IcareLabs Blog

Online marketing for your optical business has never been more important or easier than right now. Social media platforms are here to stay and have been one of the largest influences on our culture in the last 20 years. With all of the various social media services and tools available though, it can seem like a daunting task to market your business successfully even if you're familiar with the basics.

Luckily for you, IcareLabs is here to help! This blog will cover several of the best free and paid options to help ensure your optical dispensary has a great online footprint so your patients can easily find you.

Marketing your optical business in 2020 is vastly different than what it was even just 10 years ago. No, we don't have flying cars like The Jetsons quite yet, but almost everyone has on-demand access to just about any information they want 24/7.

So what does that mean for your optical? How do you make yourself stand out in the sea of white noise that is the Internet? We are going to take a look at 3 tried-and-true options to accomplish your 2020 optical marketing goals in this blog.

Point-of-purchase materials are a key factor in any optical shop to help drive sales. Usually referred to as POP, there are several varieties you can choose from.

No matter which type of POP you pick, they are almost always a net positive for your dispensary. One thing is sure though, if a patient doesn't understand how a product benefits them then they are considerably less likely to purchase it.

Let's take a quick look at the common types of POP and the best ways to utilize them to help increase your optical sales.

Here at IcareLabs we believe that every practice should have easy access to the resources they need whether they have an account with us or not. That's why we've redesigned and launched the new IcareLabs Resource Center. Your one-stop shop for all of your ECP and POP needs!

Transitions Gen 8 is now available and processed in-house here at IcareLabs. The first wave of the Transitions Gen 8 launch is underway and if you have not already heard about the advancements, we will breakdown exactly what you and your patients can expect from the latest in photochromic technology. 

Transitions Gen 8 technology will not only help increase your Transitions sales but also increase your patient satisfaction.

Kodak Lens now offers 2 options to help you upgrade your office and set your practice apart from the rest with one of America's best known brands and it's Kodak Lens Corner Educational Center or the Kodak Lens Experience. 

Take advantage of the solution that best fits your practice's needs while helping drive patients through the door and give them hands on point-of purchase materials that help them understand the benefits of various lens upgrades.

Let's take a look at both options so you can see what Kodak Lens can do for your bottom line.

Over the last few years, blue light protection has become one of the hottest trends in optical. Showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, we're being asked more questions from ECP's about all of the various options available for their patients.

There's a lot of things online and even commercials available that patients can find (even some misinformation out there too). So what blue light options will best serve your practice and your patients?

Following the breakout success of the Transitions Style Colors and Transitions XtrActive Style Mirrors and building up to the release of the new Transitions Gen 8, Transitions Optical has launched an exciting new Eyecare Provider (ECP) tool that can help your patients.

The Eyeglass Builder is a free website for your practice that can help guide your patients to the lenses and frames that will best fit their vision needs and lifestyle.

This pre-built website can even be customized with your practice's branding and contact information to help drive even more business through your doors.

Transitions Signature 7 lenses made leaps and bounds over Transitions VI which launched a new era of photochromic lenses for patients to enjoy. Now the new Transitions Gen 8 is poised to revolutionize the industry once again!

(As of July 10th, 2019 Transitions Gen 8's first wave has launched, CLICK HERE to visit our recently updated blog post featuring the availability chart and more!)

Building off of the massive success of last years new Transitions 7 Style Colours and XtrActive Style Mirror options, your patients will now have the latest technology behind their new favorite pair of glasses.

Coupled with Essilor's Next Gen program that will help increase your optical sales through second pair purchases, 2019 can be your practice's best year yet!

Let's take a look at the roll out:

We all know the end of any year tends to be one of the busiest times for anyone in the optical industry. It can get a bit crazy between the holidays and patients trying to cash in their vision plans before they reset.

Now that has passed, many practices are seeing their lab bills in a new light and most likely thinking about how they can lower that bill so they can increase their bottom line without sacrificing the quality products that their patients have come to expect.

Just like your New Year's resolutions, there is no better time than the first of the year to take an objective look at what your current wholesale optical lab is doing for you and if there is any room for improvement.