Insights From Our Editors

What Eyewear Will Consumers Buy with Online Help?

Recent eyewear buyers with ready access to the internet are most apt to purchase plano sunglasses directly online at some point in the future. In fact,up to an additional 5.0 to 6.5 million pairs of plano sunglasses could be sold online annually in the near future, according to The Vision Council VisionWatch 2013 Internet Influence Report. A slightly smaller number of recent eyewear consumers with ready access to the internet seem likely to purchase Rx eyeglasses or Rx contact lenses online at some point in the future. Smaller numbers of consumers expressed interest in purchasing Rx sunwear, OTC readers, a single pair of frames (without lenses), or a pair of Rx lenses (without the frames) online at some point in the future.

Clicks and bricks are the future of eyecare practice. About 18 percent of contact lenses are sold online. Eyeglasses online sales are currently about 4 percent with an increase of 1 percent per year expected. From the The Vision Council VisionWatch 2013 Internet Influence Report, it is clear that online purchases of plano sunglasses is a potential growth area for our practices for the near future.

The question we have to ask: Will sunglasses be purchased from our practice or somewhere else? To answer that question, we need to make sure there is a plan to keep the sunglass sales in-house. Here are the five questions to ask to see if you have the right plan in place.

1) Is at least 20 percent of the frame board space devoted to sunglasses?

2) Are the sunglasses arranged on the frame board by known brands so patients recognize the brands and see that you have enough of each collection to be serious about sunglass sales?

3) Do you have an online store where you can sell sunglass brands you do not carry in-house?

4) Do you have signage in the optical explaining the three major reasons for quality sunglasses (i.e., safety, comfort and function) and why patients should buy them from you rather than anywhere else?

5) Have you made it easy for patients to purchase?

If you can answer these five questions with a “Yes,” then you are set to capture additional sunglass sales. If you answered any of these with a “No,” then it is time for a meeting of the practice owners to make sure the practice has the correct strategy and tactics in place for increased sunglass sales. Make sure you have an effective plan to keep sunglass sales in-house.

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