Autumn, in many parts of the country, is a time of falling leaves, crisp air, and the packing away of summer fashions and warm weather gear. It signals a time to get ready for the snow, ice, and cold of the coming winter season. Unfortunately, for many optical retailers it's also a time to stop thinking about sunglasses as a popular seller. The fact is, autumn and winter -- when the sun lowers in the sky, leisure activities take a new turn, and the holidays loom large in the future -- is a key season for promoting and selling sunwear.

Sunglass Hut has built a business on year round sales -- proof of the market and it's profit potential. Independents who are positioning sunglasses as a season-spanning product report steady revenue and growth. Spurred by product improvements and consumer interest, retailers in areas as diverse as rural Wyoming, downtown Chicago, and sports-oriented Utah are carrying sunglass inventories ranging from 10 percent to 100 percent...and not just during the traditional spring and summer selling seasons.

For many, December boasts sales as brisk as May and June. Target markets are diverse and range from kids to seniors, ophthalmic clients to contact lens wearers, traveler to homebodies, sports enthusiasts to holiday shoppers.

Astute optical retailers are driving so-called "off-season" sales through product visibility and an awareness of these year-round consumer needs. Second pair sales are a given, and multiple sunglass pairs are typical -- regardless of the time of year.

"We automatically talk about sunglasses," says optician Amy Block of Union, N.J.'s Block and Zuckerman, a family operation located in a high-traffic mall. Echoing the approach of other eyewear professionals, Block notes, "We ask questions about work, eye health, hobbies, sports, travel, and then we recommend sunglasses that will fit those needs. We try to get everyone in sunglasses."

Keeping Sunwear Visible

Promoting off-season sales begins with product visibility. "You can't sell anything that's put away," says optician Darla Goodwin, sales manager at Canyon Lake Optical Center in Canyon Lake, Calif. Of the center's 2000 frames, 200 are sunglasses, which are on display all year. "People who live here work so they can play," she says. "We want to make sure that all different accessories are available to them when they're ready. We are constantly upgrading our product, changing our boards, and rotating the area, but we don't put our sunglasses away."

In the trendy Lincoln Park section of Chicago, Chet Steinmetz, O.D., owner of Visual Effects Optical, maintains a year-round display of sunglasses that he says is "out there" attracting the attention of clients. A 15-foot wall in his shop displays an extensive collection of sunglasses, which represent 20 percent of his 2500 frame inventory. He also mixes sunwear with the ophthalmic frames that are displayed on an opposite 30-foot wall. Although sunglass sales slow down a little in winter, "it's not much," says Steinmetz, who reports steady year-round sales.

Polarized is Always Hot

One of the hottest all-year sellers is polarized lenses -- which thanks to product availability and consumer awareness -- continue to grow in popularity.

At Lander Vision Center in Lander, Wy., residents can expect 300 days of strong sun and in a typical winter, 100 to 160 inches of snow. "We do a tremendous amount of polarized sunglasses," says optician Dorothy Ashby, "which account for 60 percent of our sunglass sales."

But even in areas with less extreme weather, polarized sunglasses are a natural year-round seller. Optician Jeffrey Kehr, owner of The Eye Store, a full-service optical with two locations in the Philadelphia area, keeps about 200 sunglasses on display to underscore the changing but persistent need for sun protection. Discussions about sunglasses for driving, particularly polarized products, are especially important in the winter when the sun is lower in the sky and glare and reflection can be at their worst. "People are as likely to buy sunglasses when we have snow as they are in the summer," says Kehr.

As consumers have become aware of the comfort of driving with polarized sunglasses, the popularity of the lenses has risen. "Polarized lenses generate real product loyalty," says Noall Knighton, president of Knighton Optical, a regional chain with three sunglass outlets and 25 optical stores in Utah and Idaho. "As a result, they have a high percentage of repeat customer."

This popularity has resulted in less price resistance among consumers who are willing to pay more for a product they value. Kehr generate a $50 up charge for polarized products, which represent 75 percent of his sunwear sales. He uses P-O-P displays to generate interest in polarized sunglasses and demonstrators to emphasize the difference in glare reduction.

Contact Lenses and Clips

Sunglasses also provide protection against wind and blustery gusts, a benefit that offers all-year appeal to contact lens wearers, whose need for sunwear transcends the seasons. "Contact lenses and sunglasses are an automatic issue," says Goodwin.

Kehr, whose upscale clients want fashionable sunwear, promotes non-prescription sunglasses to contact lens wearers, who are strong candidates for multiple sunwear sales. For clients who alternate their contact lenses with eyeglasses, a pair of prescription sunglasses is another option, often as a future, and second, sunwear sale. Clips, which can offer a cost saving as well as a style change also generate multiple sales.

In fact, for many retailers sunglass clips have become big business. "On average our clips form 50 to 60 percent of our total monthly sales," says Steinmetz. Eighty-five percent of these are factory designed. The remaining 15 percent are custom-made styles provided by an outside vendor. These designs have generated what he calls a "word-of-mouth after market" for the custom clips. "Many people don't want to buy a second pair of glasses," he says, "and to them a clip is the only sunwear option."

Goodwin is also seeing an increase in the popularity of clips, which she offers in polarized, AR, and children's styles. These product improvements and custom options are shifting the market for clips. "They used to be a low-end product, which people bought to avoid paying more for a second pair of glasses," says Knighton, "but now clips are a high-end sale."

The Gift of Sunwear

For retailers who regard clips and other sunglass styles as year-round items, late fall -- the beginning of the holiday shopping season -- represent a high-volume sunwear business. Promotions for winter and holiday sales typically start around the first week in November.

Optician Winifred Burnham of Madison Optical in Madison, Conn., a shoreline town whose burgeoning summer population gives way to steady all-year sunglass business, follows her early autumn display of gourds, pumpkins, and chrysanthemums with poinsettias, pine, and blinking lights. Ski goggles, scuba and snorkeling glasses, and fashion sunwear are displayed throughout the store, including the waiting room and the contact lens room.

Accessorizing displays draws further attention and encourages clients to regard sunglasses as gifts and vacation items. Fake snow, ski gloves or boots, a suitcase, suntan lotion or a beach hat all add interest and fun to a November sunwear display. Burnham places sunglasses on teddy bears; Block places them on brightly wrapped packages. Goodwin leaves copies of attractive frame catalogs in the waiting area as well as magazine articles on sunglasses. Vendor co-ops such as a tee shirt or hat allow for a gift with purchase incentive.

Many optical retailers offer gift certificates, which can be applied to the purchase of any kind of sunglasses. "Some people like to pick out their own styles," says Block, who offers and promotes gift certificates at holidays and throughout the year. Goodwin uses posters and flyers as well as ads in the local newspapers to stimulate interest in gift certificates. "Lots of people are looking for gifts that are meaningful," she says, "and the gift certificates can be used year-round."

Pricing incentives also encourage all-season sunwear sales. Many of these are directed at multiple purchases, which typically earn a 10-20 percent discount. Block holds sunglass sales twice a year, one in the spring before the traditional warm-weather season and another before the December holidays.

The sales offer 20 percent off all sunglasses, double the 10 percent discount offered on second pair purchases for the rest of the year. Knighton offers a 20 percent multiple pair discount that is good for 30 days. In conjunction with the extended discount, clients receive a follow up call to the original visit reminding them of the special offer.

The bottom line is that sunglasses are a multiple season sale. People drive all year, vacation in January as well as July, and take the time to give gifts that are meaningful and unique, even in the midst of the holiday rush. Sunwear offers visual comfort, protection, and style -- and the astute retailer provides it all year long. EB