Taking fashion-forward approach key to maintaining profitable optical shops
Optical shop and trend specialists track what patients want in eyewear, and explain why an inventory of the year’s fashionable styles is a must for competitive advantages.
Take-Home Message: Optical shop and trend specialists track what patients want in eyewear, and explain why an inventory of the year’s fashionable styles is a must for competitive advantages.
By Rose Schneider, Content Specialist, Ophthalmology Times
When it comes to building a contemporary inventory of eyewear in the dispensary, maintaining a fashion-forward optical shop is
“Customers are looking for what’s fresh and new,” said Joy Gibb, ABOC, president of Eyes of Joy Mobile Optical Service, Woods Cross, UT. “If all you have in your (frame) boards are the same styles and colors that you did when they bought their last pair, they will quickly go somewhere else to buy something different and fun.”
Fortunately, many resources are available for eye-care professionals (ECPs) to keep their dispensary inventory on top of the latest trends, Gibb said.
The Vision Council, she explained, offers several informative websites (Eyecessorize.com and Eyecessorizeblog.com) as part of its campaign to increase awareness of the fashion and lifestyle aspects of eyewear.
Fashion shows-such as the Vision Expo meetings-are also opportunities for all professionals across the eye-care spectrum to see upcoming color schemes, materials, shapes, and styles that will be hitting frame boards in the near future, she noted.
Frame representatives are another excellent resource to utilize, she said.
“They will see color palettes and designs that will start to trend,” Gibb explained. “A good representative will work closely with companies to have that information available to their accounts as soon as they can.”
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