Recognizing that, for the consumer, visual language is evolving faster than the written or spoken word today.

TREND #1

MAKE THE CONNECTION: Carefully plan visual things like your web presence and store windows—this is how consumers are going to see you. In addition, craft messages appropriately to display on doors and windows, considering customer flow and areas where they may have more time to view messages.

“A key aspect to being a modern retailer is knowing that if I put a 12-second message in a two-second opportunity, that sign will be more effective in my garage than in my store,” says Underhill.

Recognizing that every consumer is trying to save time and money.

TREND #2

MAKE THE CONNECTION: It’s crucial to be transparent at the outset of the eyewear purchase. “Often, what the customer gets is some form of sticker shock, especially if they have never purchased glasses before,” he says. “Discuss openly and early what the costs involved are for frames, lenses, etc., and you will gain their trust.”

Reaching out specifically to women, and understanding that they are conduits for their kids and aging parents, as well as purchasers themselves.

TREND #3

MAKE THE CONNECTION: Enrich your relationship with your female customers by making their lives easier. Offer products, services, and messages geared specifically to these customers and help make it easier for them to buy for—and care for—somebody else like their children or parents.

Planning stores in ways that allow customers to engage with all five senses.

TREND #4

MAKE THE CONNECTION: Use the senses to get your customers to engage with your shop. Ask, ‘Can I give you a drink of water or tea?” And try using music as a way to reach out to the specific audience that will walk into your office at different times. “There’s a time to play Frank Sinatra, a time to play The Beach Boys, and a time for Deathcab for Cutie,” Underhill says. Play different music for different times of the day and the week. On Monday mornings, you’re probably not getting a lot of young people walking in your doors.

Using the Internet as a tool to connect to customers and to encourage interaction with followers.

TREND #5

MAKE THE CONNECTION: Maintain a social media page and have customers upload photos of themselves wearing glasses in certain situations (e.g., at work, playing sports, out on the town). Then, merchandise those photos in the context of your store so that people walking in will see them. “This is a wonderful way for the independent merchant to compete on an equal footing with some of the large merchants,” Underhill says. “It’s also inexpensive; this is the triumph of creativity over cost.”