Read All About It
Why you don't want to miss out on this growing classification
By Marcy Bruch

Reading glasses have definitely turned the corner from function to fashion. And their solid sales increases attest to that transformation into a fashionable accessory. Though progressive addition lenses (PALs) are a much better visual solution for presbyopes, the simple fact is that most Americans who are baby-boomer age and beyond try readers at some point.

	The Rhythm reader collection from California Optical

You can either ignore that or take advantage of this growth category and add readers to your mix. If you don't, you are literally handing over sales to nearby stores that carry over-the-counter readers. Readers, when positioned properly, can become second- and third-pair sales.

Reading glasses continue their slow but steady growth, increasing in sales by 1.5 percent so far in 2002 compared to 2001. Units are up 3.5 percent this year compared to 2001, according to Sunglass Association of America. And the reason for this growth? Simply put: Aging baby boomers. The majority of boomers have already hit 40 and are now looking toward 50 as their next birthday milestone since a baby boomer turns that age every 7.5 seconds. So presbyopia has most certainly set in by age 45, forcing them to search for some kind of magnifying lens power to help ascertain the fine print. Then there's the group of people who have undergone Lasik surgery and still need glasses to read.

These factors all add up to one thing: There's business to be had for anyone who's willing to reach out and grab a piece of the pie.

  Association of America reports that the average price of readers sold by opticians is about $22, which is more than the $13.80 average pricepoint for readers at the drugstore.

Corinne McCormack Pearly Greats readers

In fact, so bullish are some on the profit potential of readers, savvy opticians like Alyce Skinner have opened stores dedicated exclusively to readers. Adairreaders.com in Fort Worth, Texas, has been open for more than a year now, and though owner Skinner admits business hasn't grown as briskly and she had hoped for her 950-square-foot reader specialty store, she believes the demand for fashionable readers at every price- point still justifies its existence.

ENCOURAGE MULTIPLE SALES

Even though the average pricepoint for readers at Adairreaders.com is $45, Skinner carries Swarovski-crystal embellished readers that retail for $300 as well. "My store's mission is to get people to think about building a reader wardrobe the same way they have a shoe wardrobe, so they have something to wear for every occasion. It's not uncommon for some of my customers to own as many as five pairs. That's why it's so important to keep a steady stream of new styles coming in, so there's always a reason to buy another pair," she notes.

Jack Burns, owner of the reader specialty store Cheaters, in Corte Madera, Calif., also relies heavily on repeat business. "About 33 percent of my business comes from repeat customers who are building reader wardrobes," he says. Cheaters average retail pricepoints are higher than Adairreaders.com, ranging from $60 to $65.

	VidiVici Cigar readers from EPX Optik

"A lot of women buy one pair of readers for every day and another pair for going out at night, while men tend to buy multiple pairs to keep one at home, one at the office, and one in their car," he adds.

In terms of reader assortments, Burns breaks down each reader category accordingly: 25 percent of his sales come from plastic readers, 25 percent from metal readers, 20 percent from metal folding readers that come in tube cases, 10 percent from rimless readers, another 10 percent from sunglass readers, and the remaining 10 percent of sales are from miscellaneous items such as cases and cords. And while rimless and semi-rimless styles don't comprise as much of his business, Burns says that's where the strongest growth in readers is right now. "Frames with a rimless top are more comfortable because people can see better when they are looking over the top of their glasses, so those styles have been particularly strong right now," Burns says.

BESTSELLERS

Women want colorful plastic readers that come in cherry reds, burgundies, blues, and rich olive greens. "Rectangular laminated plastics that look like the frames news correspondent Ashleigh Banfield wears are also popular," Burns notes. Skinner says that rimless tinted readers and sunglasses readers have been selling well among women at Adairreaders.com.

Scojo Vision's The Gels have colorful plastic three-piece mounts

Among men, metal in gunmetal or bronze colors, as well as rimless and semi-rimless styles sell best. "Men prefer folding metal readers that fit nicely into a tube so they can carry them inside a jacket pocket," says Burns. Both Skinner and Burns say they are doing well with readers for men that come in beautifully crafted wood boxes to display on top of a desk.

While men like well-crafted wood or metal boxes to house their readers, women prefer necklace chains that coordinate with their readers to hold them around their necks so they can easily access them throughout the day, according to Burns. Women also buy more soft cases over hard cases to store their readers. "I believe they like soft cases in bright colorations because they can fit them into smaller handbags more easily than hard cases. And the reason they prefer bright-colored cases is because they can find them more easily inside their handbags," he says.

What's selling equally well among both men and women in readers are the new, plastic three-piece rimless mounts that come in a wide range of frame colors, tinted lenses, and sunglasses.

"Women tend to like the more colorful styles with amber or burgundy bridges and temples, while men like the no-color look of crystal bridges and temples--the more unobtrusive the better," notes John Chiapparelli, an optician for Joel Name Optique de Paris in New York City.

Although Chiapparelli admits readers are perhaps one percent of the dispensary's total business, he maintains that if you carry optical quality readers that are no less than $50 retail, you are not competing with drugstore business which helps develop a new category for growth. "Since we are a high-end optical store, our readers range from $60 to $200. We don't even display them because we want to encourage prescription eyewear sales, but if we have a customer who requests them, we have a tray of readers to pull out at the ready."

	Rem Eyewear's Readers Plus readers styles (from top to bottom) Fox, Panther, Cheetah, Lynx, and Tiger

DISPLAYS THAT PAY

By contrast, Carrie Sims, an optician for Salle Opticians in Atlanta, says that readers are showcased everywhere throughout her dispensary. "We have a tower of them at the entryway, a top-of-counter display next to the cash register, and we even display them inside a glass coffee table in the waiting area so customers can easily pull them out of the side drawers," says Sims.

"The reason for all this open-sell merchandising is to encourage self-service among waiting customers, which in turn boosts add-on sales. We want customers to try on readers while they're waiting in the seating area or waiting in line. They are great impulse purchases that don't require the help of a salesperson," she says.

Sims also points out that merchandising readers correctly builds business. "You can nestle readers in a tray filled with polished agates, stones, or beans to create textural interest that beckons people toward the display to try them on."

SEGUE TO PRESCRIPTION EYEWEAR

David Doebler, owner of Embassy Opticians in Washington, D.C., says she believes the most important reason to sell readers is because it's a way to emphasize the importance of getting an eye exam, which in turn leads to the sale of prescription eyewear.

"About 85 percent of the people who need reading glasses probably have some sort of astigmatism," he says. "And once someone who's been wearing readers finds out they need prescription eyewear, we can then introduce them to progressive lenses with AR coating in a three-piece rimless mount. So a $59 reader sale evolves into a $500 sale over time," Doebler points out.

He concludes: "The bottom line is to keep a steady stream of new product flowing in, merchandise readers in an artful way, and keep track of your best-selling styles in 1.50 lens powers because not having the correct lens power in a popular frame style can mean losing a sale. Do those three things and selling readers is practically a no brainer."