Sponsored by eyeOs
By Linda Conlin, ABOC, NCLEC
We all have discerning friends who seek out quality products that fit their lifestyle choices. Just such a group of friends inspired the idea for eyeOs Premium Readers. Sam Kotob, the founder and designer of eyeOs eyewear, describes a gathering on a summer afternoon with friends enjoying a selection of fine wines. The glasses are swirling, and one of the friends pulls out a pair of drugstore readers to look at the wine bottle. Sam, a 30 year optical veteran and frame designer, is appalled. The friend expresses frustration with the lack of availability of quality and stylish readers; this initial spark ignited Sam’s imagination, leading to the creation of eyeOs.
Make no mistake—there is a premium readers consumer who doesn’t want to settle for drugstore readers. They appreciate quality and style, and are fiercely loyal when they find a brand they love. The premium readers market is growing, and ECPs who understand this consumer are capitalizing on incremental sales and repeat business from this multi-pair customer. A large part of this market segment comprises the same consumers who use their managed care insurance to purchase their annual or bi-annual prescription pair of eyewear. Recognizing this fact is essential so that you don’t force these consumers to go elsewhere in search of stylish readers of the same high quality they get in their prescription pair. Optical practices that understand and benefit from this market niche happily report their premium readers customers buy multiple pairs repeatedly throughout the year. The Vision Council market research reveals that 74 percent of readers wearers own more than one pair, and 48 percent buy two or more pairs every five to seven months. In addition, 87 percent of readers sell through brick-and-mortar retailers. And retailers will see a couple of sharp spikes in sales as patients use up their flex spending dollars on premium readers.
According to a recent survey by 84.51°, a Cincinnati-based retail data science, insights and media company, 56 percent of shoppers surveyed said saving money is their top financial resolution for 2023. Still, getting value for the money spent is also a priority. eyeOs caters to the “quality but at a value” customer and has done so since its inception. The founder and designer Sam Kotob started his optical career working for a high-end white glove optical retailer established in 1896 that carried on the tradition of fine opticianry as a honed craft with a high standard of excellence. He was mentored by master opticians who nurtured his love of optics and taught him to recognize and appreciate high-quality frames and designs. This retail establishment offered only the finest eyewear and lenses, and with each purchase, the eyewear was presented like fine jewelry. This experience and owning two high-end optical boutiques influenced his decision to produce the same high quality he learned to appreciate as a young optician. But his experience as a retailer strongly influenced his decision to offer quality at a price point that helps the ECP fill a gap in their retail inventory. With this in mind, eyeOs frames are available to the ECP as frame only for their prescription eyewear customer, and eyeOs also has an Rx program that lets ECPs offer the same quality and value to their prescription customers. Some online retailers realized there was a vastly underserved segment of the market looking for affordable high-style eyewear, and savvy ECPs utilize eyeOs to meet this same demand.
Not Your Average Readers
What makes eyeOs readers premium? Rivaling the best for quality and style: eyeOs are made of Mazzucchelli zyl, the same acetate used by top brands. In addition, their new Pure Titanium collection is made with hypoallergenic pure titanium temples and frame fronts milled from a single sheet of 1.8 mm Japanese titanium. eyeOs Pure Titanium features a robust hinge and flexible temples. All eyeOs lenses are prescription-grade decentered, mid-index lenses with a premium AR coating, scratch-resistant coating and hydrophobic coating, all covered by a one-year unconditional scratch warranty for a one-time replacement and two years for manufacturer defect. eyeOs is not only made with premium frame and lens materials but is also available in polarized, photochromic, BlueBuster lenses and so much more.
eyeOs sets an unprecedented standard in distinctive reading eyewear. eyeOs style and quality reflect the lifestyle of successful, confident people who seek out the better things in life. View the complete collection at eyeosoptics.com. In an upcoming Pro to Pro article in the April 20/20 issue, learn the reason behind the skyrocketing demand for eyeOs BlueBuster lenses.
