A sunwear trunk show in the parking lot in the practice where Andrew Bruce served as optician. The practice was able to significantly expand its sunglass inventory thanks to proactive efforts to increase sunwear sales.
Increasing sunglass sales in optometry practices
By Andrew Bruce, LDO, ABOM, NCLEM, FCLSA
Oct. 16, 2024
Sunglasses are often seen as a trendy, fun-to-wear fashion accessory.
Yet, somehow, many optometry practices struggle to sell as much sunwear as they would like.
Here is how our practice generated an additional $17,000-$20,000 annually in sunwear sales, and how the combined efforts of our team promoting prescription sunwear resulted in it accounting for approximately 25 percent of our total prescription eyewear sales.
Trained all Staff on Visual & Eye Health Benefits of Sunglasses
We trained all staff members to be able to communicate the benefits of investing in premium quality sunglasses, and to talk about them with every patient.
In addition, we made sure all staff had a basic understanding of the different types of sunglasses available – tints/ UV protection/polarized /photochromics, and how they differ.
This training required only a minimal investment in time: perhaps, 15-20 minutes during monthly office meetings, ensuring all staff stayed current and well-informed. And we required new employees to go through a few hours of basic training on sunwear, starting them on the right path.
When allocating time for training during staff meetings, I assigned the task of presenting such training to different opticians, on an alternating basis. This served to reinforce their personal knowledge, while also sharing it with others.
This training was well worth the time investment because our patients became more well-informed about the importance of investing in premium quality sunglasses. Also, our patients’ impression of our office and staff was enhanced – that of a well-informed team.
Results: Our team was so effective communicating the benefits of premium sunwear that our Rx sunglass sales grew to account for approximately 25 percent of our overall Rx eyewear sales, over a two-year period.
Devoted 20-25% of Frame Inventory to Sunglasses
We started by having a dedicated display wall for sunglasses, with signage, and, over time, expanded the sunglass inventory to include branded lines such as Ray-Ban and Maui Jim, in brand-supplied display cases.
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Initially, I brought in sunglass lines that allowed for a retail price averaging $100 (wholesale $40-$50) using keystone pricing (2x). Accordingly, based on my total frame inventory at that time, and an initial purchase of approximately, 70 sunglasses, the initial investment totaled approximately $3,000.
As eyewear sales, in general, increased, it became financially possible to increase my total frame inventory, as well as add more high-end sunglasses, including premium-branded products like those previously listed. And of course, our increased sunwear inventory resulted in increased sunglass sales, both Rx and plano.
Results: In fact, over the course of approximately two years, our sunglass sales became so profitable that we were able to grow our sunglass inventory from 70 to over 300. And as indicated, the increase in additional eyewear purchases generated approximately an additional $17,000-$20,000, annually.
Over time, our office gained a reputation as the “go-to” location for premium quality sunglasses. Accordingly, our patients benefited from the features provided by such quality eyewear.
To establish your practice as the “go-to” location for premium quality sunglasses in your area, I recommend the approach that worked for our office: start small with economically priced sunglasses, and then build upon its success.
Got Doctors to Talk About Sunglasses with Every Patient
Getting the doctors onboard to talk about sunglasses with every patient and “prescribe from the chair” played a major role in our practice’s success selling sunglasses.
I met with the doctors, regularly, just for 10-15 minutes, and encouraged them to write multiple Rxs for each patient – one for each recommended pair. For example, #1: full-time dress pair, #2: Rx sunglasses, #3: office lenses, etc.
To that end, I recommend scheduling monthly meetings between the opticians and doctors, first thing in the morning, prior to the office opening and patients arriving. Again, the meetings don’t have to be lengthy – just 10-15 minutes.
Doing so promotes open communication between the primary eyecare providers in the office, and ensures that everyone is on the same page. When effective communication exists between the doctors and opticians, everyone benefits; most importantly, the patient.
Results: Since patients rarely deviate from what the doctor orders, when the doctors recommend sunglasses, more patients will make the investment and reap the visual and eye health protection benefits of premium-quality sunwear.
From my experience, when the doctors wrote multiple Rxs, including one for sunglasses, it was generally a done deal – the patient rarely chose not to fill them.
Andrew Bruce, LDO, ABOM, NCLEM, FCLSA, is a 2024 Contact Lens Institute Visionary. He is a licensed master optician and contact lens fitting specialist in Vancouver, Wash., and founder of ASB Opticianry Education Services. To contact him: asbopticianry@gmail.com
