Transitions in Fashion Colors

[keithbenjamin]

"Colors by Transitions," Transitions that darken to fashion colors are now available... exclusively at LC. :shiner:

[edKENdance]

They have been for a while now. They're pretty cool. Being an employee there I thought it was wierd that we didn't jump on the splitz lens when they came out. They're selling relatively well in our store. I think the exclusivety runs out in a week or two.

[Jacqui]

Are these on the web site yet??

[edKENdance]

Yep, Blue, Teal and Purple. Fantastic complement to fashion frames. My boss got a Purple lens to accent one of her frames. Really striking. Hopefully there's more to come.

[keithbenjamin]

I think the exclusivety runs out in a week or two.

I hadn't heard about that. I'm wondering why there is nothing about them on the Transitions web site.

[edKENdance]

I guess you gotta dig deeper. That's probably part of the "exclusive" thing.

[keithbenjamin]

You'd think if they were going to release them for general distribution soon, they'd start marketing. But, like you said, perhaps that's part of the deal.

[edKENdance]

At LC it's only a 20 buck upgrade to the colour transitions for kids. That seems to me to be the sweetest deal. I know my son would want to wear his glasses more often if they turned cool colours outside.

[Blake]

As much as I love the Colors lenses, we're not having much success selling them. You'd think here on the gulf coast a polycarb lens that gets pretty dark pretty quick would sell like hotcakes, especially since the colors are cool. Maybe the other 800+ LC stores are having better luck with them - I sure hope so, they're a great product! Much easier to process than the Ormex *expletive* we normally stock.


Blake

[edKENdance]

Perhaps the staff aren't talkin' it up. The sale seems like common sense to me but no one has actually come up with great scripts for selling these lenses. My scripts are not for sale.

[JRS]

Blake -

If you are having problems surfacing "Ormex" (clear or transistions) why don't you give Essilor a call to have the local Tech (Joe Vitale) come by?

I could venture a guess as to why you are, but it would be just an educated guess from the other side of the US. Joe can help with your problem on-site, if you want him to.

[Jacqui]

Hate to tell everyone this, but we've been casting photochromic blue, purple, green, red, pink and yellow for some time. 1.56 index, get the stuff from Opti Cast. Sells pretty good and cheaper than LC. Just try to get D-28 and Progressives in those colours.:)

[chip anderson]

Seems to me SOLA stopped production and sales of this stuff due to a total lack of demand. Pretty sure that's what they said at thier last meeting, the only people interested in them were the type people you see with weird hair-do's, tattoos and jewelry in strange places.

Chip

I forgot to mention that all of the above described people that seemed to be interested in these, were never willing to pay the price.

[Eddie G's]

We've had the SPLITZ lenses for years and we only sold 2.
They are very pricey and the colours are very childish.

As Trump would say, if you don't believe in a product then you won't be able to sell it.

[JennyP]

Blake said:
As much as I love the Colors lenses, we're not having much success selling them. ..... Maybe the other 800+ LC stores are having better luck with them - I sure hope so, they're a great product!
Blake

Blake: My best success so far is selling the colors in the sports goggles, particularly for kids! (I've sold 3 sets so far.) Think: softball/baseball....goggles that will work during bright sun thru to evening! Lots of parents want their kids in sunshades but don't like the additional cost of the second pair of glasses. Since the kids aren't driving yet, "the less effective inside an auto issue" just isn't an issue. I do wish we had more color choices...think of college team colors???? Orange would go over really BIG here in the TN valley.
When the lenses become available in progressives I know the sales will scoot up because we presbyopes want a little fashion fun in our lives! I was planning to get the purple to go in a magnetic clip set, but I've misplaced my annual certificate. :hammer: Anyway, I hope to get mine made before summer gets too far along.

[JennyP]

chip anderson said:
.... the only people interested in them were the type people you see with weird hair-do's, tattoos and jewelry in strange places.
Chip

;) Well, Chip, MY hair is sorta weird in that I am letting the grey grow out awhile (picture 2" grey roots and 3" brunette messy....my design image is a Meg Ryan older sister!) ....I had been wondering how much IS grey....and as I wrote to Blake above, I am planning to get the purple Transistion lenses....I have found since passing my 1/2 century mark, that I am about the only one who really cares what I look like anyway....and why not have a little fun?? Tattoos and strange jewelry will have to wait til I retire...or my next life, whichever comes first!

[Pete Hanlin]

I don't work for Transitions, but I would point out that LensCrafters specifically asked for- and committed to- this product. That is why they have an exclusive.

Transitions originally made this sort of product available to independent market, and- as several people have noted- the product didn't sell. LensCrafters thought they could create a niche for it and made a request for an inventory. I doubt this product will appear on the website, since it isn't a general offering. The only people spending money to market this product is LensCrafters.

Optical and otherwise, large retailers often have products unique to their stores. They have the purchasing power to request products companies might not normally produce. Sometimes, these "special" products don't sell- and the retailer is stuck with a unique, and obsolete, inventory. Sometimes, the retailer does well with the product...

All businesses do the same thing. For example, say I wander in to your optical and ask if you carry the Pedro Grande line of frames. Of course you don't, and you probably wouldn't normally put in a line of frames for one patient. Suppose I offer to purchase 20 pair of these frames (with lenses) from you if you open an account with the line (but I only want you to sell Pedro Grande frames to me, because I want to be unique). Again, for those kind of sales, you would probably deal with a product you normally wouldn't...

[Jim Schafer]

Hi Everyone,
This topic was started in the Smart Moves Forum the other day, this is my reply to FVC2020..

Hello FVC2020,
Over the years Transitions Optical launched several versions of a Clear to Color (XTRActive Green most common) , Color to Color (Splitz™) Team Colors (Fanz™), Sun Lens and the 1994 World Cup Sunlenses

These non traditional Transitions products were offered to independents and wholesale labs through our lens manufacturing partners. These products had limited success but not to the degree we saw in focus group acceptance. Transitions did all the development and nearly all the promotion funding for these non core products.

We also did ecp trainings with our Solutions Team for the XTRActive Green and Splitz launches. These products served a niche market but never reached the goals we set.

On the other hand, the Featherwates Colors project was initiated by and with all marketing funded by Lenscrafters. Lenscrafters is taking all the risk with this project. This is their product.

As an FYI to anyone who is not familiar with the product....FW Colors are clear to purple, clear to blue and clear to teal polycarbonate lenses available only in SFSV blanks.

I hope this helps,
Jim


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[Cerissa]

Earlier in the thread there was a question about the length of time this will be a LC exclusive. I've heard from some friends there (managment) they will have sole rights for 18 months. That was about 1 month ago. As far as I know, nothing's changed. I believe they call them Featherwate Colors.

CM