CLINICAL

  optical

Bringing Online In-Store

Simplify the selection process with virtual inventory

DAVE ZIEGLER, O.D.

Picture this: You’re in the fitting room of your favorite department store and nothing you picked is the right color, or the fit is all wrong. You crack the door and see an empty hallway; no attendant to help. The thought of making another sweep around the store is exhausting, so you leave, disappointed and empty-handed.

This scenario happens all the time — even in your optical. Frustrated patients leave because they can’t find the right frame in the right color. To combat this, Bloomingdale’s employs “smart” fitting rooms with wall-mounted tablets that are connected to its inventory system, allowing the customer or a store associate to scan the item and find which colors and sizes are in stock. What can we learn from this?

Building a virtual inventory

As I mentioned last month, our optical offers fewer styles — we call them our “All Stars” — in a variety of colors. But even with fewer SKUs, we don’t display all the colors available for each of the different styles. So, with Bloomingdale’s solution in mind, our practice created its own virtual inventory.

I built a photo booth in our office that has a rotating platform and professional studio lights and recorded high-definition videos that are perfectly color-balanced. These 360° rotating videos show frame colors more accurately than the vendor’s website or printed catalog.

When our frame reps visit, we simply make videos of all the colors in the 10 “All Star” styles we offer and create a digital file for that company. When a patient tries on a sample frame and wonders what other colors are available, we can show exactly what the frame will look like on a 27” iMac with retina display. The image is three times larger than the size of the frame, and the video can be stopped and started to show its coloration from any angle.

Offering a virtual inventory blends the advantages of the physical space of our office with the online shopping experience. It also gives the patient what he/she is looking for: the assurance that the frame fits by trying it on in person with the expanded online options. Further, it differentiates our practice as one that takes retailing to the next level. You, too, can do this easily at your office by setting up a tripod and recording still or video images.

Upgraded buying experience

More than ever, we need to transform the buying experience for our patients to match what they are seeing at other places they shop, so they’ll stick with us. The co-channeled approach of an online-offline retail experience will keep you on the cutting edge of retail trends. OM

DR. ZIEGLER IS A SENIOR PARTNER AT ZIEGLER & LEFFINGWELL EYECARE IN MILWAUKEE, WISC., AND A FELLOW OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPTOMETRY. E-MAIL HIM AT DAVEAZIEGLER@GMAIL.COM, OR VISIT TINYURL.COM/OMCOMMENT TO COMMENT.