If you are a business owner or someone who owns an Optical Store, then breathe deep down, as this article may just be a saviour for you! Yes, the era will affect your business if you do not discard the old traditional ways and keep ignoring the digital transformation era.This article is an outcome of 100% facts picked from many interviews and Q&A’s with experts knowing the inside of both online and offline business models., medical and surgical careEra of Transformation has disrupted many business owners who were not able to adapt to change, and here are a few examples:1. CDs, DVD players, they ruled for more than a decade but soon they were replaced by players like WeTransfer and Dropbox.
2. Cassettes, Music boxes were replaced by iPods and eventually phones.
3. Wired Headphones, earphones were replaced by Air Pods and earbuds.
Similarly, I feel the need for transformation is near for the business model of Optical Stores.
First, let’s know the history of the products which are the stars of an Optical Store, followed by the Do’s & Don’t.
EYEGLASSES
One of the most known medical devices, Eyeglasses.
They are devices consisting of glass or hard plastic lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person’s eyes, typically using a bridge over the nose and arms which rest over the ears.
Back then these devices were used only for vision correction, but today eyewear frames are used as styling, personality showcasing, along with its medical uses. In India, Eyeglasses were the most ignored devices as they never looked smart as they always had that nerd bulky look with thick lenses. But surely, times have changed today, thanks to the increasing demand and technology.
LENSES
Back when eyewear was first invented, all the lenses were made of glass. Back then, you must have heard of not more than 2-3 types of lenses but Fast forward to today, and you’ll find lenses are offered in a variety of materials, with a variety of coatings available. For every specific use, you have a lens option today which altogether makes it easy for the consumer to make an appropriate choice!
CONTACT LENS
Leonardo da Vinci is frequently credited with introducing the idea of contact lenses in his 1508 Codex of the eye, Manual D, wherein he described a method of directly altering corneal power bysubmerging the head in a bowl of water or wearing a water-filled glass hemisphere over the eye.
Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons.
SUNGLASS
Sunglasses or sunglasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They were also popularly known as SUN CHEATERS.Now, let’s talk about the optical stores which hold all of these for you.
For centuries, It has been a tradition for the customer to visit the optical store, get the eyes tested, and look for the best fitted desired device after trying an array of collections and draining the salesperson, lol. It is a process that a buyer has to go through before buying anything for their eyes.
But today, due to digitalization, like every other industry, Optical Industry is experiencing change too, which can be brutal enough in the long run.
The internet is accommodating this industry at a rapid pace with innovative software like AR, exciting price reduction offers, selection process from the comfort of your home, refunds and exchange policies, and to top it all, extended services like eye tests at home.
How can the Internet put a hole in a traditional business style?
Yes, it can do anything, here are some of the qualities and disciplines, online sellers have in common which are implemented consistently:
– Extensive R&D
– Selection Quality of the products
– Timely payments to suppliers or manufacturers which helps them get better rates and good services
– They solely play on their funds rather than using the credit of their suppliers
– Marketing consistency for lead generation
– Ease of reaching the customers through marketing strategies
– SEO integration & many more…
After their attractive and convenient services, the customer is ought to be lazy and prefers buying online rather than going to the stores.
So, does that mean the future of offline stores is doomed? Definitely not!!
But surely the shop owners need a revamp in their business model be it with independent or multiple branches…
Here are 8 things to follow to be unaffected of any such circumstances and to attract, maintain more customers which you should implement immediately if you are an Optical shop owner.
8 Things to follow:
- Dismiss the old strategies of working on supplier’s money by taking long credits from them. It is now predictable and old fashion. People have become smart and such actions will only lead to blacklisting your shop. In fact, Start repaying them sooner than they expect which will build relation based on trust
- If the daily walk-ins are affected then, start reaching your customers through WhatsApp, Facebook, and other similar platforms which will give you access to your customers directly
- Don’t play safe by keeping regular colors, models in your products. Take Risks, and start selling new and unique models too which the millennials or young generation wants
- Start offline marketing like newspapers, hoardings, BTL activities, earn revenue by letting new suppliers market their brands, etc. and slowly develop it
- Develop feasible discount offers for your customers to be attracted to buy from you
- Please add value to the products which you are selling, by pricing them fairly as per quality. As today the industry is transparent and it is easy for the customers to know whether they have been cheated in terms of quality or price
- Respect your suppliers, as they are the backbone of your businesses, if they stop selling to you, whom will you buy from?
- Keep learning about the domains you don’t understand, As growing with the trends in necessary
- Your only mission should be to improve as many eyesight’s possible, Contribute and help communities to decrease the no. of eye problems in India
It will be my pleasure to serve the eyecare community with many such articles. Do let us know your recommended topics to be written about, at siddharth@nowyouseeme.in
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