Perfectly plano

5 easy ways to boost plano sunglass sales

by Erinn Morgan

Are you relinquishing plano sunglass sales to the big chains? It's no wonder, as most dispensaries can't compete on either selection or price. Even those optical shops that put a focus on plano sales say it can be difficult at best.

“We are doing a better job selling plano, but it's really a huge business opportunity,” says Ira Haber, president of Denver-based Europtics, which experiences 10 percent of its sales in plano sunwear. “Look at how much of the market is sold by stores like Sunglass Hut and Ilori.”

Plano sunglass sales don't have to be an afterthought in the dispensary. In fact, some ECPs are catching these second-pair sales with ease. “We sell sunwear to 30 to 40 percent of our patients,” says Sherry Renne, office manager at Kennedy Vision Center, with locations in Plymouth and Elk River, Minn. “It's really because of the way Dr. Kennedy speaks with the patients about the importance of sunglasses—it has always been a focus here.”

Investing in a sunwear department for the dispensary is just one way that ECPs can bump up their plano sunglass sales. Here, we offer tips on that strategy plus other simple but key concepts for bringing plano sun sales into your repertoire.

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

1 The first step to sunglass success is to present a strong assortment. Some sunwear-savvy ECPs suggest devoting at least 30 percent of the dispensary's inventory to sunglasses.

“The only way I can readily see being able to compete in plano sun sales is to have a plethora of product,” says Haber. “If you're not talking about cutting prices, the only other way to do it is to have lots of product. Then you just need to have a staff that can talk intelligently about it.”

If stocking nearly a third of your frameboards with sunglasses seems over the top, try to bump your selection up at least to a noticeable number.

“We carry about 100 frames,” says Gail Kaderlik, manager at Richie Eye Clinic in Faribault, Minn., “including everything from designer styles to more functional pieces. We try to keep heavy on the polarized because we believe in it so strongly.”

Richie Eye Clinic makes plano sunwear a focus by separating it in a built-in area plus sprinkling it in with the new frame releases in their “featured styles” fixture. “We always try to have sunwear mixed in there because it's usually an afterthought for patients,” says Kaderlik.

The simple act of spotlighting your sunwear selection can make all the difference in boosting sales. “We never had a dedicated sunwear section before, but about eight years ago I took a section of the dispensary near the reception desk and turned it into a sun center,” says Bob Lynch, a licensed optician and the optometric director at the Irvine, Calif.-based Woodbridge Optometry, a single-location optometric practice with a 500-square-foot dispensary showing 600 frames. “It definitely made a huge impact with our sun-wear sales.”

LOOK TO THE EXAM ROOM

2 Another route to sunglass sales success is for the conversation to begin in the exam room “Our first strategy is that our doctors talk about sunwear to all of our patients,” says Kennedy Vision Center's Renne. “While they are still in the chair, the doctors ask if they have sunglasses. If they say, ‘Yes I got them at Target,' he talks to them about the importance of having good sunwear. He makes it a big point for smokers since they need extra eye protection.”

At Woodbridge Optometry, the opticians also discuss the importance of sunglasses with each and every patient. “The doctors bring it up in the exam rooms and then we discuss it out in the dispensary when talking about their regular glasses to try to get those second-pair sales,” says Lynch.

At Gailmard Eye Center in Munster, Ind., the sunglass question is posed by the technicians who do the exam pre-test. “It's just an everyday question—‘Do you have sunglasses?'” says Chris Leka, optical manager.

TARGET ACTIVE CUSTOMERS

3 ECPs can build up their plano sunwear business by expanding their assortment of sports-oriented products and targeting the golfers, boaters, cyclists, and hikers in their patient base.

“We have active customers who are well educated and know quality products,” says Allen Zicherman, lab manager and framebuyer at San Ramon Family Optometry, located in San Ramon, Calif. With their sporty customer base in mind, this optometric practice offers a high-quality selection of sports sunglasses.

Diane Dulian, manager of Eau Claire Optical in Eau Clair, Wisc., found a unique niche for her cycling clientele when her cyclist son wanted a pair of plano sunglasses that would change tints in varying light conditions. “He wanted a pair to wear when riding his bike that got dark in the sunlight and lighter at dusk,” she says. “Plus, he didn't want to take them off when he walked into a shop after riding. When the sun goes down at night, he wears his plano Transitions sunglasses because he has protection from bugs and stones that may fly up from the road.”

A number of his cyclist friends came in to purchase plano photochromics and the word began to spread in the local cycling community. As a result, Eau Clair Optical has found a new plano sunwear business.

Customization has become a key area of focus in the sunwear arena. At Oakley's retail stores, customers can make their own sunglasses by picking a frame and lens from an assortment of styles.

“All of our stores have custom shops where consumers can customize their own eyewear,” says Mark Rush, Oakley's director of stores. “This allows the customer to create a sunglass that fits their specific performance and styling needs.”

DEMO IN THE DISPENSARY

4 Demonstrating the virtues of the sunglasses is another boon to your plano business. “We suggest that customers put the frames on and walk outside to give them a try, especially on a sunny day,” says Eau Claire Optical's Dulian.

Woodbridge Optometry's opticians utilize two sets of lorgnettes, one with tinted lenses and one with polarized lenses, to demonstrate the benefits of polarized lenses. The dispensary also features information on sunwear on the screensavers of laptops located on the dispensing desks.

Gailmard Eye Center employs the Maui Jim display showing the difference between polarized and non-polarized sunwear. “People always say ‘Wow!' when they look at it because the image changes,” Leka says.

POSITION MULTIPLE PAIRS

5 Beleaguered by the economy and holding more tightly onto their purse strings, eyewear customers may be reluctant to spend extra money on a pair of sunglasses after they have purchased their prescription eyewear. “We always give patients 30 percent off their second pair,” says Eau Clair's Dulian.

Education on the benefits of sun-wear can help make second-pair sales. “Get into lifestyle questions. ‘What do you do on the weekends—boat, golf, ski?' Just ask,” says Lynch.

In today's competitive market, nothing can be more important than simply bringing up sunglasses.

Adds Lynch, “They are buying them somewhere. You might as well be that ‘where.'” EB