Glasses as a Gift
’Tis the season. How can your practice profit from the holiday spirit and get a share of the $932 that Gallup reports the average American is expected to spend on gifts this December?
To help, here are several ways to help make sure the season is ho-ho-ho instead of ho-hum for your practice.
Tip: “Add small holiday gifts to your eyewear displays…People tend to notice and buy the one thing that doesn’t belong.”
IMPULSE BUYS
According to creditcards.com, 75% of consumers purchase impulse items over the holidays. You can benefit by placing your own small impulse items at the register. Then make sure staff members are sporting wearable ones and that they know how to promote them. According to Retail Training Services, “When a customer says, ‘Just looking,’ staff should reply with, ‘If you are looking for a great gift idea, you should take a look at this!’”
WHAT + WHERE
The best place to display small holiday items is near the register. They could include eyeglass and contact lens cases, eyewear chains and cords, cleaning kits and pocket magnifiers, readers, and sunglass clips. Pre-wrap chains, pins, etc., put them next to the register, and promote them as perfect for everything from stocking stuffers to hostess gifts. Then add some local flavor to the mix, by displaying and selling small crafts or jewelry made by local artisans.
Cleaning supplies may sound a bit boring, but they can be good holiday gifts. Stock up on holiday kits, often featuring a bag, cleaning cloth, and a bottle of cleaner. Another option? Offer a decorative, 1-ounce bottle of cleaner…and to keep them coming back, offer free refills with those bottles.
Don’t forget gift certificates. Many shoppers are understandably hesitant to purchase eyewear for others, but they want to give family and friends the opportunity to pick eyewear themselves. To accommodate, buy some cool cases and put a gift certificate inside each one.
PRICING + POSITIONING
Don’t limit your display of holidays goodies to the register area, however. “Add small holiday gifts to your eyewear displays, as well,” suggests Travis Reed, president of Creative Visionary. One reason, explains Reed, is that “People tend to notice and buy the one thing that doesn’t belong.”
What about price? According to Bob Phipps, known as The Retail Doctor, “The average consumer has about $40 in their wallet when they go shopping, so price points like $9.99, $14.99, and $19.99 are the hottest targets for impulse buying.”
Have you tried placing holiday goodies near the register? Tell us what you’ve done, if you’ve wrapped it, etc., and share in the conversation on Facebook here.
Erinn Morgan
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