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Value's Variety Show
While some think value equals low-priced products, the new story is more about the total experience beyond price. Customers will come to dispensaries not just for reasonable prices, but also for the best quality products and a truly informative experience. What makes their optical experience a value may just be what you can't put a price tag on...
By Erinn Morgan

Adding stylish designs to the moderate-price frame equation makes a real value. Shown: Chesterfield style CH 682 from Sàfilo (top); i-dealoptics style Madison (lbottom)

Webster's definition of "value" doesn't say anything about low price. Instead, the focus is on fair worth. So how did "value" in optical become all about low price?

Today, value is a relative term with a variety of meanings. "Is the value just in the dollars? Or is it in the one-on-one service, or the fact that you get the same person every time you come in?" asks Marty Mast, licensed optician and buyer for the optometric practice of Steven Schoenbart, OD, located in Nassau County, Long Island.

In truth, many ECPs are covering the bases to give their customers a "valuable" experience. With margin-eroding pressures caused by managed care and price competition in the market, this strategy has helped them get a leg up on their competition. 

PUTTING A PRICE ON VALUE

Competitive price wars, BOGO promotions, and low-end product that doesn't stand up to the test of time have all eroded the consumer's view of the quality of value-priced eyewear. "We have a local competitor with a big sign outside saying '$40.40 for a pair of eyewear/exam complete.' Some people may go for that offer. But no one ever walks out of there paying only $40," says Mast.

Plus, is the product worth the low cost? While the value eyewear market has boosted its quality and style, there are some pitfalls if the quality of the inventory isn't strictly controlled. "There is up-front value to certain cheap products because you have money in your pocket after the sale. But if the product breaks, you're out of that money."

Managed care has also been a factor. "Dollars, without question, are a major consideration for people right now," says Mast. "A lot of customers have managed care. But some people also get an extra pair because their insurance paid for the first."

So, what constitutes today's "valuable" experience? For starters,
offering quality products at reasonable prices in the dispensary. This can range from lower- to upper-moderate-priced product. Having a larger selection from which to choose is also a valuable feature.

This holds true to lenses as well. "I refuse to deal with inferior quality lenses," says Russ Tolar, operations manager at Eyecare Centers, a chain of 22 corporate and 32 franchise stores in North Carolina. "A $59.95 progressive is not a value—it's not a value to a practice because you end up spending time trying to fix a problem. A lot of times you cannot reach a patient's expectations when you sell them lenses at this price."

Value eyewear doesn't have to mean sacrificing style or color. Top to bottom: Marc Hunter style 7206 from New York Eye; PARADE style 1506 from Avalon Eyewear; and FrameWorks style 405 from Hilco

This is where the factors outside of price come into play. The total eyewear experience can include everything from the setting of your dispensary to the service provided.

BEYOND DOLLARS

Here are some recommended ways to ensure your customers feel the value of their experience:

■Take the time. "People are more prone to trade up when we educate them," says Mast. He also recommends utilizing P.O.P. to educate customers on different products as they peruse the dispensary.

■Explain the value. "Computer lenses come to mind. Customers believe you can see the computer with regular glasses. You have to be able to explain the value of wearing computer glasses to the person who spends eight hours in front of a screen."

Also, take it a step beyond leaving brochures sitting on the table. "It's got to be the doctor's explanation and the optician's explanation," Mast says.

■Provide good service. "It's all about customer service," says Sally Helmeid, office manager at Pavilion Vision Center in Mequon, Wis. "In this part of the suburbs—people can take their money and go anywhere. [Some] chose us for service."

Altair's Genesis Collection is ideal for the value-conscious. Shown: Style 2008

R2 style Teddi from Silver Dollar Optical has inner-temple designs

■Train your staff. "I need training to enlighten my staff on features and benefits," says Tolar. "Then we can better show what we bring to the customer as a value."

For Helmeid, a qualified staff adds value. "All our opticians are certified and licensed. We are proud to tell our patients their measurements are accurate," she says.

■Stock quality products at good prices. "A brand name will bring value to a frame," says Tolar. "You expect quality out of certain brand names. Take a Silhouette rimless, for example. It's high quality, a good value. There are copies out there selling for $129 and they will not stay together. That's not value."

■Make it accessible. Bundling packages of frames and lenses or lens extras will also help customers feel they are getting more of a value. "We try to bundle things, like AR and scratch coating, so people don't get price shock," says Mast. "We also offer lots of different kinds of packages, like single vision or reading glasses from $79 complete or flattops in a standard frame for $99. The higher-end stuff we itemize for the patient."

■Twist no arms. Low-pressure sales tactics also add value to the customer's experience. "Everybody here is salaried, not on commission, so customers also never get the arm twist," says Mast. "We are very mellow."

■Go the extra mile. The key to value is that people can see you do things differently. Notes Mast: "A woman from out of town who was staying with her mother came in the other day. She told us the whole experience she had with us was so much better than anywhere else she had ever been. She said, 'I understand now.'"