Canadian Government and Online Opticals ...........................
The Competition Bureau, as an independent law enforcement agency, ensures that Canadian businesses and consumers prosper in a competitive and innovative marketplace. We are a federal institution that is part of the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada portfolio.
Bringing competition into focus
Competition Bureau encourages online competition in the eye wear industry
The Competition Bureau (Bureau) has a long history of advocating for increased competition and innovation in the health care sector. For years, the Bureau has provided advice to governments, regulators and other decision-makers (collectively, decision-makers) on ways to enhance competition, while at the same time achieving legitimate public policy goals. Competitive markets are responsible for delivering many of the products and services upon which our health care system relies, and healthy competition can lead to innovation in product and service delivery, increased consumer choice and lower prices.
Over the last few years, the Canadian eye wear industry has been in a state of steady growth, fueled in large part by an increasing number of Canadians requiring corrective lenses. There have been numerous advancements in visual health technologies, and competition in the industry has sparked innovation in products such as eyeglasses and contact lenses. Competition has also led to changes in how eye wear has traditionally been advertised and sold to consumers, most notably via the Internet. However, purchasing prescription eye wear over the Internet may not be so easy in the future given different regulations in place across the country and ongoing litigation that could impact how online eye wear retailers operate.In this edition of the Competition Advocate, the Bureau examines certain regulations governing the dispensing of prescription eye wear, and explores the implications that they may pose for online eye wear retailers. To enable consumers to benefit from online competition in retail eye wear sales,the Bureau calls upon decision-makers to take competition into consideration when implementing and reviewing regulations that govern the industry.
The eye wear industry at a glance
Expenditures on vision care services have been on the rise in Canada since 2012. With an ageing population in need of corrective lenses and eye wear making a comeback on the fashion scene, sales in the industry have flourished. In 2017, retail eye wear sales in Canada were estimated to be nearly $2.1 billion, with prescription eye wear sales accounting for over 80% of the total (or roughly $1.7 billion).
Online competition in the eye wear industry has provided consumers with access to lower-cost products and greater convenience. In 2012, CBC's Marketplace broadcast a segment on the high price of prescription eyeglasses sold in Canada. The CBC reported on price differentials between eyeglasses sold in-store and those sold online. Their findings suggest that eyeglasses sold at traditional brick-and-mortar retail outlets could be at least 50% more expensive than those purchased online.
With the recent surge in online eye wear sales, warnings have come from some industry associations. In a 2014 position statement, the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) cautions that the unregulated sale of eye wear over the Internet can compromise patient care. Similar warnings have been issued by provincial regulatory bodies, including, among others, the Nova Scotia Society of Dispensing Opticians, the College of Opticians of Ontario, the Saskatchewan Association of Optometrists and the Opticians Association of Canada, British Columbia Chapter.
Consumers can benefit from purchasing eye wear Online
Competition in the eye wear industry has provided consumers with access to lower-cost products and greater convenience. In 2012, CBC's Marketplace broadcast segment on the high price of prescription eyeglasses sold in Canada. The CBC reported on price differentials between eyeglasses sold in-store and those sold online. Their findings suggest that eyeglasses sold at traditional brick-and-mortar retail outlets could be at least 50% more expensive than those purchased online.
Further support for lower online vs. offline prices is offered in a study published by the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In their report, the FTC found that contact lenses sold online were on average $15 USD cheaper than those sold offline, though wholesale clubs offered the lowest average prices
overall. An FTC Bureau of Economics Working Paper also examined the online and offline prices of contact lenses and found that, when controlling for differentiated retail services, offline prices were approximately 11% higher than online prices.
In addition to cost savings that can be realized by making purchases over the Internet, nearly half of all Canadians find online shopping to be more convenient than visiting a brick-and-mortar retail outlet. In the online world, customer reach can also extend to regions across Canada, including remote locations that may not be well served by traditional retailers. For example, Internet retailing of eye wear appears to have improved access to eyeglasses and contact lenses for a number of consumers living in rural or otherwise under serviced Ontario communities.
source:
http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/e...eng/04377.html
OOA response to competition bureau report – online dispensing of eyewear
OOA RESPONSE TO COMPETITION BUREAU REPORT – ONLINEDISPENSING OF EYEWEAR
The Competition Bureau recently published an article advocating for provincial governments and regulators to provide greater access to online eyewear sales.This highlighted an issue that has been around for quite some time in our industry.
The Ontario Opticians Association (the “OOA”) believes consumers should have the right to make purchasing choices … but they must be safe choices. The OOA supports changes to the regulations and standards of practice that permit opticians to better utilize the internet to serve their clients.
The fact that a corporation chooses to operate only online should not give them the right to circumvent the regulatory rules which the Ontario Government has putin place to protect the public. Corporations can comply with the law by properly involving opticians in the dispensing process and still have successful business models. Furthermore, the OOA is committed to assisting its members to determine how current technology can be used to safely perform the controlled acts that they have been authorized to perform. The OOA believes that current technology provides the opportunity to allow for safe practice if appropriate controls are in place.
Dispensing has been designated, at law, as a controlled act within the Regulated Health Professions Actin Ontario. The law recognizes, and it has been confirmed by the Ontario courts that an act that has been designated as a controlled act is inherently dangerous and therefore has been taken out of the public domain. This is intended to ensure that only those individuals with the appropriate skills, education and knowledge, as evidenced by their registration with the appropriate regulatory agency, are permitted to perform particular tasks.
Published August 13, 2018
continue:
http://ontario-opticians.com/2018/08...-bureau-report
The selling pricing in the optical retail market will have to be changed ............
Quote:
Originally Posted by
optimensch
SO what if Essilux doesn't buy out Warby...What if JnJ doesn't buy out Hubble....maybe Amazon does....or amazon just decides one day to dive deep into optical and create their own brand (imagine what they will do with AI and their strangle on online sales) -
Essilux is also vulnerable. GE, BEAR STEARNS. No one is too big to fail. AI and Amazon lurk in the not-so-far background...
Online exams - definitely an even greater threat to every ECP -
Meantime, I see as many patients every day as I ever have, average sale is down, so I adjust where I can, try new promos and tweak operations to be more efficient. We are adapting. Good luck to all and Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to my fellow ECP warriors.
Thank you for your straight forward post ..........................................
With Alibaba, the world 's third largest commercial website coming out to public view, with their manufacturing pricing of just about anything produced on the world market, the basic value of just about any product, at the manufacturers level, on the market is now visible to anybody, and at their fingertips.
The selling pricing in the optical retail market will have to be changed to a reasonable markup, as most other products, with added charges for excellent or not so excellent services. This is the only way the public will understand the pricing of the optical retail market.
The products sold on line are having a normal conventional pricing markup, from the manufacturing level to retail pricing, compared to inflated ones due to their services rendered in the optical retail level.
Warby Parker has become the loudest and most visible of all online optical s, and will probably be gobbled up by UnitedHealth, but EyeMed and VSP will have to react somehow.
The industry is already now controlled ...............................
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Clearly_a_monopoly
You deserve what you get if you deal with this company, in any capacity. You cannot negotiate with these people. Why is there not an industry wide boycott? Internationally?
Its time to stand up. Without us, they are nothing.. But act now or our profession will die, and every price, brand, and facet of this industry will be controlled from Italy until it is taken over by Amazon, or China. It is not inevitable, only if we are weak.
............................it is too late to stand up. I have warned OptiBoard members periodically of the danger that was building up for more, than the last 12 years. There are only about 24% independents left on the optical retail circuit in the USA.
The industry is already now controlled, by the fused Essilux out of France and growing fast on a world wide basis. The corporation is also heavily banking on internet sales of eyeglasses.
With a close to a online majority, among optical eyeglass sellers ...................
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Barry Santini
The selling price will only have to change if you intend to compete directly with Essilux online
B
Barry......................I disagree with your above statement, and here is why..
With a close to a online majority, among optical eyeglass sellers, ESSILUX is actually and physically targeting the next and future generations of eyeglass users, that live, eat, sleep and drive with their cell phones in their hands, and have any information wanted at their fingertips, while having already reached 14% of the total USA optical retail sales by online optical s .
Also with the latest publicity on the worlds third largest commercial website; https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search...yeglass+frames, the public or anybody else, can now easily see the value of optical frames and lenses, as well a car windows, and so forth, at the manufacturers price level.
The consumer now has the capability to easily find out what a product is worth at the start of its origin, and how much he/she, is willing to spend for it and, all of that in seconds or a few minutes.
..............and lets not forget that Essilux is a high quality corporation and will continue doing so.
..............................Shipment these days is done by the regular FEDEX/UPS/DH
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lab Insight
Let's not fear monger here and be realistic. ...........................................
The fact public can now see the value of low quality chinese frames which isn't realistic for many reasons - you need to buy large volume, you need to wire US funds up front (and may never see your products after you pay), you need to pay for shipping, you need the proper importing paperwork, and you need to want to buy that crap in the first place.
...............................If you would have checked the link to Alibaba I gave in the previous post, you would have seen loads of companies that are willing to sell quantities from one on up, at a certain price.
...............................If you order you will get an invoice for the price plus transport, and pay by transfer or a credit card, same as if you order from here.
..............................Shipment these days is done by the regular FEDEX/UPS/DHL ect, who also take care of the import duty and customs paperwork.
All this old believe that everything coming from the far east is crap, while you use the same products on a daily basis from one of your regular wholesalers at their own markups.
It is about time to see todays reality.
On a major publication as Alibaba you will find them all..............
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Robert_S
Chris, if you think those frames are so good, go buy them.
They are trash and not comparable to what good opticians sell. You're out of touch.
On a major publication as Alibaba you will find them all...............from scrap to the top notch quality. You
Advertise and pay for it.
So your above statement is not quite valid and I am not out of touch. I have sold thousands of Liters of Zero-Fog
into the automotive manufacturing industry in China and India through advertising on Alibaba between 2005 and 2017.
Show me a top quality pair. ...............................................
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Robert_S
Show me a top quality pair.
And also, what the heck has zero fog got to do with frames???
I introduced the L'Amy frames into Canada in the 1960's and 70's, as well as the German NIGURA Line (now Rodenstock). So I do have a fair knowledge on top quality frames.
On Alibaba as of today you have a choice of, 93'378 results for "eyeglass frames", which consists most probably of all sorts and quality levels, advertising at :
https://www.alibaba.com/trade/search...yeglass+frames
So you should have a fair choice of good and or bad ones within that amount listed.
Also ZeroFog has only to do with the lenses not fogging up, if treated with it, but the automotive industry decided, over 10 years ago that their dashboards could fog up in some emergency situation, and is protecting them by applying the product there, and found my advertising on Alibaba.