that this clearly "illustrates how augmented reality could potentially play a more significant role in retail over time."

Related Link: Pokémon GO Could Cure Retailer's Traffic Slump; You Can Now Request PokéStops At A Specific Location

T-Mobile: Free Data To Play Pokémon

Pokémon GO requires a data plan to play, and users who dedicate many hours a day toward catching Pokémon characters could see their data usage spike.

T-Mobile US Inc TMUS said in a press release on Thursday that it is now offering customers free and unlimited data for Pokémon GO for a full year.

In fact, as part of "T-Mobile Tuesday," customers will receive a free Lyft ride of up to $15 to get to a PokéStop or PokéGym, a free Wendy's Frosty and 50 percent discount on select accessories at T-Mobile stores.

"This is what T-Mobile Tuesday is all about — thanking customers with hot, new, totally free gifts every week, and right now, nothing is hotter than Pokémon Go!" said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. "With the carriers' shared data schemes, players could easily burn up the family's data bucket — and then, hello, overages! At T-Mobile, we're unleashing Pokémon Go so our customers can play free for a year. It's gonna be a fantastic T-Mobile Tuesday!"

Did you like this article? Could it have been improved? Please email feedback@benzinga.com to let us know!