Perfect Balance
Honing your metal, plastic, and rimless frame assortment for healthier profits
By Marcy Bruch

When it comes to eyewear trends, the old adage still holds true: The only thing that stays the same is change. In the '50s and '60s, plastic frames reigned supreme. In the '70s, bigger frames were always better. The '80s made classic Wayfarers and aviators cool again thanks to Tom Cruise's blockbuster movie moves. In the '90s, metal frames ruled, and in most parts of the country they still do. Today, it looks like we're about to come full circle as some parts of the nation rediscover the magic of plastic.

The clear plastic Versace style VE V82H for Luxottica

And, as we move toward the midpoint of this decade, the three-piece rimless mount has evolved into a category unto itself. How can you succeed with so many choices? The trick is fine-tuning your frame assortment so that there are enough metals, plastics, and three-piece mounts to meet customer demand.

Here's a spot check on what dispensers around the country say works best.

RIMLESS RISING

About 80 percent of optician Roxanna Moody's frame boards at Boulevard Optical in Indianapolis, Ind., feature metal frames, with the remaining board space comprised of 10 percent plastics and 10 percent three-piece mounts.

While metal frames are the bread and butter part of her business, Moody says her fastest-growing frame segment is three-piece rimless mounts. "A year ago, my board space included only about five percent three-piece rimless mounts, but this year I can't keep that section of my boards filled up. That's how much I'm selling them," she says.

The good news is Moody's three-piece mounts are her highest-ticketed frames, averaging around $120 for each style, with her metals ranging anywhere from $50 to $150 and her plastics running from $80 to $90. Even though three-piece rimless mounts pose greater edging challenges, she notes that the higher margins make offering them to her customers well worth it.

	Ralph Lauren style RL1417 for Sàfilo

When it comes to what Moody's top-selling metal colors are for both full-rimmed and rimless metal styles, she says the more subdued the color, the better.

"Pewter sells best, followed by silver, and gold comes in third," she notes. "The point of wearing three-piece rimless mounts is to feel like you are wearing no eyewear at all, so customers that want this look also want colors to blend into their skin. Gold just pops out too much."

RURAL AMERICAN METAL

Located along the back roads of Alabama in Clanton, Cecil Pavey, an optician for Chilton County Optical, says that 85 percent of his frame boards showcase metals, with the remaining 10 percent plastic and five percent three-piece rimless mounts.

Like Moody, he has noticed that his three-piece rimless mount frames have picked up--from three percent of his total sales last year to five percent this year. "I think it's because my customers are seeing CNN news anchors and Donald Rumsfeld wearing them on TV," Pavey says.

Still, there's no question the majority of what Pavey sells is metal. And, interestingly, most of his plastic frame customers are over 60 years old.

"My plastic frame assortment happens to be a mix of traditional big frames in classic tortoise and rose tones that seniors request over and over again," he says. "However, I do know that 45 miles north of here, in the suburbs of Birmingham, trendy plastics sell very well among younger people. I just don't cater to that customer."

Dialogue style Info for Wink

CLIP AND FRAME PICTURE

Some of the newer products on the market that Pavey's older clientele want are magnetic clip and frame packages.

"I sell a frame and polarized clip package for $160 to $200. My retired customers recognized the value of the bundled frame package instantly, so I would have to say that if I tweaked my frame assortments going forward into next year, I would beef up my three-piece rimless mounts and magnetic clip- and-frame package assortments," he says.

In the more urban Northeast, Christina Favreau, an optician for State Street Eye Health Associates in Boston, Mass., notes that she carries an even amount of metal, plastic, and rimless frames across the board. "I would have to say I sell about one-third each from the metal, plastic and rimless categories," she says.

VINTAGE CHIC

Since her dispensary is located in the heart of Boston's bustling financial district, Favreau says vintage-inspired frames in both metal and plastic have always sold well. "We cater to a lot of lawyers, investment bankers, and stockbrokers, who like to look trendy, but in a more Old World sense.

"Before, we were hard-pressed to find frames with that look of antiquity, but now that more manufacturers are bringing vintage-inspired frame collections to the market, we can't sell enough of them. The trend was always here. The difference is, we are better able to meet the demand," she says.

	Suteki style Sassy for Toki/Masunaga

ONE WORD: PLASTIC

At the other side of the country, in the trendy Capital Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Mary McRae, an optician for Broadway Vision Source reports that her frame boards are made up of 55 percent metal, 45 percent plastic, and five percent rimless three-piece mounts. It's no wonder she sells a lot of plastics--most of her customers hover around the 30-year-old mark, the age group that most requests plastics right now.

"This is a very hip, cool, part of the city, and plastic frames definitely make the urban fashion statement they want," she says. "In fact, by next year, I'll probably have more plastics on my boards than any other frame category."

Calvin Klein style 762 for Marchon

Within that category, McRae says black is far and away the best-selling frame color followed by rich burgundies and browns. "Tortoise doesn't sell well here at all."

And what about three-piece rimless mounts? "We sell them, but we don't encourage our customers to buy them because we've found they are hard to adjust and they aren't as durable as full-rimmed frames. So we believe if our customers have trouble with them down the road, it will hurt our level of customer satisfaction. Right now, we are bullish on plastics."

Regardless of whether your dispensary is located in the North, South, East or West, always keep track of what frame category is selling the most. That way, you can successfully hone your assortments to yield healthier profits. 

A pair of metal frames, Mossimo style MO 60 on her and MO 71 on him for Marcolin	Magnetic clip/frame package TAK2MI style T9505 from the Takumi line, a division of Aspex Group