TRENDSPOTTING

Angel Alvarez… ON BUILDING BUSINESS

ABB Optical Group (abboptical.com) began as a contact lens distributor (ABB Concise), and has grown to include an optical lab (Digital Eye Lab) and a practice development organization (Primary Eyecare Network). It has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. Here, Angel Alvarez, founder and CEO, talks about ABB’s growth—and the future of the industry.

ABB OPTICAL GROUP HAS A VARIETY OF DIVISIONS UNDER ITS UMBRELLA. HOW DID YOU GET THERE, AND WHAT IS THE COMMON THREAD THAT RUNS THROUGH THEM?

From day one, ABB has been focused on helping optometrists build their business. The launch of disposable contact lenses was a tremendous paradigm shift that made it difficult for independent practitioners to keep up with consumer demand, delivery, and logistics. When I founded ABB, our mission was to help ECPs increase efficiencies, cut costs, and grow profitability and, to this day, that mission continues to be our focus.

DIGITAL EYE LAB HAS PARTNERED WITH SILHOUETTE’S ADIDAS PERFORMANCE SUNWEAR BRAND TO CREATE A STREAMLINED DELIVERY SYSTEM. HOW CAN ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY SYSTEMS BENEFIT ECPS, AND DOES ABB HAVE PLANS TO GROW THAT MODEL?

Our partnership with Silhouette, and its adidas performance sun line, is the foundation for EZCONNECT, our new delivery system for finished eyewear through Digital Eye Lab. Customers place their order for a prescription lens in the frame of their choice.

Not only does this speed up the turnaround time for finished eyewear, which means happier patients, but it also eliminates the need to pull inventory from your frame board and send it to the lab for fabrication.

Ultimately, we believe EZCONNECT will prove to be a solution for supply chain inefficiencies in eyewear. Our partnership with Silhouette is just the beginning.

We plan to offer valuable benefits on the frame and lens side of the industry, just as we have developed a sophisticated supply chain supporting top manufacturers in contact lenses for the past 26 years.

YOUR COMPANY DOES A HUGE CONTACT LENS BUSINESS. HOW CAN ECPS BEST STAY PROFITABLE WITH CONTACT LENSES IN THE FACE OF SUCH A COMPETITIVE MARKETPLACE?

Consumers are increasingly demanding convenience, which means online shopping is the future for all of us, whether we like it or not. So yes, winning in this new environment means having a strong digital presence for your patients as well as e-commerce capabilities, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to stay competitive.

For instance, one of the most effective means of competing on convenience is simply having the patient’s contact lenses shipped directly to their home or office. Our data has shown that lenses are five to six times less likely to be returned if they are shipped directly to the patient instead of to your office, which also saves your staff valuable time and resources for more value-added activities.

WHAT’S ON TAP FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS AT ABB OPTICAL?

ABB’s role will always be to help our customers successfully navigate the changing marketplace.

It is our job to help ECPs channel change into true opportunities for growth while continuing to focus on improving patient care. We do this by driving efficiencies and cost savings via a very sophisticated supply chain, providing business insights and market trends, and supporting ECPs with business-building tools that enable richer patient engagements. Regardless of what future challenges bring, we are building an organization that will continue to enable our customers to compete.

As long as our core mission remains focused on solving our customers’ problems, we will be in great shape and see a bright future for one of the most dynamic industries around.