Anyone seen this site?

[tx11]

Price is the key I think...convenience, not so much. I fail to see convenience in having to tell a computer what your work/hobby/daily eyecare needs are and then pray that it gets it right, then wait for a pair of glasses to come in the mail that have no optician in the box with it to make sure that they fit, measurements are correct, and that the glasses work properly....then having to tell the computer that all those things are wrong and hope that it can fix it...or just come see one of us and feel like a goofball for not spending a little more in the first place . I see NO convenience, lol.

Depending on where they get their glasses and who takes the measurements all those might still be an issue with a B&M optical (unlicensed states). People love ordering things on the net. Not having to leave your home or office is indeed a convenience.

What is that magic price between on line retailing and B&M that a patient is willing to pay in order to SEE BETTER? ON line opticals are taking more and more market share every year. Either they are doing a satisfactory job of meeting peoples expectations or B&M opticals are charging uncomfortable prices for their services and products. IMHO people are just trying to see better at aa price they can afford. I suppose if there was only a $50 difference that many would stick to the personalized professional B&M opticians. Comments?

[Psychobablr7]

-1

If you don't watch the competition what they are doing you will be dead before you know what happened.

By watching the others you can try to be ahead of them.

+1

[shannon]

[QUOTE=tx11;436482]People love ordering things on the net. Not having to leave your home or office is indeed a convenience.
QUOTE]

I agree with a good portion of what you are saying but I believe that what they are marketing is the concept of convenience, and many people are not thinking about what happens once they receive their glasses, are falling for it. The consumer will have an immediate feeling of satsifaction because they were able to make a purchase that can take a good bit of time in one of our stores...this takes a little pressure off. But what happens when the glasses get there and there is a host of possible problems? The Rx isn't "working", the frame doesn't fit (and it may or may not be able to fix with an adjustment), OCH, Segs, PD's, induced prism......the concept of convenience has now evaporated.

[tx11]

[QUOTE=shannon;436490]

People love ordering things on the net. Not having to leave your home or office is indeed a convenience.
QUOTE]

I agree with a good portion of what you are saying but I believe that what they are marketing is the concept of convenience, and many people are not thinking about what happens once they receive their glasses, are falling for it. The consumer will have an immediate feeling of satsifaction because they were able to make a purchase that can take a good bit of time in one of our stores...this takes a little pressure off. But what happens when the glasses get there and there is a host of possible problems? The Rx isn't "working", the frame doesn't fit (and it may or may not be able to fix with an adjustment), OCH, Segs, PD's, induced prism......the concept of convenience has now evaporated.

It would seem that it is more often "IF" than "WHEN". The online optical market is growing and their methods of measurements and manufacturing are getting more and more sophisticated. It would seem that a great many are pleased with their purchase. They usually just wear them the way the arrive or take them to a local optician who (unwisely) adjusts them for free.

[shannon]

I'm sorry tx11, that is not the experience I have had with the patients who have attempted to purchase online, at all.

[Chris Ryser]

IMHO people are just trying to see better at aa price they can afford. I suppose if there was only a $50 difference that many would stick to the personalized professional B&M opticians. Comments?

tx11...............What would prevent you from making $ 50.00 from every on-line sale in your area without any investment at all, by letting them consumer that have purchased glasses on line, know that for this price you will supply PD, check the glasses Rx and adjust them ?

The on-line opticals would even recommend you to everyone of their customers in your area. They have by now realized that there is an oposition among established B&M opticans by refusing this service even against some payment.

You could even do it from home if you are an employee, all you would need is a lensometer, PD gauge, frame warmer and a few pliers all available on the used equipment market. No more investment needed and you could even get an automatic supply of customers.

How many of them could you handle a day ? 20 to 50, probably should be easy. That could mean $ 1,000 up to $ 2,500 or more per day, just for servicing a product you did not make nor sell, and are not responsible for it. No inventory needed, no machinery needed, because if there is something wrong it has to be sent back to the supplier for correction or refund. Make the calculation on 20, call them customers, not patients, per day at a 5 day week, you would have made $ 5,000 per week, or $ 260,000 per year if you do not take any holidays.

Are you making that type of income these days, with an investment of a few hundred dollars. Customers supplied by recommendation of the on-line optical industry who is just waiting for something like that to happen and then it will start to mushroom, maybe it allready does.

[optical24/7]

Chris....50 people a day coming in and paying 50 buck each for adjustments and verification? You can't just pull numbers out of the blue. Think of how large a draw area you would need. Use Houston for an example;

There are about 5M people in the Houston metroplex. ( about a 5000 sq. mi. area)
75% of the population wear corrective lenses with 64% being glasses = 3,300,000 eyeglass wearers
Average purchase cycle is 2.5 years ( 3,300,000/2.5 = 1,320,000 purchases a year)
Industry averages for online eye glass sales are 1% ( 1,320,000 - 99% = 13,200 per year)


Lets say you do see 50 people a day for the adjustment/verification service (50 x 261 operating days = 13,050)

So, you would need a draw area of over 5 million people AND capture every single online purchase in that area.

If we're gonna pull numbers out of the blue, I'd just like to sell a 50 cent widget once to half the population of Houston and make myself one a quarter million bucks.

[Fezz]

tx11...............What would prevent you from making $ 50.00 from every on-line sale in your area without any investment at all, by letting them consumer that have purchased glasses on line, know that for this price you will supply PD, check the glasses Rx and adjust them?

What would prevent any dispenser from making ANY money is the fact that consumer will not pay it!

They have already proved that they do not want to pay your fees, they don't value your " expertise", and they don't see value in what you provide!

Why would they pay $50 when their online specs probably didn't cost that!

[Chris Ryser]

Industry averages for online eye glass sales are 1% ( 1,320,000 - 99% = 13,200 per year)

Houston Area unemployment last figures, May 2012 at 6.9 % = 300,000,......... at 75% = need corrections = 225,000,
every 2.5 years = 90,000 are very possible candidates for on-line purchases per year according to above formula..

Then add the working consumer with foreclosures (4494 Bank owned homes in the Houston area), which is looking for lower price items on the web when in need.

Who decided the industrial average is 1%, and when as the website traffic of all on-line optical has gone up about 70% over the last 2 years. We still tend to belittle their sales power.



http://www.bls.gov/web/metro/laulrgma.htm

[Golfnorth]

Houston Area unemployment last figures, May 2012 at 6.9 % = 300,000,......... at 75% = need corrections = 225,000,
every 2.5 years = 90,000 are very possible candidates for on-line purchases per year according to above formula..

Then add the working consumer with foreclosures (4494 Bank owned homes in the Houston area), which is looking for lower price items on the web when in need.

Who decided the industrial average is 1%, and when as the website traffic of all on-line optical has gone up about 70% over the last 2 years. We still tend to belittle their sales power.



http://www.bls.gov/web/metro/laulrgma.htm

Chris;

You are always so cheerful and full of good news.

Regards,
Golfnorth

[Chris Ryser]

Chris;

You are always so cheerful and full of good news.

Regards,
Golfnorth

If the "Genie in a Bottle" would still live I would make wish.......................to turn back the time at least 16 years and we would all be returned to golden years.
However she got retired due to modernisation and old age.

So we got to look out for ourselves and adopt a different outlook and watch the trends. I have done that for the last few years and do share some of it on OB. When looking back at some of my posts on this type of subject I can see that I was dead on, already years ago.

Today it is so easy to find just about an answer to anything you want on the web, you just have to take the time to look into it. And by the way good news is usually not of much interest. We read it and forget about it, while not so good news might make us think a bit longer.

Have a nice weekend Golfnorth, I am going back in the garden, on my knees and pull out some more weeds.

[CNG]

Chris, Foreclosures in this country are generally not an indication that these people are in financial trouble other than having a bad investments in their portafolio. We are starting and will continue to see Foreclosures and short sales on the rise because every property is underwater.The question is how much undewater that the property holder care to continue to have. Many people see this as a way out of such investment and in general is not really showing the financial picture just showing a planned exit of a property. These people have the financial means to purchase quality eyewear and by no mean it means that they will go online. Online is here to stay.The reality is that more and more independent owners are considering providing on line services to their walk outs.

If you are a business owner I can assure you it will eventually happen. The process is simple when you have a capture audience. Lets say that your patient requests the PDs. The next step is to provide your business address online store. You will take the pertinent measurements and all by using a reference frame that will ensure that seg height and other measuremenst are correct. Store it in your site. Patient logs into your website which should be similar in price as most online except that you have access to the data required to make that perfect eyeglasses. You will be saving a salaried person showing eyeglasses or providing facial evaluations as to shape, color, size etc. Patients finds what he wants and orders. Your website also educates the patient as to what makes a perfect pair of eyeglasses.

If your patient simply does not want any of your frames and/or services then he/she is welcome to buy the PD at the website. Patient will enter his credit card and provide the fee requested for that monocular pd and adios go spend your money elsewhere.

I think providing the PD via this way is more ethical and less confrontational that having the patient sitting in your office putting your staff in an awkward position. Eyeglasses are like marriages some are good and some are great and some you simlpy get along.

If you think about what Im saying you will probably agree that this model will take place. Its like getting a free refill here in USA but none in Europe...something you probably know that that concept simply does not exists there.


CNG

[shannon]

\ You will be saving a salaried person showing eyeglasses or providing facial evaluations as to shape, color, size etc. Patients finds what he wants and orders. Your website also educates the patient as to what makes a perfect pair of eyeglasses.
CNG

Yeah, they will be saving a salaried person alright, saving them from a job.

[Browman]

I'm sorry tx11, that is not the experience I have had with the patients who have attempted to purchase online, at all.

Depends on where they're getting them from. I've had people ask me to adjust online purchases that were made from such rigid crap that even attempting to move a nosepad a fraction of a mm was daring it to break. I've also handled some very high quality frames that were better made than some of our bargain frames. Like every business, there are ends to the spectrum. Some online retailers apparently have competent quality control working for them. Out of all the people I've encountered who've made online eyeglass purchases, a whopping three have had issues with the actual prescription. The rest were all looking for routine adjustments.

Every evolution in business creates a schism. The answer, I believe, isn't so much in trying to fight or prevent that schism but learning from it to better serve our patients. If the product they're getting is unusable, worthless, poorly made junk, why do online retail sales continue to grow? Why do online retailers enjoy repeat customers? Because either

1) They're doing something we aren't
2) They're doing something we are, but doing it cheaper

In either event, the answer, I believe, lies within B&M optical and not outside of it. We must assess ourselves-- are the services we are providing quality? If so, is the price we are charging reasonable?

[pseudonym]

Eyeglasses are like marriages some are good and some are great and some you simlpy get along.

That's why both retail AND online opticals thrive. Vision is secondary. People put up with the glasses because they perceive the glasses as a bargain. Sometimes retail does a great job, sometimes not so great. No doubt it's the same for online.

But the customer always feels like they got a great deal. This predisposes them to love the glasses, at least for the first few months until the AR crazes or the cheap poly warps.

Many people open their conversation with me saying they are sick of paying $700-$800 for glasses from the doctor's office when glasses are glasses, so why should they pay more for the doctor's nice furniture and displays? Working in a warehouse environment actually adds to the perception that they are getting more for less.

[Barry Santini]

Maybe they're sick of their doctor's office's glasses because the doc doesn't have the type of quality people/product needed to support their asking prices.

Online hasn't shown how overpriced most B&M eyewear is.

Rather, it's simply raised the skills-bar needed to support our asking price.

B

[tx11]

The skills-bar must now include the ability to sell more than JUST clear vision. It probably always has. But the ability to sell sell sell is even more important since customers can see well for less money.