The Power of Plano

A step-by-step guide to bumping up your bottom line with plano sunwear

By Erinn Morgan

Beleaguered by intense competition from bricks and clicks and a profit-squashing economy? Some eyecare professionals are looking to a new niche to help grow their business—plano sunglasses.

“More independent businesses are struggling today, so plano sunwear is a great investment to make,” says William Sullivan, owner and optician at Hampton Vision Center LLC in Hampton, N.H.

Despite the fact that there is healthy competition from chains and e-tailers in the realm of plano sunglasses, the reality is that ECPs, armed with an in-depth understanding of frame products and lenses, are better suited to sell sunwear. “Anybody in the optical business should be in the sunglass business,” says Sullivan. “We are more informed about lens products than a department or drug store and this is an area where we can still capture some of the market.”

Plano sunglasses expand your sales opportunities. Images courtesy of Silhouette Optical (above) and Reptile Polarized Sunglasses (below)

This step-by-step guide will help get you started on the path to plano.

STEP ONE

DETERMINE THE NEED/DESIRE

Does your area have customers who need and want plano sunglasses? It is likely, as most eyewear customers also need sunwear to protect their vision.

Do you have the desire to sell sunwear? Excitement about the category is paramount to your success.

STEP TWO

SHOP, SHOP, SHOP

The next step is to shop the market to see what your competitors are doing. “We researched and shopped every competitor,” says Paulette Krstevski, owner of VisionPoint in Zalparaiso, Ind.

Shopping the competition remains an edge after your sunwear department is set up. “I keep myself informed on what competitors are carrying,” says Angela Andries, ABOC, manager/optician at Eyemax Family Optical in Baton Rouge, La., which has 1,200 frames on display, one third of them plano sunglasses.

STEP THREE

FIND THE SPACE

Each dispensary has a different display tactic, but many agree that having a separate space for sunwear is crucial, even if it's simply a corner in the dispensary. “We have a separate sunglass department in a nook,” says Sullivan, whose overall assortment consists of 30 percent sunwear with an average pricepoint of $200.

VisionPoint takes the separate sunwear department concept to the extreme. “We knocked a hole in the wall and expanded into the 1,500-square-foot space where I'd had an interior design business,” says Krstevski. Now, the overall assortment is 68 percent plano sunglasses and 32 percent prescription eyewear.

STEP FIVE

CONSIDER THE FLOW

It's important to consider your dispensary's current flow and merchandising strategy when planning the sunglass space. But it's also crucial to keep the needs of the sunglass consumer in mind.

“The customer shops differently for sunglasses,” says Krstevski. “The amount of time they spend looking is different, and the way they peruse the area is different.”

Do you want your sunglasses all in locked cases? Do you prefer to have them at eye level on glass shelves? Merchandising according to your own style and customers' needs will create a space that works.

STEP SIX

MAKE AN IMPACT

Once you're armed with some background information to help launch a new or revitalized sunglass business, it's time to plan your product assortment. The key? Bring in as much sunwear product as possible can so you can make an impact.

Plano sunglasses can be great eye-catchers, boosting overall sunwear sales. Images courtesy of Paul Frank by Baumvision (above) and Swarovski by Marcolin

Says Krstevski, who stocks more than 30 brands, “You need enough so that when somebody walks in, they go ‘Wow!'''

Adds Sullivan, “In order to do our sunglass department, we had to make a big investment in inventory. It can be very hard to start, but once you get a name for it, your sunwear will do really well.” Hampton Vision Center now also sells sunwear to 50 percent of its eyewear patients.

STEP SEVEN

MERCHANDISE BY BRAND

Many ECPs who are successful with plano sunwear use new display techniques. “When people walk into the dispensary, I tell them it's a little different in there since we separate products by designer, and men's and women's are combined,” Andries says.

Andries also highlights some of her more standout sunwear on acrylic tiered stands and glass shelves.

“We have a long countertop that has a section for some of our popular active sunwear brands,” says Sullivan. “We fit a lot of product in 400 square feet, but we merchandise it well—it looks good and not crowded.”

Customers shop differently for sunglasses. Below: Vutt Sunglasses in Burlington, N.J. Sunglass images: Top, Jimmy Crystal by A&A Optical; above, Smith Optics

STEP EIGHT

CONSIDER A HOUSE BRAND

At Vutt Sunglasses in Burlington, N.J., a house plano sunglass brand is part of the mix. “We've done well with it for the past five years,” says manager Randy Healey.

Vutt's house brand fills a niche in its sunglass-only store. Each plano sunglass is priced at an entry-level $25 and the collection offers a two-year replacement guarantee. “If they lose their sunglasses, we'll give them a new pair,” says Healey.

How does Vutt create its own line? “We get a lot of samples from different companies and we piece together a collection based on what we like the best,” says Healey. “We're not trying to make a million on it, it's basically a stepping stone to get into something a little higher end,” he says. “The next time they might spend $50 or $200.”

STEP NINE

LOOK THE PART

Knowing your stuff about the sunglasses you carry is crucial, especially because consumers are highly educated about products. But almost equally important is to look the part in your new, modern, sunglass-enhanced dispensary.

“We have a high-end dispensary with a designer sunglass assortment,” says Andries. “So, we all dress up in evening looks every day. We don't have casual days and we always wear our special-occasion jewelry and eyewear, including sunglasses. We push taking the extra time to look good so that from the minute they walk in the door, our customers realize that something is different here.” EB

Step Ten

Get the Word Out Once you've set up your sunglass assortment, the final step is to get the word out about your new products. “We ran radio and newspaper ads plus put on trunk shows and an open house,” says Paulette Krstevski, owner of VisionPoint in Zalparaiso, Ind. Since Eyemax Family Optical is located on the corner of a large, upscale outdoor shopping center, manager/optician Angela Andries, ABOC, says they participate in sidewalk promotions organized on a regular basis by the center. “They advertise that promotion well in local magazines, so we get a lot of traffic,” she notes. She also says it's important to place the banners of the sunglass brands carried in the front window. “Our business' sign by the road lists the names of our most popular sunglass brands, so we get a lot of people stopping in just for plano sunwear,” adds William Sullivan, owner and optician at Hampton Vision Center LLC in Hampton, N.H. Social media promotion is a key marketing strategy at Vutt Sunglasses. “On our Facebook page, we show off the newest and rarest things we have in stock, and that really gets people's attention,” says manager Randy Healey. “We get a lot of people calling in from all over the world to buy the sunglasses they saw on our page.”