Pokemon GO, a mobile game that has rocketed to the top of Apple and Android app stores in record time, looks set to challenge young internet companies which specialise in increasing foot traffic for small businesses.
It also may end up playing a role in major brands' marketing, according to industry experts.
The augmented reality game from Japan's Nintendo, where players walk around real-life streets and roads to hunt down virtual cartoon characters on their smartphone screens, has more than 65 million users in the US just seven days after launch.
That is more users than Twitter, and the game is already helping local restaurants, coffee shops and small retailers to attract new customers.
L'inizio Pizza Bar in Long Island City in New York claims its sales jumped 75% over the weekend by activating a "lure module" feature that attracts virtual Pokemon characters to the store, thereby tempting in nearby players.
The store's manager spent $10 to have a dozen Pokemon characters placed in the location, according to a report in the New York Post.
That sort of instant effect is a potential threat for Groupon, LivingSocial Foursquare and other relatively new companies which have revolutionised online marketing for small businesses in the last few years.
Pokemon GO's instant popularity appears to be the result of nostalgia for the classic 20-year-old cartoon franchise and players' desire to win kudos within the game by capturing as many characters as possible.
The popularity of Pokemon GO threatens companies like Foursquare, which has a service called Swarm offering coupons and prizes to customers who "check in" at participating venues, and social e-commerce sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, which many businesses use as a vehicle to offer discount deals.
Such "daily deal" sites get a cut every time a customer buys a retailer's coupon.
Foursquare said it was too soon to tell the impact of Pokemon GO.
Marketing experts said small businesses may increasingly turn to Pokemon GO - and redirect some of their marketing spend as the mobile game racks up a bigger user base.
Pokemon GO players are highly engaged, spending far more time in the app than they do with some of the most popular social apps such as Facebook's Instagram and messaging services WhatsApp and Snapchat, according to SimilarWeb, a market intelligence and web analytics firm.
Many shops are attracting customers by advertising themselves as "Poke Stops," a place where gamers can grab new Pokemon balls and increase their level of power within the app.
Experts said it is only a matter of time before major brands jump on the bandwagon.
The Pokemon GO craze - and potential for further revenue from third parties - has sent Nintendo's shares skyrocketing since the game's debut on Thursday, adding nearly $10 billion to the company's market value.
