Displaying and Merchandising

You have carefully selected your frame inventory and now you need to show off those frames. The proper merchandising or displaying of your frames is so important. Right away your frame inventory just looks different from other places. It's part of your story. Merchandising is a combination of everything you do to promote your products once a customer is in the store. So, in your case, once a patient is in your new practice or in the optical. 

Here you will see an example of two completely different looks. These are two different practices and I know this only shows a small area of the display, but notice how they each are free of clutter and well-organized. Really allows these practices to highlight their frames, no clutter. And here's another example of merchandising. I love the concept of shelving to display and merchandise frames. You can move them around to adjust your inventory number and still make it appear that you have plenty of selections. It's really easy to tell a story of your frames with this type of display and merchandising. Here's another example of a beautiful office and another option of frame displays, but the purpose of showing this to you is to really illustrate the beauty of the office and these pictures don't really do it justice. The teak wood from the reception wall that you see is carried through and sort of an archway to the optical area. It was really well done and then I walked over to the frame bars to take a closer look and my heart sank to my toes! notice the paper tags for pricing and product information. They are fixed to the bridge with a plastic loop. It cheapened the entire presentation and took away from the beauty of the office as well, in my opinion. So, while this isn't exactly merchandising, I never wanted to see a client making that decision again and that is why I'm discussing it here with you today and showing you this example. 

So, I'll circle back to the beginning of this course, it all makes a huge difference in how your office is perceived the minute the patient or the shopper walks in your doors. Okay, just checking to make sure you are still awake, but here's an example of I guess somebody's idea of merchandising. But just don't do that. 

Let's jump ahead now to the eyewear delivery. There is so much opportunity to make that last interaction with the patient really special and so much opportunity is what we often see. Sharing with you here some best practice ideas. First, is really understand your lab's turnaround time, so that you don't over-promise and under-deliver to the patient. Second, schedule appointed pickups, so that would be eyewear pickups. Something for you to think about, but it's really great in the beginning when doctor you might need to be the one available to do the delivery of the eye wear, going forward you could schedule pointed pickups for more challenging prescriptions, big prescription changes, patients that always seem to have kind of a challenge with adjusting, learning how to use their new eye wear, so the scheduled appointment pickups are an idea. Also helps you to control the schedule. Increase the patient's perception of value when you're delivering that eyewear. Patients are so so excited about their new glasses. Be excited for them. Start the fitting and adjustment, the delivery off with an affirmative statement. Something that is just positive, a positive statement about their glasses. And then throughout the delivery process you and your team need to treat that patient's eyewear respectfully. So, create a special presentation for this delivery, providing the case, cleaning cloth, and bag. I'll show you some pictures. So, here's an example of a lovely presentation of the eyewear. A direct contrast to what we often times see where the glasses come out in the plastic lab tray. And there's a purpose for those lab trays, but that is to keep everything organized in your optical area and your little lab, but not to bring out that patients very special, new pair of glasses. So, look at getting some type of a presentation tray. We’ll look at a couple more pictures here. Bags, there's your cleaning cloth, you can see a little chocolate, just making the presentation really special. And here's another example. Just really well done to make that pair of glasses feel really special to your patient, to the person picking up the glasses. So, a completely different presentation tray. I believe this practice found something locally, like at a farmers’ market, so that was really fun to be able to incorporate something locally. But just bring those glasses out on that tray, sort of like the jewelry presentation. So, just make it really special. Additionally, creating that experience means spend some good time on this process; don't rush that eyewear delivery. I understand there might be patients waiting, other patients waiting, but spend some time teaching the patient how to use their new lenses, talking to them about their new glasses, making sure that you adjust them properly, follow up with the patient. I think it's really a nice thing early on for your practice when you have the time to give every patient a call in ten days to two weeks and just ask them how are they loving their new glasses. Let them know that you're here for them if they need anything. Again, this just elevates the image of your practice in the eyes of the patient and showing that the entire way through this process that you care about them and what a great last impression to give. 

So, anyway just some ideas there you can see another picture of more branded bags. I really like that and there's lots of resources, you saw them on the previous slide, but gosh, it’s yours. Make it your own, get creative, you don't need to spend a lot of money on those bags, but just really great branding. Those bags go home and they're usually reused. Maybe they go to the office with lunch and so other co-workers see them or if you're in a walkable area and someone picks up their eyewear and maybe they go next door to do some more shopping or to a restaurant or something like that and just what a great way to get you're really cool image and brand out to other people. Great marketing.