Pokémon Go Is Inspiring Small Retailers. So Has Augmented Reality Gone Mainstream?

Driving foot traffic via gamification

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Pokémon Go, the mobile game that has millions of people running from location to location, isn't just a tech-bubble fascination on the part of the Twitterati—it's boosting local businesses in the American heartland. Indeed, augmented reality, or AR, appears to be getting its close-up on Main Street. 

"This weekend, we were just people-watching and noticed everybody staring at their phones," said John Merritt, manager of CitySen Lounge, an eatery and bar in the CityFlats Hotel in Grand Rapids, Mich.

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