Try to understand the way Millennial shop for their vision needs

[Blunder Woman]

Hi, Millennial here. I absolutely price check items before purchasing them. Computers, cars, shoes, you name it. I can do it in the parking lot before setting foot in the store. I browse for hotel reviews and the cheapest airline tickets. Millennials are walking into an incredibly uncertain financial future so try not rail on us for trying to be savvy shoppers. In this case you can dig on them for being rude though. I would never do something as tacky as was mentioned in the above given examples. But know, if we are not comparing your prices in the store, we have probably already done so before hand or will as soon as we walk out.

That being said, we don't like to wait. We grew up with e-mail and texting. I get antsy when I can't skip the 15 second ad that plays at the start of a You Tube video. So...
1. Have contacts in stock so I can pick them up immediately. Buy in bulk for items you know I am going to buy. How many of -1.50 to -3.00 boxes of Oasys do you sell in a month. I bet it is a lot.
2. Add online ordering to your office websites so I can order them at midnight after a lousy work shift. (You work 8-5, maybe I don't.)
3. I don't order during the day, I don't call to book appointments then either. Add online scheduling to your office websites. So I always have access. Also, have a website that looks like it has been updated in the last decade.
4. Update your method of patient communication. A postcard is not going to get my attention. A postcard and a text, maybe.
5. If you want to go crazy, give me a slight discount, or a of couple sample pairs, if I order a year supply at the time of my exam and have no insurance. Give me a sample bottle of solution. Something. Who doesn't like a freebie.
6. Maybe don't look at me like you think I am an entitled brat just because 3 of your other customers were today. I saw you joking with the 40+ year old who just walked out of your office, try to connect with me too.
7. Participate in Shop Local events, meet us where we are. Millennials are a community based (or like to think we are). I may not find you in your medical office building, or advertised in the phone book that I will never touch, but I will see you if you are doing a vision screening at the farmers market.

Just a few ideas to get you in our mindset. Besides, maybe we learned this thriftiness from watching some of you old coots complain in restaurants to get comped bowls of soup :)

[Fezz]

hi, millennial here. I absolutely price check items before purchasing them. Computers, cars, shoes, you name it. I can do it in the parking lot before setting foot in the store. I browse for hotel reviews and the cheapest airline tickets. Millennials are walking into an incredibly uncertain financial future so try not rail on us for trying to be savvy shoppers. In this case you can dig on them for being rude though. I would never do something as tacky as was mentioned in the above given examples. But know, if we are not comparing your prices in the store, we have probably already done so before hand or will as soon as we walk out.

That being said, we don't like to wait. We grew up with e-mail and texting. I get antsy when i can't skip the 15 second ad that plays at the start of a you tube video. So...
1. Have contacts in stock so i can pick them up immediately. Buy in bulk for items you know i am going to buy. How many of -1.50 to -3.00 boxes of oasys do you sell in a month. I bet it is a lot.
2. Add online ordering to your office websites so i can order them at midnight after a lousy work shift. (you work 8-5, maybe i don't.)
3. I don't order during the day, i don't call to book appointments then either. Add online scheduling to your office websites. So i always have access. Also, have a website that looks like it has been updated in the last decade.
4. Update your method of patient communication. A postcard is not going to get my attention. A postcard and a text, maybe.
5. If you want to go crazy, give me a slight discount, or a of couple sample pairs, if i order a year supply at the time of my exam and have no insurance. Give me a sample bottle of solution. Something. Who doesn't like a freebie.
6. Maybe don't look at me like you think i am an entitled brat just because 3 of your other customers were today. I saw you joking with the 40+ year old who just walked out of your office, try to connect with me too.
7. Participate in shop local events, meet us where we are. Millennials are a community based (or like to think we are). I may not find you in your medical office building, or advertised in the phone book that i will never touch, but i will see you if you are doing a vision screening at the farmers market.

Just a few ideas to get you in our mindset. Besides, maybe we learned this thriftiness from watching some of you old coots complain in restaurants to get comped bowls of soup :)

oustanding!!!!


Thank yo​u!

[Uncle Fester]

oustanding!!!!


Thank yo​u!

+2

A greenie for that post!!!


[Just a few ideas to get you in our mindset. Besides, maybe we learned this thriftiness from watching some of you old coots complain in restaurants to get comped bowls of soup :)] As we ask for extra crackers and pocket them.

[Blunder Woman]

Still stuck on this this morning. It is nearly impossibly to "only stock unique items" when the thread was started talking about contact lenses. I get that that is the standard answer to the online shopping gripes, but it won't help much when it comes to contact lens price matching. Price match if it works, and we will try to appreciate it. At the best of times, we advocate for ourselves. Unfortunately, at times, that does seem like being pushy and entitled.

That being said, we may come for your cheap contact lenses, but will stay for your trendy eyewear. Millennials want to fit in while standing out. With the exception of all of us buying iPhones, we tend to choose products that follow trends but are individual. Meaning, there is no one "gotta have it hot designer bag" but rather the desire to own something from that said hot designer (wallet, phone case, jacket) in a color that is of the moment. Does this make sense? We specialty shop. I never shop department stores for clothing, ever. I will make separate trips to H&M, Forever 21, and Old Navy (after checking out their styles online first). Look at shopping malls, the flagship stores are dying. You can't be everything to everyone, so find a target and appeal to them. If for you that is the over 40 progressive market, or family eyecare, that's great, but don't get mad at me when I can't choose something in your store and shop elsewhere. Eyecare is a weird blend of Medical and Fashion. It's one of the few places that all of these issues meet up. So strange that I can use medical insurance to buy something from Gucci. I'm starting to ramble on now.

We are also tech savvy. We want the latest and best. We are used to looking stuff up on the internet and rely less and less on the advice of commercials and sales associates. Google and Wikipedia are our first stop for info. Add a coupon or sale information to your facebook page. Have sneak peek and mood boards on Pinterest so we can decide if your place has the right vibe for us. If you want us to know something about your product, put it on your website so we can read it and compare it to other sources. It feels more valid when we see it online. But that's not to say we believe everything we read on the internet ;)

[Blunder Woman]

As we ask for extra crackers and pocket them.

The desire to steal Oyster crackers is a universal truth. For in it lies our humanity.

[Browman]

Oh please. We don't have "what's the smartest thing your patients said to you" threads, and we don't talk about the most responsible 20 year olds either. The poster and commenters are expressing frustration from experiencing frustration coming from a majority of these people. Don't be so offended, no one is insulting you. We are an optical community and no one understands the frustrations of day to day optician life better than other opticians. That's why so many are married to other optical professionals. Why shouldn't we talk about ways to get these people to unclench their sweaty palms from their money. We all want successful businesses, right. So chill out dude, and maybe explain how you would be converted to buying locally for a few bucks more.

Well, yeah, it kind of is insulting to me when I offer perspective on something and I'm ignored and have my generation generalized and insulted. No one responded to my post; they just kept on going. Quite frankly, the attitude of your post is probably the reason why so many "sweaty palms" are clenching money in your office. And, really, if someone wanted me to explain how I would be "converted," your post is quite the wrong way to go about it.

[Browman]

6. Maybe don't look at me like you think I am an entitled brat just because 3 of your other customers were today. I saw you joking with the 40+ year old who just walked out of your office, try to connect with me too.

+1. This.

[MikeAurelius]

Well, yeah, it kind of is insulting to me when I offer perspective on something and I'm ignored and have my generation generalized and insulted. No one responded to my post; they just kept on going. Quite frankly, the attitude of your post is probably the reason why so many "sweaty palms" are clenching money in your office. And, really, if someone wanted me to explain how I would be "converted," your post is quite the wrong way to go about it.

+1. Generational differences exist and refusal to even LISTEN to what they have to say is a guarantee that your business will start founder.

[Blunder Woman]

Like This?
Buck Up, Millennials

Sorry, it's a bit slow here. Deadbeats of all ages skipped their appointments today.

[ml43]

here's a thought.

Insulate your office to block out cellular signals, so they can't look-up things in your store.

It'll also make your employee's less likely to check their phones while on the clock.


You can blame the internet price match speech on large tech retailers like Best Buy, Fry's, RadioShack, etc...

Those companies know that large ticket items are not where they make money. They make money on batteries, cases, screen protectors, and other lower priced items.


There's a few ways to combat these types of spending habits.
1. Train your people to sell like used car salesmen.
2. Offer loyalty discounts(i.e. buy a year supply of contacts, get 20% off your next eye exam)
3. Raise your prices, then send out discount coupons(with terms)

Just a few thoughts, I'm sure others will have better ideas.

There must be something better to talk about than the differences between the generations in the United States.
This isn't a new problem. It's just different from the ones in the past.

[scriptfiller]

ml43

Blocking cellular transmissions can be considered a threat, specifically if there is no mention of such a system. Increasingly more people have ditched their land-line POTS phones and their cell phone is their only means to communicate. Being a parent it's imperative that I be notified ASAP if there's an emergency with my children or spouse. Some people make their living on those little boxes and time can be of the essence.

[edKENdance]

FWIW I've yet to have a millennial ask me anything about FFSV lenses or the companies that make them. They don't seem to know anything more about lenses then any other demographic. Same with coatings, lens indexes etc... So with respect to looking stuff up and researching it, I'm not seeing it.

[Boldt]

FWIW I've yet to have a millennial ask me anything about FFSV lenses or the companies that make them. They don't seem to know anything more about lenses then any other demographic. Same with coatings, lens indexes etc... So with respect to looking stuff up and researching it, I'm not seeing it.

You have to remember that to most people a lens is a magical shard of glass that helps them see. Even people with high RX's or progressives know almost nothing about their lenses. It's how people operate, we don't care how it works only that it does. Look at cars, computers, the net, the physics of how a plane flies, hell something as simple as changing oil in a car, I could go on and on. The general public is clueless about them.
Part of our job is to educate them and show what would be "best". It's very hard to research something you don't even have an idea exists.
That being said, Gen Me loves to research things at random. (Speaking as one here) I've had people in their 20's come in and be blown away by digital, ar, and different materials that lenses are made of. They cameback to pick up and blew me away with what they learned on their own. Try and plant the seed of interest and see what happens.

[Gizzo]

When the vendor/rep comes in, Pull out YOUR phone.

+1

[ml43]

ml43

Blocking cellular transmissions can be considered a threat, specifically if there is no mention of such a system. Increasingly more people have ditched their land-line POTS phones and their cell phone is their only means to communicate. Being a parent it's imperative that I be notified ASAP if there's an emergency with my children or spouse. Some people make their living on those little boxes and time can be of the essence.

you can block lte and 4g and leave 3G/edge alone

[WFruit]

The majority of our Marketing department is Milliennials.... And I'm now forced to say that I understand all of those Dillbert cartoons about Marketing Departments...

For Contacts, and those who said offer something that can't be found online, and those who say there's no such thing, this is why companies offer re-branded "private label exclusive" named contacts. And most, if not all, contact lens companies are happy to work with you to do so, since they make more money that way. So, if you offer "Laguna's Awesome Contacts," when they try to find them cheaper online, guess what, they're not there! Even if they are just re-branded Dailies Total 1....

Two last points:

1) Always be professional to ALL of your customers, and try to connect with them, regardless of their appearance. I know this is customer service 101, but it's too easily forgotten. It doesn't matter who they are, they've come to you for your professional help.

2) There are rude people in EVERY generation. Just as there are great people in every generation. The price match questions in the original post could have just as easily come from a 70~80 year old, and, in my opinion, would have been even more justified given that they're probably trying to live on a fixed income, and they could have gotten just as upset.

I'm honestly not sure what generation I'm in, nor do I really care (although I supposed it's a give away that I still refer to them as the Soviet Union, or sometime just "the evil empire"). But I'm pretty sure all generations would like to save money when possible, and price matching is one of the ways to do that. Getting upset and being rude about it when it doesn't happen isn't a generational thing, it's a person thing.

[Robert Martellaro]

The price match questions in the original post could have just as easily come from a 70~80 year old,

It's much less common, but I've seen older folks, union folk no less, sell out their neighbors and their country, just to save 5%. Most corporations will do the same for less.

[Tito]

There is a contact lens company in the UK that recently has openened office in the US ' SAUFLON ',they are FDA approved , their marketing strategy and policy in Europe was to onely sell contact lenses through eye care profesionals , and their contact lens solutions too,never sold in supermarkets or drugstores .
Although they were recently bought by Coopervision I don't know if they will keep this policy in the US .