Try on frames glazed free with RX lenses by Coastal .................................

[Chris Ryser]

Press release........................

Coastal.com Launches New Approach to Revolutionary Home Trial Program for Prescription Eyewear

"Try Before You Buy" Program Offers Customers a 30-Day Trial of Their Own Custom Made Prescription Glasses Before They Buy


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coastal.com (Nasdaq:COA) (TSX:COA), the leading global manufacturer and digital retailer of high-quality glasses and contact lenses, has launched a new approach to its revolutionary home trial program that makes it easier for consumers to try and buy eyewear online.


The "Try Before You Buy" program is similar to the traditional eyewear trial program launched by Coastal.com five years ago. However, now customers will receive their choice of glasses for a thirty day trial period with their prescription lenses included.

"Our original Home Try-On program included four frames to try but, without prescription lenses, it was difficult to make a decision and have a full, authentic experience," said
Roger Hardy, founder and CEO of Coastal.com. "Customers told us they disliked the hassle of returning to the post office to mail the trial packs back to us, then wait for the completed glasses to arrive. We decided there must be a better way, and we think we've found it!"

The decision to offer this trial program stems from Coastal.com's commitment to providing high-quality, affordable and fashionable eyewear to its customers around the globe. This trial program is the first of its kind in the optical industry and allows customers to try on several pairs of glasses in their prescription completely free. Customers can order and try out their glasses with no cost for thirty days and keep only the eyeglasses they love!


"We are always looking for ways to make buying eyewear easier and more affordable," continued Hardy. "The only way customers can truly get the feel for eyeglasses bought online is to include their own custom prescription lenses in the trial. We invented the trial pack and have now reinvented it, taking the experience to a whole new level for our customers."


The launch of the "Try Before You Buy" program closely follows Coastal.com's recent launch of the "Pay Your Way" plan, where customers are able to pay for their purchase over several months. Customers have the option to select three, six or twelve-month payment options for prescription eyewear orders over $99 with no interest, continuing the Company's tradition of making eyewear affordable and easy.


......comments

[Fezz]

Beating a dead horse

[idispense]

Beating a dead horse

You may be wrong about that Fezz. Before you decide, please read the following article and rethink how many times this technique is used all around you every day, but you may not have recognized what was happening in the sales process.

In sales there is a technique called the "balloon close" which you often see being used on infommercials ... buy this knife or blender and we will throw in this , and we will throw in that and so on .

But there is another technique called the "puppy dog" close and it is important to study this technique.

Please read this link and learn how the master is selling millions of pairs of glasses as you discount his abilities .

http://salescareers.about.com/od/Sal...-Technique.htm

As you read this you should come to understand that with his payment options and with his use of the credit cards (which you may not realize is a requirement of the Rx included with trial frames) he is prequalifying his customers . The new "Pay as you go" plan also prequalifies the customer.

The interesting thing about this man is that he is up front and transparent. He tells you in straight forward style what they are doing and why and what facts lead them to their conclusions. For anyone who cares to read it, he also tells you all of the weaknesses of his business model. These are qualities that many have wished for in their own organizations. Should you close your eyes and refuse to learn ?

This man is brilliant Fezz , he is not the dead horse.

[racethe1320]

It will certainly capture a portion of the market from the get-go. I however don't feel it will have a huge impact on the average people walking into the store today. Not our clients anyway who tend not to be the $99 special folks.

We've been offering a 30 day 100% satisfaction guarantee on the entire package for a few years now. Mainly because we are managed care based and thus know the companies are behind us in when it comes to insuring satisfaction. We do have a few each month, but that's okay as it says a lot about who we are as a brand and we secure a lot of their other related business.

[idispense]

It will certainly capture a portion of the market from the get-go. I however don't feel it will have a huge impact on the average people walking into the store today. Not our clients anyway who tend not to be the $99 special folks.

We've been offering a 30 day 100% satisfaction guarantee on the entire package for a few years now. Mainly because we are managed care based and thus know the companies are behind us in when it comes to insuring satisfaction. We do have a few each month, but that's okay as it says a lot about who we are as a brand and we secure a lot of their other related business.

So you use the same technique to close as they do and endorse the results!

[optimensch]

I am not sure Mr. Fezz was referring to the new offer by CC as the dead horse being beaten...

[optimensch]

Regarding the puppy dog close with eyewear, my experience hasn't been very good.
VERY occasionally a client comes alone to the shop, selects a couple of models they like and asks to take them home for "approval".
This has (approximately) a 100% failure rate. I don't know why, but unless the sale is made in the shop the take home and show is dead on arrival.

[Fezz]

I am not sure Mr. Fezz was referring to the new offer by CC as the dead horse being beaten...

You are correct Sir!

[optimensch]

Here's a comment Chris.
There are 2 companies in the world who could entertain the buyout of CC. We all know who they are.
CC is hell bent on raising its market cap and the way the markets are CURRENTLY, losing money is not a liability for them, it is an asset. The game plan is to sell the whole thing to the biggest sucker, not to make money from operations.
Either A) the stock market will correct / crash and this form of goosing stock prices will end the hard way
B) One of the 2 big boys actually buys
C) The bubble continues to blow.
These are just my opinions. I am usually wrong about all things financial. This should definitlely not be construed as investment advice.

[Barry Santini]

Regarding the puppy dog close with eyewear, my experience hasn't been very good.
VERY occasionally a client comes alone to the shop, selects a couple of models they like and asks to take them home for "approval".
This has (approximately) a 100% failure rate. I don't know why, but unless the sale is made in the shop the take home and show is dead on arrival.

so true. I don't allow this any longer.

B

[idispense]

It has a failure rate, because you are running two totally different types of operations.
It may also fail for you because of your presentation and mindset.

Imagine it this way, if you have two pairs of sunglasses on display you may never sell either, but if you have hundreds on display your chances are greater. Your presentation matters to the customer. Your individualistic aims and goals are expressed in that presentation. Would your technique work with different media ?

[Chris Ryser]

Here's a comment Chris.
There are 2 companies in the world who could entertain the buyout of CC. We all know who they are.
CC is hell bent on raising its market cap and the way the markets are CURRENTLY, losing money is not a liability for them, it is an asset. The game plan is to sell the whole thing to the biggest sucker, not to make money from operations.
Either A) the stock market will correct / crash and this form of goosing stock prices will end the hard way
B) One of the 2 big boys actually buys
C) The bubble continues to blow.
These are just my opinions. I am usually wrong about all things financial. This should definitlely not be construed as investment advice.

................... it does not matter Optimensch

...............all these comments about Coastal not making money is not important. If they sell out, the company will belong to one that manufactures most of the products they use and the company will become instantly profitable either directly or indirectly.

In the meantime the millions of glasses sold by on-liners are not sold by traditional opticians B&M stores.

Furhermore the dead horse is not dead yet, and if ever it will be it, will come back as the ghost of the good times of opticianry to haunt all those that laughed the matter off.

[optimensch]

idispense, I agree. The 2 business models are totally different and even if my experience with take home and try has been negative, it certainly does not mean it won't work for CC.
Our capture rate for people who shop in our store, or just browse is very good, even excellent. It is when the model changes to a take home for approval where it breaks down.
It could mean that the sort of people who ask to take home and try are a particular subset of indecisive, self-conscious and difficult to please people.
In the case of CC it might be very different - we just don't know how their current try-on model works whereby they ship you several frames to try and they then send back the frames.
What % lead to sales? Who knows.

[optimensch]

Chris,
I agree that online is strong, getting stronger and is here to stay.
Actually I agree with every premise in your post, nothing I said contradicts it.
I do believe there are plenty of traditional b/m opticals that are adapting and thriving amid all of this ground shifting. Opportunities get created and some will adapt and some will die off.

[racethe1320]

So you use the same technique to close as they do

no, we make the sale as does everyone else does, but we put a 30 day 100% satisfaction guarantee behind the sale thus if for any reason they don't feel good about what we've provided, they can return them for a full refund. it's not about focusing on the small percentage that do this as it really isn't even a percentage vs a very small handful. It's about the message it sends to everyone that walks in our door that we are that confident in what we do and what we provide.

[edKENdance]

I'm just gonna paste my thoughts from the other thread here

I'm intrigued by the potential for errors. I mean, trusting the client to provide the proper PD measurement for their glasses combined with the way they determine what height to place a progressive at combined with tons of other variables. They might be able to see great out of all 4 pairs or not see well out of any of them. Maybe they'll see well out of 2 but they're not the ones they really like.

[drk]

I think the mensch is right.

These sales tactics are desperation. They were probably losing money on their "try on packs" and so they now feel if the sucker/customer just gets the whole job done to try, they're less likely to return it.

What was the use of having a five-pack of frames with no lenses?

Hey, CC is making no money, and this is just another stupid idea: giving away glasses and hoping to get paid.

Mensch is right again: some big, corporate sucker is going to buy this loser.

[idispense]

no, we make the sale as does everyone else does, but we put a 30 day 100% satisfaction guarantee behind the sale thus if for any reason they don't feel good about what we've provided, they can return them for a full refund. it's not about focusing on the small percentage that do this as it really isn't even a percentage vs a very small handful. It's about the message it sends to everyone that walks in our door that we are that confident in what we do and what we provide.

Which is is why CC does the same.

Their medium is different than yours though, you are already physically face to face with the customer.
CC is not, m so they must perfect the same technique you use . They must fine tune it to ultimate performance.

At your level you don't have the same need.

[idispense]

I'm just gonna paste my thoughts from the other thread here

I'm intrigued by the potential for errors. I mean, trusting the client to provide the proper PD measurement for their glasses combined with the way they determine what height to place a progressive at combined with tons of other variables. They might be able to see great out of all 4 pairs or not see well out of any of them. Maybe they'll see well out of 2 but they're not the ones they really like.

I am glad you are intrigued by this. It points to what we do wrong. We fail to engage the customer in any form of national educational advertising campaign. The public does not know what they don't know, because we failed to inform them.

As a self governing profession, membership allows regulators to proclaim their mandate is to protect the public, but that's as far as the lie goes. We as membership do nothing to engage and educate the public on a unified national scale. We failed our public mandate. We created the situation. We allowed the public to believe otherwise by not engaging them. The public doesn't know any better, they just know how to vote with their dollars.

[edKENdance]

I am glad you are intrigued by this. It points to what we do wrong. We fail to engage the customer in any form of national educational advertising campaign. The public does not know what they don't know, because we failed to inform them.

As a self governing profession, membership allows regulators to proclaim their mandate is to protect the public, but that's as far as the lie goes. We as membership do nothing to engage and educate the public on a unified national scale. We failed our public mandate. We created the situation. We allowed the public to believe otherwise by not engaging them. The public doesn't know any better, they just know how to vote with their dollars.

Failed to inform them of what?

[HindSight2020]

Beating a dead horse

+1. Chris gets some sort of weird perversion from stirring the pot on obvious diversions.

[idispense]

Failed to inform them of what?

That should be obvious from your own post.

We failed to explain the Risks of Harm to the public. We didn't engage them to tell them why a bifocal is different from a single vision lens. We didn't tell the public why a PD and PAL seg height needs to be measured in person, face to face while wearing an already adjusted frame.

The public doesn't know what they don't know, we didn't tell them what they needed to know. We let unlicensed internetters tell them how to measure.The public bought it. We let them. We didn't protect them with the knowledge and training we have.

We created the situation that allows the public to be exploited. We allowed ourselves to be exploited. We failed. It was our job to oversee the publics protection. It was our job as individual members to also oversee our regulators. Writing a check for re licensing is not fulfilling the mandate we created under licensure.

[HindSight2020]

I think the mensch is right.

These sales tactics are desperation. They were probably losing money on their "try on packs" and so they now feel if the sucker/customer just gets the whole job done to try, they're less likely to return it.

What was the use of having a five-pack of frames with no lenses?

Hey, CC is making no money, and this is just another stupid idea: giving away glasses and hoping to get paid.

Mensch is right again: some big, corporate sucker is going to buy this loser.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's just a matter of time before their desperate times, measures and dismal results are permanent forever. Hardy if he were profitable would be a genius, but he is exactly the opposite with growing losses mounting near $200M annually.

[edKENdance]

That should be obvious from your own post.

We failed to explain the Risks of Harm to the public. We didn't engage them to tell them why a bifocal is different from a single vision lens. We didn't tell the public why a PD and PAL seg height needs to be measured in person, face to face while wearing an already adjusted frame.

The public doesn't know what they don't know, we didn't tell them what they needed to know. We let unlicensed internetters tell them how to measure.The public bought it. We let them. We didn't protect them with the knowledge and training we have.

We created the situation that allows the public to be exploited. We allowed ourselves to be exploited. We failed. It was our job to oversee the publics protection. It was our job as individual members to also oversee our regulators. Writing a check for re licensing is not fulfilling the mandate we created under licensure.

With respect to harm, I think in the overwhelming majority of cases, people that order that online stuff just aren't seeing as well or as comfortably as they could be. For some of them it's good enough because the price is right and the rx is easy. For some of them it was something they tried once and didn't like it perhaps due to a more complicated rx or because they appreciate the value and experience of buying from someone that knows what they're doing. I think you're carrying way too much weight around on your shoulders. If I was losing a lot of business to online companies I'd take a serious look at what I was doing wrong because if you have clients in your store and aren't appreciating what you have to offer them and the online business looks like a better alternative then you're gonna have a bad time.

[idispense]

[QUOTE=edKENdance;479170]With respect to harm, I think in the overwhelming majority of cases, people that order that online stuff just aren't seeing as well or as comfortably as they could be. For some of them it's good enough because the price is right and the rx is easy. .[/Q

You are likely right