Competition in the eye care industry is only heating up with more online retailers. But what makes them so successful? Well, other than a seemingly endless stream of money, it’s the patients.
Patients are looking for something new and better. We know online retailers aren’t necessarily better, but can you blame patients for trying? They like the low prices, online shopping and simple buying experiences. Meanwhile, these large competitors are making sure you can’t provide those things. That way, they can step in and set appointments for patients at their own practices.
Reward patients with modern buying experiences
So what is a modern buying experience? For most consumers, it’s a buyer journey that includes an online store. Now is about the time when you may start thinking, “Well, count me out.” ECPs don’t have online stores. They have to find other ways to compete for patients, right?
Actually, an online store is well within your reach. However, first let’s take a look at why they’re so important.
Shopping starts online; but it doesn't always end there
Even when customers buy at brick and mortar stores they’re usually shopping online. What do we mean by that?
It’s a phenomenon called preshopping and chances are you’ve engaged in it as well! Studies consistently show that shoppers are settling into this sort of buying habit. Two-thirds of consumers do their research online before shopping in store, according to the Retail Dive Consumer Survey.
Think about recent in-store buying experiences you’ve had. Did you just wander into the store without a stitch of research beforehand? Probably not. Chances are when you’re planning on buying something you check it out online before making the purchase.
Look no further than Warby Parker trying to win over preshoppers
Warby Parker is an online retailer. However, they’re continuing to expand their brick-and-mortar presence. That’s because they recognize eyewear buying habits and are going to where the final transaction often occurs: in person!
“But we don’t care where that final transaction occurs,” Neil Blumenthal, Warby Parker’s co-founder and co-CEO explained. “And we’ve still found more than 70% of our customers are browsing and shopping and interacting with us on our website and on our app before they transact with us.”
Warby Parker is opening dozens of new brick-and-mortar stores to give patients the buying experience they want. On the other hand, you already have the brick-and-mortar store. All you need is an eCommerce solution. Luckily, adding Optify is much easier than opening up dozens of new locations.
It’s a fact: Even if patients do plan to buy in store, they like to first do their research online. So, the question becomes this: Why let your patients do their eyewear research on a competitor’s website?
Anagram + Optify: A better buying experience
Rather than let your patients visit corporate competition for preshopping research, you can set up your own store! And not only that, but now iECPs can also offer the sort of buying experience that no one else can—whether in store or online.
It all starts with Optify. Optify is here to help you provide your patients with the optical experiences they deserve. The sort of purchasing journeys they’re looking for when buying anything from sneakers to a car. With Optify, you can offer similar online buying experiences through your own optical.
How exactly does Optify do it? Optify is an e-commerce platform built for ECPs by an optician which provides a modern online store for their inventories and provide patients with better buying experiences. With Optify you can sell the inventory you already own and fulfill orders with your existing labs!
The HIPAA-compliant eCommerce platform helps you build an essential part of the modern buying experience. But you can do even more to keep patients coming back to your practice. Now you can take improving patient purchasing experiences one step further with Anagram Prosper!
With Prosper you can instantly send rebates to patients’ devices through the Anagram platform. ECPs can use the Anagram platform to check whether eyewear is eligible for a rebate through Prosper and deliver that rebate to the patient with just some basic information.
Building Prosper and Optify into the buying experience
With Optify your optical inventory is online for your patients to browse for researching or buying! Building Prosper into their online buying experience is a simple but effective way to capture more online sales and bring more preshoppers into your optical.
When transactions are completed you can find them in your Optify dashboard. Using your Optify dashboard and Prosper, it’s a simple process to verify whether transactions are eligible for a rebate and then use the purchase information to instantly send that rebate to the patients’ device as long as patients provide either their email or phone number.
Because online transactions can come at any time, it’s important to build some buffer into these purchase rebates. Let patients know ahead of time that rebates for eyewear purchased online will be delivered in 1 to 2 business days. Rebates for eyewear purchased in store, meanwhile, can be delivered right away. That gives patients incentive to research on your website and then visit your optical, where you can use Prosper to help capture more second pair sales!
A perfect pair for your independent practice
When it comes down to it, if you’re looking to increase optical sales and provide patients the best buying experiences they can find, then Optify and Prosper are for you.
Patients can purchase online or preshop before visiting your optical shop, and when they complete their transactions they’ll come away with new eyewear and cash back in their pockets! It’s an unrivaled buying experience for patients that not even the big corporate competitors can match.