Carving Your Niche

How retailers are making sports eyewear a profit center in the luxury eywear market

By Erinn Morgan

As the economy struggles to recover, the luxury market continues to work on defining its new position targeted to today's more spending-conscious high-end consumer. According to Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, a marketing consulting firm for the luxury market, this refocused consumer now craves high-end products loaded with real, tangible value topped off with a dose of practicality.

Enter sports eyewear, a product category packed with function and fashion.

Could it possibly be the perfect remedy for the beleaguered luxury consumer?

"High-end customers have a busy outdoors life," says Ed Beiner, president of Edward Beiner, a chain of nine high-end optical stores in Southern Florida. "They bike, ski, fish, golf, and travel, and each activity requires a different pair of sneakers and a different pair of eyewear."

STATE OF THE MARKET

Certainly, in today's economy, fewer people are coming into the dispensary specifically for super high-end sports eyewear. "The market has contracted, but those who are buying are spending the same dollars," says Ira Haber, owner of Europtics, a high-end chain of four stores in the Denver area that has a pricepoint range of $150 to $450 for plano sports eyewear and $300 to $800 for prescription.

Lines like Tag Heuer and even Rudy Project and Oakley's higherend offerings have made inroads in the luxury optical arena. But it's up to high-end ECPs to steer their sports-oriented customers in this direction. "Create a specific area in your shop that is sports-related," says Beiner, "or have the proper information clearly visible to let the customer know you offer sports eyewear."

While patients may not come into the dispensary seeking sports eyewear, good advice may result in good product selection Shown above: Serengeti style Laurino (left) and Arnette style Stakeout from Luxottica. Below: Badgley Mischka Active style Boyd

WHAT'S IN STORES

Stocking the right products is also a crucial step to making the sale to this scrutinizing target market. "These people are very nameoriented," says Haber, whose sports eyewear assortment accounts for about 10 percent of his total inventory.

He adds that this fervent brand loyalty is not uncommon in the sporting goods and gear worlds.

"When it comes down to sports sunglasses, the brand they come in wanting is the brand they invariably get. They don't want to look at anything else—they come in decided and it's hard to get them to move."

Another deciding factor in the selection process is prescription readiness. Putting the onus on prescription services for the high-end sports eyewear customer is a slam dunk, according to Haber.

"About 80 percent of the sports eyewear we sell is Rx'd," he notes. "And this customer typically insists on using the company's authentic lenses."

WHO'S BUYING

Still, there is room in this market for a premium lens presentation. "With golfing, fishing, and travel, baby boomers, in particular, have specific needs with reading that leads us to all sort of lens technologies that can be used," says Beiner.

At EyeD, a high-end specialty optical shop in Durango, Colo., owner Tracy Henderson focuses on materials like Trivex, that has "great impact resistance and sharp optics," and technologies like free-form surfacing to open up the doors for Rx'ing any wrap in her assortment.

"There are also many new AR coatings that are much stronger and, therefore, better adapted for applying to sports eyewear," she says.

Instead of relying solely on sports-specific eyewear lines to meet her customers' needs, Henderson employs high-end fashion lines, as well. "Many of these offer some larger wraparound fits that can be combined with free-form technology for thinner and more optically perfect lenses in many cases."

She says, "I do offer Oakley, Smith, and Gunnar in the sportspecific genre, but I tend to work the more customized angle and use many of my other products as well, making them sport specific with lens technology, but fashion forward at the same time."

Understanding the luxury sporting customer and meeting (or even exceeding) their product needs could certainly boost high-end retailers' bottom lines—and keep this customer coming back for more. EB

Tag Heuer has strong brand recognition in the luxe market. Shown: Style Squadra 3