Insights From Our Editors

How Many Plano Sunwear Sales Do Independent Opticals Lose?

Independent opticals, including those inside optometric practices, may want to step up their promotion of plano sunwear, findings from The Vision Council’s VisionWatch December 2014 Plano Sunglass Sales report suggest. For the 12 months ending in December, sales of plano sunwear in the US accounted for $150.5 million in sales at independent opticals, compared to $1,519.9 million sold at sunglass specialty stores. Drug/grocery/mass/warehouse clubs accounted for $696.3 million in plano sunwear sales, while optical chains generated $225.3 million in sales, and $159.5 million in sales were made at sporting goods stores. Some $33.1 million in sales in plano sunwear occurred at flea markets/street vendors.

How many plano sunglasses did patients buy in your practice last year?

Drilling down into The Vision Council’s VisionWatch December 2014 Plano Sunglass Sales report, we see that independent opticals were last on the list for total sales of plano sunglasses last year. Here are the numbers in chart form from top to bottom.

Looking at where the majority of plano sunglasses are sold, it is not in independent opticals. Why? What do sunglass specialty stores have that most independent opticals do not? Here are three things to consider.

Branding and Marketing
In most independent opticals, there is a wall of sunglasses. There is no differentiation. There is no obvious branding. There is no obvious marketing. There is simply a wall of sunglasses.

Contrast that with what you see in sunglass specialty stores. There is clearly differentiation. There is signage showing the potential buyer enough recognizable name brands to make them feel comfortable that what they need is here. There is obvious marketing so that individual sunglasses, especially ones that are different, are highlighted. Sunglasses are a primary thought, not a second thought. Sunglasses are front and center, not hidden in the corner.

Total number of sunglasses shown
The minimum number of sunglasses you display should be at least 20 percent of your total number of frames. More is better. You must show the patient you are serious about sunglasses. How many sunglasses you display shows your level of seriousness.

You can enhance this by having your optical laboratory give you stickers that you can put on clear lenses on your frame board that state that this frame can also be made into sunglasses. Find ways to convince patients you are serious about sunglasses.

Staff trained to help patients buy sunglasses
In most independent opticals, staff has been trained how to take the appropriate measurements, but have they received the appropriate sales training? Do they know how to make an assumptive sales presentation? Do they know the most effective order of presenting the dresswear and the sunglasses to patients (hint: sunglasses should always be presented first)? Have they been trained to effectively handle the top five patient objections to purchase? If not, you now know what you need to do.

Managing these three areas that sunglass specialty stores do well will increase the number of sunglass purchases in your practice this year and every year going forward.

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