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Portable powerbank sales at Carphone Warehouse rose by 60 per cent last weekend fuelled by the Pokémon Go smartphone game craze.
The game has been known to drain a user’s smartphone battery quickly – Pokémon Go users see an estimated 15 per cent decrease in battery life for each 30 minutes of play.
To keep playing the game, some players are turning to powerbanks to keep their Pokémon adventure alive.
Stores in Devon and Cornwall saw the biggest increase in sales, suggesting many Pokémon trainers were hitting the coast at the weekend to enjoy the weather whilst continuing to try and ‘catch ‘em all’.
Carphone Warehouse has been selling the Kit Powerbank 2,000mAh (£9.99) and the PNY 4,400mAh Powerbank (£12.99).
For customers looking for a plan to include more data to continue their quests, Carphone Warehouse is also offering data-heavy SIM Only deals online from iD and O2.
Elsewhere, UK gadget insurance firm Row has launched the world’s first ‘Pokédex insurance’, in response to the growing popularity of the new Pokémon Go game.
The British firm offers cover on users’ mobile phones.
Steve Bell, commercial marketing director at Carphone Warehouse, commented: “Pokémon Go fever has gripped the nation and it’s easy to see why. You can have all the tips, cheats and shortcuts in the world but you’ll never catch ‘em all if your battery runs out.
“Pokémon Go inevitably drains battery life as it uses the camera, GPS and data connection at the same time. Turning on the phone’s power-saver mode will definitely help but having a charger or a power pack in your back pocket to revive your phone battery is a must-have for all true fans.”
Pokémon Go raised some security and privacy concerns when it launched in the UK earlier this month.
