Optical Retail Marketing
The patient had a great exam. They loved you. They need new glasses. And then they walk out with their prescription and buy from Warby Parker.
This happens constantly. According to industry research, many practices capture less than half of their patients' eyewear purchases. That's revenue walking out the door—revenue you've already earned through the exam but aren't collecting.
Optical retail marketing isn't just about attracting patients from outside your practice. It's about capturing the patients you already have and maximizing the value of every visit. At MedTech Consulting, we help eye care practices turn their optical from an afterthought into a thriving profit center.
The Optical Retail Challenge
If you're struggling with optical sales, you're not alone. The industry has shifted dramatically.
Online Competition
Zenni, Warby Parker, EyeBuyDirect—online retailers offer low prices, convenience, and endless selection. Patients know they can buy online.
Big-Box Retailers
Costco, Walmart, Target Optical—patients pass these every time they shop. The convenience is hard to beat.
Insurance Complexity
Vision plans often steer patients toward specific labs and frames. Maximizing benefits sometimes means minimizing margins.
Commodity Perception
Many patients don't understand the difference between a well-fitted pair and a cheap online purchase. They default to price.
Capture Rate: The Critical Metric
Optical capture rate measures the percentage of patients who receive a prescription and purchase eyewear from your optical. It's the single most important metric for optical profitability.
What's a Good Capture Rate?
Industry benchmarks vary, but high-performing practices capture 60-70% or more of their patients. If you're below 50%, you're leaving significant revenue on the table.
Target capture rate for high performers
Why Patients Walk
- • Price perception: They assume online is cheaper
- • Selection: They don't see frames they like
- • Convenience: They'll "think about it" and order online
- • Time: They don't want to wait
- • Insurance: Their plan covers more elsewhere
- • Experience: The optical experience wasn't compelling
Each problem has solutions.
In-Practice Marketing
The most important optical marketing happens inside your practice. This is where you win or lose the sale.
Optimize the Hand-Off
The moment between exam and optical is crucial. Train providers to recommend specific lens types and explain why. A warm hand-off with a specific recommendation beats 'see our opticians about glasses.'
Create an Inviting Space
Your optical should feel like a boutique, not an afterthought. Good lighting, organized displays, and a welcoming environment encourage browsing and buying.
Train Your Team
Opticians are salespeople, whether they think of themselves that way or not. Train on product knowledge, needs assessment, handling price objections, and creating urgency without pressure.
Promote Second Pairs
Most patients need more than one pair. Prescription sunglasses, computer glasses, backup pairs—every patient is a multi-pair opportunity.
Digital Marketing for Optical
Marketing your optical externally expands your reach beyond existing patients.
Showcase Your Selection Online
Your website should feature your optical. Show frame brands, highlight your selection, and make it clear that optical is a core part of your practice.
Social Media for Eyewear
Glasses are fashion. Instagram and Facebook are natural channels for showcasing frames, sharing style tips, and featuring patients in their new eyewear.
Virtual Try-On
Some practices offer virtual try-on technology on their websites. This engages patients before they visit—though it won't replace in-person fitting.
Promotions and Events
Strategic promotions drive traffic and create urgency.
Trunk Shows
Partner with frame vendors for events that bring expanded selections, vendor representatives, and promotional pricing.
Seasonal Promotions
Back-to-school, holiday, summer sunglass season—tie promotions to times when patients are naturally thinking about eyewear.
Insurance Deadline Pushes
Many vision plans reset at year-end. Remind patients to use their benefits before they expire.
Bundle Promotions
Package deals (exam + glasses, or buy-one-get-one) can overcome price objections and increase average transaction value.
Competing with Online Retailers
You won't beat online retailers on price. But you can beat them on everything else.
Expert Fitting
Proper fit matters more than most patients realize. Online retailers guess based on measurements; you fit based on expertise. Poorly fitted glasses cause discomfort and vision problems.
Real Selection Experience
Browsing frames in person is different from scrolling a website. Patients discover styles they'd never have searched for. They can compare, try on, and see themselves in the mirror.
Lens Expertise
Online retailers sell basic lenses. You sell solutions. Progressive lenses, specialty coatings, occupational lenses—these require expertise to recommend and fit.
Adjustments and Service
When glasses need adjustment, online customers are stuck. Your patients walk in and walk out with perfectly fitted glasses.
Positioning Against Online
Help patients understand the difference: educate on lens quality variations, explain fitting expertise, offer service guarantees, and make price competitive where you can (and valuable where you can't).
Contact Lens Marketing
Contact lenses face similar competitive pressure from 1-800-CONTACTS and online retailers.
Annual Supply Programs
Patients who buy annual supplies upfront are more loyal and more profitable. Promote manufacturer rebates, financing options, and convenience positioning.
Subscription Models
Offer subscription programs where patients pay monthly and receive automatic shipments. This builds loyalty and competes with online subscription services.
Compliance Messaging
Annual exams are required for contact lens prescriptions. Use this as retention leverage—make it easy to return for exams, and make rebuy easy.
Specialty Eyewear Opportunities
Beyond basic glasses and contacts, specialty eyewear offers margin opportunities.
Sports & Safety
Higher-margin, less price-sensitive category
Computer Glasses
Blue light products meet patient demand
Pediatric Eyewear
Parents pay premium for quality and durability
Low Vision Aids
Service and revenue opportunity
Measuring Optical Marketing Success
Track metrics that reveal what's working:
Optical Capture Rate
What % of patients with prescriptions buy from you?
Revenue Per Patient
How much optical revenue per patient visit?
Second-Pair Sales Rate
What % of purchases include a second pair?
Annual Supply Conversion
What % of CL patients buy annual supplies?
Average Frame Price
Is it increasing or decreasing over time?
Inventory Turnover
How quickly are you moving frames?
Ready to Improve Your Optical Performance?
Let's talk about your optical operation and how we can help you capture more revenue and compete more effectively.