It’s time the optical industry adds an all-new line of product that’s designed for a new generation of customers. this new generation of customers does already exist out there but for unknown reasons, we have not recognised and catered to yet.
Yes, we can now have an all-new optical product line. If you like, we can call this product line ‘vanilla glasses’ and count everyone to be its customer.
First and foremost, Vanilla glasses are not for those customers who visit you for their vision correction. Not even for those customers who buy sunglasses only as protection from the glare of the sun and wear them only during day time. Vanilla Glasses instead are for all of them plus a new generation of customers who do exist and outnumber all of them put together and in multiples. Those who want to look good and can look good wearing it. Those who have not been told to wear it as fashion add on to them.
And, mind you.. this in no way hurts your existing customer base. That customer base is and will be there intact.
Wearing a Vanilla Glass as daily wear matching their clothes can become a part of a new fashion statement in the coming days. In short Vanilla glass should become an everyday fashion accessory for people. Just like a watch or a bracelet or the jewellery and other fashion add ons like ties, jackets, footwear etc. they wear to look good and better. Frankly, this is not a new concept. Celebrities and fashionable young men and women are using this to add to their style sense already. We have to tell everyone to wear it. That’s the job in hand for us.
VANILLA glasses are just plain and ready to wear glasses with fashion quotient elements in good measure and in attractive designs that could add to the personality of the wearer.
Now, do you think it is too difficult to make this a common practice? Here’s is how easy it is to start this category here and now and explore the potential eventually.
To start with, every optician can create his own collection of Vanilla Glasses using his own experience and personal creative skill.
Create a new collection of Vanilla Glasses using some of your own stocked frames that have some cosmetic value. All you have to do is get these frames fitted with plano, blue cut, tinted and transition lenses and proudly display and promote them as your new offerings in addition to your sunglasses collection.
Create a good promo of your collection and share in your own locality and with your existing customers. This being a generic collection you can also send your salesmen to customers’ doors to showcase them. Rest I leave it your imagination.
The potential of this new category becoming big business for the optical industry is huge. I wish the whole of the optical community understands this and explores this possibility.
I spoke about this in one of the recent webinars where I was invited to participate as a panellist. I am not an optician nor a wholesaler or manufacturer of optical products and couldn’t talk much on the technical business aspects. I took the opportunity to put forward this thought briefly. A few participants sent me messages agreeing with my thought but in their mind, it was not easy. So this can take shape and become fruitful for the industry only if this is taken in a big way collectively.
A big requirement in making it successful is to promote Vanilla Glasses at the consumer level in a big way. The optical community should look at promoting itself and the wares they sell in the same way how every other business and products are promoted. Newer media solutions including print, digital and social or even electronic may have to be used for this. You can trust FourPlus Media to come in here in your support. What it needs here is the spending power of the industry for this. With customer base getting huge and business getting better who wouldn’t mind spending a part of their profit to make this possible?! It is not something to worry about here but to willingly join hands and take the optical business to its potential level.
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