Practice online optical?

[DanLiv]

Does anyone have experience with setting up and online optical as an extension of your brick and mortar? I would love to have an online store where customers can browse my inventory (and ideally everything I can get access to even if not in stock) before visiting, and even have a place to direct a few remote clients I have to help them shop with me. I know it can be done as a custom solution or a heavily modified Shopify, but I'm not looking to go into it super heavy, just as a modern online adjunct to our brick and mortar business. There used to be several companies specializing in this for optometry, even Essilor once offered a service, but they all seem to be gone except Optify. Optify looks nice but their onboarding and monthly fees are high, I would have to put regular effort into ensuring incremental sales of online eyewear to offset it, and I'm not ready for that commitment.

Does anyone have options I haven't thought of or don't know about? Thanks!

[Prentice Pro 9000]

I have been involved with one optical that did this especially well. Best eyewear in Washington DC &amp (georgetownoptician.com)

You will need photography equipment and the time to do this (you could grab images from the company's websites, but that can cause issues with sizing and consistency.). I would not recommend doing your entire inventory since that would be a headache, but maybe some of the highlights. If you know your way around building websites then this should not be hard. But if not, you can provide somebody with the images you've taken, have them set everything up, and make it so that you can take over on the backend and upload or take down inventory as you like.

What is your current website?

[KrystleClear]

You can purchase a service for this from Frames Data. It (I think) links with your software and has all the product photos from the manufactures and everything. If the frames aren't in the Frames Data catalog, however, you would need to supply your own photos. I believe they call it My Frames Gallery or something akin to that.

[DanLiv]

Thank you Krystle, I knew there was another one out there I was forgetting.

[CME4SPECS]

Why don't you just disclose that it is you! No need to post in multiple threads!

[Ming_LA]

Hi Dan what features would you want as an online extension of your brick and mortar?

[brucekrymow]

https://www.optiboard.com/forums/sho...store-for-sale ?

[Elvis Is Alive]

We use Optify. It allows pt's to browse our frames prior to their appt and make selections that we have waiting for them when they come in.

After the appt is booked, we send out an email encouraging them to "preshop" with up to 5 selections.

Enough patients have purchased the frames picked out that the cost and time saved has been worth for us.

We have made a decent amount of frame only sales outside of our area using Optify as well.