NUMBERS TO NOODLE

» U.S. Online Sales of Vision Goods (frames, lenses, contact lenses, sunglasses, OTC readers): Rose 11.1%, to $2.9 billion, for the 12 months ended March 2020. 

 

» Unit Volume: The internet captured about 10% of all prescription eyeglasses purchased during this same 12-month period, up from last year’s 9% share. 

 

» Revenue: Online retailers sold $526.2 million (5.5% of total industry sales) in Rx eyeglasses alone during the 12 months ended March 2020, a 7.9% increase from the year prior.

Source: The Vision Council

STRATEGY #1

DO A ‘FIT-TO-PURPOSE’ PIVOT.

With daily life upended by Covid, vision needs have changed.

“Independent opticians and optometrists have a great opportunity to pivot during this crisis,” says futurist Thornton May, co-founder of the Digital Value Institute think tank. “The market for fit-to-purpose eye care/eyewear has materially expanded,” particularly for essential workers.

Prolonged mask-wearing fogs lenses, so consumers have new needs. First responders, medical staff, and workers serving outdoor diners in the sun’s glare are candidates for premium lens options suited to their new routines.

STRATEGY #2

STRETCH IT.

ECPs’ wealth of knowledge and design sensibility is often shared only in person. Digital leaders urge: Go social!

“Leverage your expertise,” urges Chris Walton, co-founder of Red Archer Retail who also led Target’s Store of the Future project. “Invest in building out your e-commerce infrastructure and create a curated marketplace of the best-of-the-best glasses that you send to your clients for review each month by email, text, and social media videos. Become the local eyeglass aficionado.”

Sharing trends and tips digitally raises ECPs’ stature, forging social bonds and loyalty that transactional websites can’t.

Black Optical, which has locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK, and in Dallas, humanizes its website with features like virtual fittings, online chat, music playlists, and a “Journal” page showcasing culture and inspiration that extends beyond eyewear. “You have to have fun,” says Gary Black, Black Optical president.

WHAT IS SOCIAL SELLING?

Fashion-forward businesses may consider “social selling” that enables shoppers to purchase from ECPs’ live video, Facebook, and Instagram pages by posting the word “Sold” in the comments bubble. Brandon Kruse, founder of social selling platform CommentSold, says a broad offering is de rigueur as consumers shopping socially demand fresh styles.

STRATEGY #3

LIFT THE EXPERIENCE.

It’s not lofty talk. The shopping experience has never mattered more as Covid has consumers weighing risk-reward of every move they make.

Designate a space within the shop, visually appealing and situated away from the overwhelming wall of frames, to dote on clients. Indulge with hand-selected frames and personal style consultations, says optician Wendy Buchanan, founder of Perceptions Eyewear, a mobile eyewear boutique.

Buchanan took her style services virtual via Zoom teleconferencing when the pandemic hit, and it’s become a mainstay of her business, adding new clients beyond the geography she served previously.

 

“In order to survive and grow, we must improve the experience we provide our patients in the practice, on their phones and online,” adds Bridgitte Shen Lee, O.D., FAAO, FBCLA, FEAOO, co-founder of Vision Optique in Houston.

STRATEGY #4

GET INVENTORY ONLINE.

Holdouts lose out. Displaying styles online enables customers to “pre-shop” before a visit, ideal for at-risk patients that are limiting time inside closed spaces.

When Black Optical put its offering online in 2014, critics who cried foul—saying it “ruined what it meant to be an optician”—are today asking Gary Black’s advice, which is: Don’t put all frames online. Put a subset online, monitor what sells (and doesn’t) and limit the digital mix to styles with the highest velocity.

“You have to treat your online store like a retail location,” says Black. That means creating an “open-to-buy” to manage online inventory and tailoring assortment to the internet just as physical shops curate styles for a given market.

When Covid forced businesses to close their doors, it was the website that enabled Black Optical to meet sales goals and pay bills and salaries without interruption.

STRATEGY #5

GET FOUND.

“Buy Google search terms so the first thing that shows up when people search for ‘eyeglasses near me’ isn’t Warby Parker and GlassesUSA.com ,” advises Sucharita Kodali, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester.

Unsure where to start? Search engine optimization (SEO) experts can help select the right terms for your business and advise what to do if competitors already bought your brand name keyword.

STRATEGY #6

GET THE SECOND SALE.

Some eyecare professionals educate about conditions like dry eye, sell patients treatment products once, then cede subsequent sales to online. Dr. Shen Lee’s website from Get Sightly captures future sales by alerting patients it’s time to reorder with a “click here” link to her web store.

Ensure pricing is competitive with online or risk lost sales, she cautions. CLX, another platform with auto-reminders, says its ECP clients’ monthly contact lens revenues soared 300% this spring.

STRATEGY #7

DELEGATE & COLLABORATE.

“Who says you have to do it all yourself?” posits Dr. Shen Lee, who envisioned digital features brought to life by her e-commerce platform.

As a beta test partner with technology vendors, Dr. Shen Lee collaborated on development of a contact lens management system. Participating in pilot tests not only provides a sneak peek at emerging technology but yields invaluable insights along the way.

Black Optical also collaborates with other retailers to explore new markets, such as its pop-up concept inside a Sabah’s New York shoe shop this past summer.

As business navigates through post-Covid recovery, “Find ways to make sure there is a company worth coming back to,” Black says. “This is a great time to work on projects that maybe you didn’t have time for before.”