What, specifically, are the challenges and opportunities for Rx Sunwear business given our current economic climate and what is predicted for the economy going forward?
Of course, due to the current economic climate, consumers are watching their budgets.. Rx Sunwear is typically a second pair sale, which can significantly contribute to overall sales. However, there are four factors that will continue to benefit the Kaenon Polarized RX Sunwear division, even in this uncertain time - Quality, Luxury, Performance and Managed Care.
Quality never goes out of style. Particularly in this difficult economy, a consumer wants to know that every dollar he or she spends will result in products that will exceed their expectations and last a long time. Quality is value – especially in today’s tough times. Even if a product is relatively expensive, it is always less expensive to buy 1 high quality Rx sunglass that exceeds expectations instead of having to buy 2 Rx sunglasses that fall short of consumer expectations (because the first pair of lenses delaminated or the frame disintegrated). This is an advantage that Kaenon Polarized has with our proprietary SR-91® Rx lenses which are guaranteed for life against delamination, cracking or splitting.
Luxury Sunwear continues to be in demand with designer / fashion frames – particularly if you can offer your patients innovative Rx solutions such as Kaenon’s SR-91® Polarized Lenses. Luxury is enhanced - not sacrificed – with Kaenon’s fashion-forward frame designs and our SR-91 Polarized Lenses.
For those consumers who are in need of High Performance Sunwear for work or play, compromise is not an option. Kaenon’s SR-91 lenses uniquely feature unparalleled optical clarity, feather-light weight and impact-resistance. With offering high performance lenses and sports enhanced frames, patients are willing to pay extra for the extreme. Whether your patient is seeking the right equipment for golf, sailing, fishing, cycling, etc … Kaenon’s Hard Kore Frames and SR-91 Lenses with Flash Mirror Coatings allow the athlete in all of us to shine through.
Managed Care benefits are being utilized more than ever before. Do not discount your patients, they want to use their benefits of their managed care program but they want fashion as well as performance. Offering High-End Sunwear with the best add-ons will enable your patients to utilize their benefits towards sunwear that they really want.
What should ECPs keep in mind about your company’s involvement in/dedication to Rx sunwear?
Kaenon Polarized has been around since 2001 and we have been dedicated to bringing Independent Eyecare Practioners the most technologically advanced sunwear in the industry with the clearest optics, our patented 1.56 Index SR-91 lens material, proprietary polarized film, and lenses available in SV as well as Freestyle™ free form lenses. Kaenon’s frames are tailored to all walks of life - from Extreme Sport Athletes, to Fashion Designer Frames and Everyday Wear!
Which specific categories of Rx Sun lens products – polarized, high-base wraps, PALs, single-vision, mirror coatings – or others you’d like to mention – do you feel offer the biggest ‘upside’ business opportunity for optical retailers and ECPs this year? Why?
Polarized Lenses- Good quality polarized lenses are a key element in Sunwear for safety, comfort, performance and clarity. Regardless of price, high quality product that delivers unique performance benefits will be the best value to any consumer. Kaenon Polairzed believes that its SR-91 lens is uniquely positioned to deliver this type of high quality value and exceed consumer expectations; therefore, offering a large potential for upside business opportunity with optical retailers and ECP’s.
SV and free-form PALs- Options for all Rx wearers in SV and PALs in the most technically advanced lens free form designs. Kaenon’s Freestyle™ free-form progressive is specifically designed to optimize prescriptions in high wrap lenses (8-base and 6-base).
High-base Wraps- Most sports and luxury frame styles are in 6 and 8 Base Wraps. This gives the consumer the best coverage in lens protection and in style.
Mirror Coats- For Sports Enthusiasts.
In which of your company’s specific product lines are you putting the most sales and marketing support during 2009? Which products and programs are ongoing from 2008 and which will be new?
At Kaenon Polarized, we see a large opportunity to expand sales of our unique SR-91 Rx sunwear products. In plano or Rx form (SV or Freestyle free-form progressive), the consumer will experience the best possible vision in a lightweight and impact-resistant polarized lens that is guaranteed for life against delamination, cracking or splitting. This unique Rx lens is available in any of our branded Kaenon frames (direct from Kaenon Polarized) OR Kaenon Polarized SR-91 Rx lenses can also be ordered from our select lab network to be edged and mounted into any frame in virtually any base curve.
What can you review with ECPs/optical retailers about how you are managing your Kaenon RX Sun programs?
More than ever before, for a brand to be successful it must put forward strong customer service dedicated to supporting sales of a product that has been proven superior to its competition. Kaenon’s SR-91 lens has been proven in the laboratory (Colts Laboratory testing) and on the field of competition in a variety of professional sports including PGA / LPGA Golf, Major League Baseball, Sailing, Mtn Bike / Cycling, etc. Unique product available nowhere else. Superior lens technology that has been verified by science and validated by sport. Uncompromising quality in plano or Rx lens applications. Value at any price. This is what Kaenon Polarized offers its ECP / optical retail network. This is how Kaenon Polarized is working with our ECP / optical retailer to distinguish his / her practice from all the rest.
