PERRY BRILL, GENERAL MANAGER at Brill Eye Center in Mission, KS, was looking for something new to base the practice’s marketing effort on, and knew that having new brands always generates more excitement than just saying you’ve got a refresh. Always one to shy away from typical optical business plans, he hit on a novel concept.
THE IDEA
Tired of brands wanting 30-plus-piece orders, he decided to try bringing in micro-collections of 10-20 pieces every month to create some email and direct-mail hype. He wanted experience with more brands quicker than his usual once-every-six-months, large brand buy. “A retailer should always have a flavor of uniqueness. Restaurants have seasonal menus and opticals should have seasonal eyewear. Give patients a reason to visit based on product assortment rather than discounts,” Brill says.
THE EXECUTION
To curate a micro-collection of eight to 15 pieces, Brill says, connect with “ma and pa” frame vendors, who he says are just happy to have representation of their eyewear in any city. The easiest way to find these vendors is to go to Vision Expo, find the smaller booths and ask their minimum purchase. “Don’t expect the booths to be fancy!” he says. “Just observe the eyewear for quality and personality before making judgments. Most people will be super transparent and love your idea of creating seasonal collections.”
Brill says a small micro-collection should cost between $500 and $3,000. So far, he’s been impressed with the number of luxury or quasi-luxury brands that let him dabble with smaller orders. Being in the Kansas City area, he says, “It’s pretty easy to have exclusivity, with everyone selling bread and butter.”
The small collections now represent 10 percent of his inventory, which he figures is about right, as he wouldn’t risk going deep into the more obscure pricey stuff anyway. “I’m okay if it doesn’t sell quickly since the investment was slim.”
Micro-collections that have worked well for Brill include:
- Ethnicity: “Asian and global fitting with acetate built-up pads and special wider temples. Don’t need a ton of frames but enough to tackle difficult-to-fit. Opticians need to up their game with fitting standards. The moment you solve frames on cheek issues — patient for a lifetime.”
- Lucas De Stael (shown): “Ultra luxury for the high rollers and lover of texture and design. Made of leather, stone or cork. Retails for $1,000-plus.”
- Sospiri: “Ultra luxury for the fancy woman who wants to shine — literally. Most jeweled frames are tacky; these are classy. $1,000-plus. People that want jewels want it! They will go find it if you don’t have it.”
THE REWARDS
Brill says the main benefit of ordering micro-collections is they give you a reason to engage with patients via social media and email. In such a competitive environment, and having access to great independent collections, it’s fun to test the waters with new product all the time, he says. And from a patient perspective, Brill believes that when they walk into an office they always want to see something new. “Carrying the same branded collections is easy, but having lots of collections gives patients choices and a tour around the world of independent eyewear. My optical is used to rapid change and every optician always wants to show what’s new.”
Do It Yourself: Micro Order Luxury Frames
- PRIDE OF PLACE. Label an area in your optical with catchy signage that says something like: “New season eyewear, feel invigorated.”
- DON’T SWEAT THE… “Don’t think too hard,” says Brill. “If the frames are bad sellers, the risk was low and you don’t need to worry about returns.”
- HAVE FUN. “Go funky, always!” is Brill’s motto. This is your time to try wacky new inventory you would never go 50 frames deep in.
- TAKE YOUR TIME. The key to selling such frames is sitting the patient down, explaining to them the brand story and frame characteristics.
- GET THE WORD OUT. Inform your patients you have something cool and new in stock. “Thank goodness for email campaigns,” says Brill.