The Internet can corner contact lens sales—or keep them in yours. Will the web be your friend or foe?

most everyone knows that online-only sellers of contact lenses have taken a bite out of the ECP’s bottom line. According to The Vision Council, contact lenses accounted for a whopping 40.7% of optical Internet sales in 2016.

In response, some eyecare professionals have created their very own e-commerce sites. Increasingly, however, many are joining an online fulfillment or subscription service. One benefit is that these options are typically positioned as an extension of the practice.

Patient Retention

Why sign on for these services? That’s exactly what we asked two optometrists:

Jack Schaeffer, O.D., who is CEO of Schaeffer Eye Centers, with 18 locations in central Alabama, says, “This is not about a time saver. What these services do is retain patients and help their well-being through proper compliance. Looking at it from a revenue perspective, you’re also going to sell more contacts because your patients are not going to go elsewhere.”

Lynne Roy, O.D., who specializes in contact lenses in her Brookfield, WI, practice, agrees. “When customers don’t need to remember to call us to reorder their lenses, we are going to retain much better control. With a subscription model service, a practice can keep its pricing while offering a convenient monthly payment plan that makes it easy for patients to say yes to an annual supply. It’s one of the ways a practice can keep patients loyal.”

5 Business-Building Programs

The online fulfillment model is moving more and more to subscription-based programs. While some require that patients order one brand only, here we look at five of the programs that allow ordering of all major brands—and aim to keep the patient with their current doctor.

1. ABBOPTICAL.COM

Focus: Online Fulfillment

The country’s largest distributor of contact lenses, ABB reports that about two out of three U.S. optometric practices now order through it, whether it be for patients seen in-office or ordered online through one of the subscription or online fulfillment programs Like LensFerry or YourLens. How does online fulfillment benefit ABB’s ECP customers? According to ABB President Brad Weinbrum, “Consolidating contact lens purchases through one convenient online ordering platform saves staff time, reduces contact lens-related administrative costs…and enhances patient satisfaction.”

2. LENSFERRY.COM

Focus: Online Fulfillment + Subscription Service

Launched by CooperVision, Inc., in 2015, Lensferry.com allows participating practices to enroll patients into the program. It provides contact lenses from all manufacturers at the participating ECP’s specified prices. It also includes the ability to send custom-branded email and/or text reorder reminders, text-to-reorder functionality, and subscription-based ordering options. The new LensFerry S was introduced earlier this year for one-day contacts. The lenses are shipped to the wearer’s home or business through its partnership with ABB.

3. YOURLENS.COM

Focus: Online Fulfillment

This service is seamlessly integrated into the ECP’s website and is operated by ABB Optical. Orders are filled through four distribution centers. Yourlens.com stresses that there are no setup or transaction fees (other than standard credit card ones), and that it provides monthly checks and activity reports.

4. CLX/MY CL STORE

Focus: Online Fulfillment

Also designed to allow patients to order directly from their provider’s website, “My CL Store appeals to the ECP who wants an e-commerce solution without unexpected costs,” explains Jeremy Bono, CLX product manager. “CLX’s My CL Reorder functionality allows member practices to send patients automated emails and text messages when they are due to order another supply of contact lenses. These reminders contain a personalized order link.”

5. CLICKOPTICAL.COM

Focus: Online Fulfillment

Launched just last month, this service claims a new approach to online contact lens ordering that benefits both ECPs and their patients. Click Optical, a practice-approved contact lens provider, offers customers direct access to online prescriptions while helping doctors “re-engage patients and capture what was formerly lost revenue”—at no cost or additional work for the practice. Click Optical adds value to the practice by translating data from practice management systems into useable reports to help better serve their patients, and by identifying unfulfilled contact lens revenue opportunities.

Bottom-Line Benefits

Dr. Schaeffer explains why he is a fan of these programs. “In a primary care practice, we should know what patients replace, how often, and, of course, how often they get an exam. But let’s do some of this through one of these new programs where we both have all the patient info. We don’t have time to chase patients. Computers should do it.”

Mark Lindsey, global general manager, EyeCare Prime, a subsidiary of CooperVision, puts the programs into perspective. “The subscription industry has rapidly grown to generate $5 billion in revenue annually in the U.S. Consumers are utilizing subscriptions to buy everything from makeup to razors and dinners to movies. By bringing subscriptions to contact lenses, we’re able to combine convenience of delivery and payments while promoting consumer health. It strikes the right balance for everyone involved.”

—Stephanie K. De Long