What do independent eyecare practitioners want from labs? Having conducted our L&T Lab Usage Survey for many years, we can say with certainty that most ECPs are looking for great product selection, outstanding service, superior quality and education—and they want it all at competitive prices.

That may seem like a tall order, but remarkably, many labs routinely meet and even exceed these tough requirements. That’s why you’ll find that behind every successful eyecare practice is a top notch lab.

For L&T’s 2011 Wholesale Lab Usage Survey, we polled 148 respondents at independent locations to find out how they are utilizing the products and services offered by their labs. The results again illuminate the multifaceted role labs play and underscore their importance not only as suppliers of products but as true business partners for ECPs.   
—Andrew Karp

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Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011

Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011

Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011

Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011

Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011

Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011

Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011

Wholesale Lab Usuage Survey 2011



Topline Analysis
  • Over eight out of 10 (82 percent) locations work with more than one wholesale lab.
  • Forty-one percent expect to do more business with wholesale labs in the coming year.
  • Online is the method used most to order products. Telephone is the second most used method.
  • The factors that were rated “very important” in selecting a wholesale lab are based on the quality of services more so than the characteristics of the labs themselves (i.e., ownership). The factors in selecting a lab considered very important by most are lens surfacing quality (95 percent), lens finishing quality (95 percent), lens coating quality (93 percent), product turnaround time (89 percent), and quality of drill mounting (89 percent).
  • The majority of locations purchase spectacle lenses (89 percent) and surfaced lenses (74 percent) from their primary lab.
  • The services provided most often by the respondent’s primary lab were lens product information (95 percent), online ordering (90 percent) and technical support (86 percent).
  • Most labs that sell spectacle lenses offer online ordering; however, 62 percent of respondents have never sent in frame tracing data with an online order.
  • Only 38 percent of respondents have ever sent in frame tracing data with an online order.


Methodology

20/20’s Wholesale Lab Usage Survey 2011 was conducted during June 2011 by Jobson Optical Research’s in-house research staff. The sample of 148 respondents was derived from the proprietary Jobson Optical Research Database.

The 2011 survey was conducted via the Internet, and only eyecare professionals at independent locations (one, two or three affiliated practices) who use a wholesale lab for processing lenses or providing other eyewear products and services were qualified to complete the survey. Respondents to the survey were entered in a sweepstakes to win a $200 American Express gift card.

Three years of data is shown for trending purposes. The 2009 survey was conducted in September of 2009 via the Internet. 150 respondents at optical retail locations completed the survey and were offered a chance to win a $300 American Express gift card as an incentive. The 2010 survey was conducted in August of 2010 via the Internet. 272 respondents at optical retail locations completed the survey and were offered a chance to win a $300 American Express gift card as an incentive.—Jennifer Zupnick, Jobson Optical Research For more information or to purchase the complete 2011 Wholesale Lab Usage Survey contact Jennifer Zupnick at [email protected] or visit jobsonresearch.com.

—Jennifer Zupnick
Senior Research Analyst
Jobson Optical Research