Here are my office's:
1. More free-form single vision
2. Get AR from 50% to 66%
3. Develop and apply "lens packaging" concept
4. Present better quality frame options first in each category
5. Relentless pursuit of interesting and market-segmented frame inventory
Can’t go wrong there. Though retail does do FF, they don’t do full customization and digital measurements (to my knowledge, correct me if anyone knows better). This is still a very good and demonstrable point of differentiation between private and retail optical. And since you aren’t edging or using stock lenses in your practice, your cost difference between standard and FFSV is low and converts into an easy premium.Originally Posted by drk
#3 will make #2 happen. If you want to start your packages out tiered with the ol’ “good, better, best”, even your good entry-level ought to have basic AR.
Yes. Most customers, especially those coming from lower-end retail, don’t even know amazing frames exist. They think everything is like RB except the designer brand stuff that is just more expensive. Show them the best first and explain why it’s better. Most will agree, and even if they don’t at least now they know and next time may be interested in improving their eyewear experience.
Great project! The only benefit of desirable brand names for private optical is to convert shoppers into buyers because they see something they desire. The best way to capitalize on that is with a lot of traffic. If you have a retail-like location with window displays, you can do well with the big brand names. If you have mostly exam traffic, you don’t have to lure the shoppers with shiny RBs, you already have them as your audience and just have to show them how great what you have is.
I like that last part.
I've always relied (as a stodgy optometry office, even though we really aren't) on brand names to demonstrate to our patients that "we have the good stuff". I have a pretty great number of patients who trust us for all aspects of vision care, including optical. Maybe it's partly due to our ability to "look hip".
But some of those brands are pretty lame-o. We'll never give them up as "cred-builders" in this "office" setting, but I hope to be able to offer some stuff that would make a boutique nod and say "uh, huh...".
Other than providing superior service, carrying good quality frame lines that others around you do not carry will keep patients coming back too.
This is one of my optical resolutions too, to bring in something boutique that we have never had before. I have good lines, but we do cluster too heavily at a medium price point, and my "high-end" is only Silhouette, OVVO, and Tom Davies. Not cheap, but not luxury. I think I'll meet with Kering, as people around here seem to like their stuff, and I can get access more luxury brands than I can handle through just one rep.
Get that AR up to 90-95 percent. Your patients deserve it. If you're talking stock grinders, they're inexpensive enough to get these days that it shouldn't be much of a change at all in terms of COG. It's a better lens in every way, and it's a no brainer if you have pt's with scratching / cleaning difficulties in the past at all. Personally, I wouldn't even begin to worry about digital lenses until the AR is a lot higher myself. It will have a lot more visual impact, and that all important wow-factor than any digital design will. Pt's can immediately see it, and appreciate the benefit.
As far as frames go, I looooove telling patients we don't carry the local Lens Crafters fodder, and respect them enough to carry other brands that are far superior, at a similar, and some even lower cost. That's the way to make patients for life, and minimize remake potential too. Helps your bottom line, and frees up your time to spend on everything else it takes to keep the office humming like a finely tuned machine!
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