Beyond The Brand

Welcome

What Makes Us a Good Partner?

Peter Friedfeld, Executive Vice President and David Friedfeld, President ClearVision Optical

"Good business relationships are based on several guiding principles: awareness of needs, consistent communication, responsiveness, and innovation. At ClearVision Optical, we take great pride in our customer-centric focus, which starts with understanding your needs and building an organization to serve those needs. Looking for a great relationship? Then, look no further.

1 We listen.

ClearVision consistently listens to better understand the changing needs of our customers. We pay attention to your feedback and adjust our business, product, protocols, and strategic plans accordingly. Every eight weeks, we dispatch surveys on a wide variety of topics, including queries about our own product lines and your views on service, the market, and more. We want you to evaluate how we're doing. Our goal is to continuously improve and serve you better. How's that for a business partner?

2 We communicate.

ClearVision strives to open up a healthy dialogue with customers through multiple outlets, such as "Outlook" (our quarterly newsletter), leave-behind brochures, email blasts, plus sales consultant and customer service follow-up phone calls. Our goal is to stay in touch with our customers and support them continuously.

3 We respond.

We train our staff and sales consultants to be responsive to you. To help them reach this goal, we developed a unique, in-house program called ClearVision University (CVU). This dedicated training center offers a top-notch curriculum and qualified educators. Courses focus on how we can better help and serve you. Each employee is in a learning environment 50 hours per year. We strive to better our employees and the ways in which they can help our customers.

4 We innovate.

At ClearVision Optical, the concept of innovation is respected and treasured. Our charge is to be a market leader and, thus, new thoughts and ideas from employees and customers are always discussed and appreciated. One example is our Fisher-Price^® Fit-Kit, a display system that presents the entire Fisher-Price frame collection plus bridge and temple parts in a friendly manner. It can service the entire newborn to six-year-old market.

Do you want a partner who listens, communicates, innovates, and believes in people? If so, you're in the right place. In the end, you can count on ClearVision."

The Foundation ClearVision founders Fred and Mimi Friedfeld speak out on blind dates, successful retailers, and Dubai Q: Where did the two of you meet? We met on a blind date in the ancient year of 1956—June 6th, to be exact. We got married that same year, on December 11th. Q: What do successful dispensers have in common? A desire to make intelligent choices in frame selection, a dedication to hard work, and, most importantly, a dream for a successful future. Q: What is your current involvement in the business? We are still involved and have the extreme pleasure of working with two of our sons. It's a parent's special delight to be able to sit back and see how extremely well the next generation has done. Q: What was your best recent trip? Dubai and India. It was like going into the future and coming back way into the past. Dubai's architecture is the most incredible we have ever seen. India was the most colorful country we have ever been to, but also one of the poorest. The people do not seem to mind because they smile all the time.

FACT
CVU is a dedicated classroom in ClearVision Optical's corporate headquarters, with 16 laptops available for hands-on instruction.

The Customer In Focus

DISPENSERS SHARE HOW THEY'VE INCREASED BUSINESS WITH CLEARVISION

Beachside Optometry

Located in Huntington Beach, CA, this successful optometric practice has been working with ClearVision for nearly 20 years. Manager/frame buyer Brad Shearer tells us why.

Q: Why did you choose to do business with ClearVision?

We have been carrying ClearVision products for about 20 years. I think we carry every one of their brands. They just have a lot of brands that fill our needs. You could actually take a company like that and pretty much put it throughout your whole practice. That makes it easy. We also have a great representative and it is so huge to us that we have just one rep handling everything.

Q: Why would you recommend ClearVision to other ECPs?

Relationship plays a big role in why I do business with companies. Sometimes you get companies that come in here and they're pushy. ClearVision is laid back and they have never pushed things on us; plus, they're very competent. You can tell this starts from the top and goes down—they just hire the right people.

The staff of Beachside Optometry (from left: Kevin Germundsen, OD, Anna Tran, Rochelle Nunez, Mary Tran, Brad Shearer, Jenny Castillo, and Monique Nguyen)

Spectrum Eyecare

In Jamestown, N.Y., this moderately high-end dispensary relies on ClearVision's products and BrandSpace™ philosophy to grow their bottom line. Manager/frame buyer Kathy Parsons shares her thoughts.

Q: How long have you been doing business with ClearVision?

We've been doing business with them for 20 to 25 years. They have a rep that is a gentleman and so on top of the game; he is always attentive to our needs. We are an office of 25 people, so that is no easy task.

Q: Does their range of brands serve your needs?

We are successful with their collections, including Izod, Ellen Tracy, BCBG, and Jessica McClintock. We probably carry pretty much their entire line, including kids' styles from Fisher-Price.

Q: Does the BrandSpace™ philosophy work for you?

That is something our rep is proactive on; he does a good job of recommending things that will work for us. There may also be a frame that he may say, "This is our Number One frame but it might not do well here." We appreciate this because some reps just say "You have to have this frame." That's not a two-way street.

Eye Associates of Orlando

This four-year-old optometric practice in Orlando has one third of their mix devoted to ClearVision products. Optician Lisa Salinas explains why.

Q: Why did you choose to do business with ClearVision?

We brought in the BCBG collection two years ago and just loved it. It did so well that we just kept expanding it and then we added in the Ellen Tracy line, which has also done extremely well.

Lisa Salinas

Q: Do you like ClearVision's range of products?

Yes, it definitely makes them appealing because they have the variety we need but at the same time we can deal with just one rep. We actually love our rep and she is very savvy to the BrandSpace™ concept, which is helping us grow our business. She is a good partner to determine the right products for us. We are on board with BrandSpace™.

Q: Would you recommend ClearVision as a resource for other buyers?

Without any hesitation. They have a strong family philosophy and they just treat people right.

Creating the Right Mix…Simply

WHAT BRANDSPACE™ CAN DO FOR YOUR BOTTOM LINE

Interested in learning more? Call ClearVision at 800-645-3733 for a copy of the business-boosting BrandSpace™ workbook.

Are you thinking outside the board? The frame board, that is. This traditional display format is what dispensers have relied on for decades to merchandise frames. But, does it work hard enough for your bottom line?

A profit-enhancing tactic called "BrandSpace™" is now emerging in the optical retail market–and it can actually help you better target your own customers' distinct needs.

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What Is It?

BrandSpace™ is the concept of selecting, displaying, and selling an eyewear brand assortment that is based on your dispensary's demographics. Because this brand array appeals directly to your dispensary's customer base, you will ultimately provide a better customer experience and sell more frames.

BrandSpace™ also represents the actual physical space within your dispensary where brands are merchandised with frames, P.O.P., and visual merchandising materials. BrandSpace™ creates a visually appealing and engaging environment that entices the customer to buy. In effect, dispensaries in different geographic areas will each look slightly different.

In the end, BrandSpace™ addresses frame merchandising issues; employing this successful philosophy will ultimately lead to higher customer satisfaction, greater customer retention, and higher profitability.

THE BENEFITS OF BRANDSPACE™

BrandSpace™ refines your assortment to reflect just what your customer wants, without duplications within a category. In addition, BrandSpace™ ensures the following: Increased sales. While 60 to 70 percent of all eye exams happen in an optical office, only 45 to 55 percent of frames are sold within that same office. Your BrandSpace™ will capture more customers with an inviting merchandising strategy and the brands your specific audience desires. Heightened customer experience. This can lead to more purchases. Increased turns. With the appropriate brand selection available from the start, customers will find the purchase process to be much easier. Fewer returns. Because the retailer is starting with the right brand array, returns become less frequent. More selection. Diversity in colors and sizes results in increased selection for your customer.

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Using Demographics

BrandSpace™ provides empowerment to optical retailers, who determine which brands are represented in their stores based on the demographics of current and potential customers. ECPs can even research their own demographics by using websites such as http://quickfacts.census.gov, the Census Bureau's info website for counties, cities, and towns. BrandSpace™ recognizes that within a demographic area, certain brands are highly desirable, while others are not.

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How We Got Here

Past theories in board space management included simply purchasing a specific brand from a sales rep. The rep would recommend what is most popular or a bestseller, without clarification of the retailer's specific needs. Eyewear reps would make an agreement with dispensers to manage a percentage of their board and then determine brand selections based on their own product lines. This tactic did not always consider:

■ The demographics of the dispensary's customers

■ What other brands are already within the office to avoid duplication

■ Visual merchandising within the office

■ Price structure or profit margins within the office

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Get Maximum Selection

The ClearVision Optical sales consultant focuses on successful retail strategies. They are fully educated on the nuances of each of our brands and can provide specific information on where (and why) each fits within a category, what brands compete against each other, and what pricing strategies work best. We can assist you in determining an effective BrandSpace™ strategy for your product, merchandising, and pricing, all of which will help position you for increased success.

dem·o·graph·ics
1. The characteristics of human populations and population segments, especially when used to identify consumer markets. 2. The statistical data of a population, especially those showing average age, income, education, purchasing history, etc.

4 Visual Merchandising Strategies

Selling frames is important business in the optical industry. In fact, the 2007 Eyecare Business Market Study indicated that frame sales account for about 23 percent of all optical retailers' revenues.

Frame sales can easily be supported and increased by savvy usage of P.O.P. materials and modern merchandising tactics. According to POPAI, the global association for marketing at-retail, P.O.P. marketing is growing in importance because most purchasing decisions are made in-store.

The first step to delivering an effectively merchandised dispensary is to employ the BrandSpace™ philosophy (see previous page), a retail-oriented strategy that inspires you to select the best brands for your customer and then maximize the power of those brands through merchandising. Anchoring your BrandSpace™ with merchandising will encourage sell-throughs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Want to learn more about BrandSpace™ or how to merchandise effectively? Check out www.cvoptical.com or call 800-645-3733 to order a workbook that delivers information on things like how to track sales or how to anchor your BrandSpace™ with P.O.P. and merchandising.

"Once you have your BrandSpace™ set up, what do you do?" asks Peter Friedfeld, Executive Vice President at ClearVision Optical. "The goal is to not just have it blend in on your boards. It's all about maximizing the potential of your brands."

Izod 382 is a sporty stainless steel and acetate combination (at left, top to bottom: gunmetal with hunter green and tan accents, brown with caramel brown, black with navy and gray)

Here, we offer four merchandising strategies that can help make your dispensary an inviting and easy place for customers to shop.

1 Deliver a Customer Comfort Zone

Modern merchandising trends resonate with today's consumer. "People are educated on what does and doesn't feel right in a retail location," says Friedfeld, who notes that fashion powerhouses like The Gap and Banana Republic are where consumers get exposed to progressive merchandising. "A space that is not properly merchandised now feels unfriendly." Approaching your frame boards with the BrandSpace™ concept can help with that. "Now, in this era of frame merchandising, the term ‘frame board’ is old hat," says Friedfeld. "Highlighting different brands with the right P.O.P. will make your environment more friendly."

2 Anchor Your BrandSpace™

BrandSpace™ is achieved by determining the best product assortment and brands for your customers–and bringing those into the dispensary. ECPs can delineate their BrandSpace™ effectively with the right P.O.P. and merchandising materials. "When you properly use P.O.P. to anchor your BrandSpace™, you maximize the potential for that BrandSpace™," says Friedfeld. Play up your products by highlighting and separating by brands as opposed to by the less effective method of displaying by "Men," "Women," and "Unisex." Today's customer is inspired by brands. Use this to your advantage.

ECPs rank store decor and merchandising high on the list of topics they'd like to learn more about.

3 Call Out Brands

Once you've separated products out by brand, utilize P.O.P. to anchor them. "This is the silent seller that reminds and reaches out to your customer about different brands you're carrying," says Friedfeld. "A lot of times, frames can just get lost without P.O.P."

The clear acrylic brand ID from BCBGMAXAZRIA is painted in tasteful hues; the Cole Haan brand ID exudes a modern perspective

Merchandising materials can easily be used to tie together the different brands the office has chosen as part of their BrandSpace™. For example, ClearVision Optical offers BrandSpace™ highlighters for each of the brands they offer. These special signs fit onto frame boards, acting as a brand ID plaque, so your products don't get lost in the shuffle.

4 Use P.O.P. Selectively

While P.O.P. can be extremely useful in calling attention to your brands, too much of a good thing can actually be bad. "You really don't want to clutter your office with a lot of this," says Friedfeld. "It's best to use it selectively." Choose the most appealing P.O.P. pieces for each brand, but keep the mix of merchandising materials to a minimum. You can also take a good look at your BrandSpace™ display before committing to another P.O.P. item that may not fit with everything else.

This 20″ × 30″ Ellen Tracy framed poster will turn heads; it features a stainless steel laminate frame with embossed Ellen Tracy logo

Essential Merchandising Tools

CLEARVISION OFFERS AN IMPRESSIVE SELECTION OF TARGETED P.O.P. THAT CAN HELP ECPs HIGHLIGHT THEIR BRANDED PRODUCTS–AND BUILD THEIR FRAME SALES

Brands are all about image and marketing. Efforts today focus on getting the message out about each product line's unique style and distinctive quality. Draw your customers' attention and get them excited about your frame products by using a select group of merchandising materials.

ClearVision has a stellar assortment of P.O.P. to draw attention to your brands and, in the end, serve your dispensary's needs. These essential merchandising tools can drive increased business and complement your BrandSpace™ philosophy. Some of these items are unique to ClearVision Optical, such as the brand ID markers, brand image light boxes, and special mirrors.

Cole Haan gives countercards a facelift and delivers a 9″ × 12″ graphic ID holder with a chrome frame and removable insert

FRAME BOARD HIGHLIGHTERS

Anchor your BrandSpace™ with image-enhancing brand markers that clearly show the customer where you have merchandised each brand.

COUNTERCARDS

This traditional marketing piece gets more sophisticated at ClearVision with a variety of brand-specfic options.

DISPENSING MIRRORS

A very useful item for any dispensary, a sophisticated, branded mirror can also inspire customers to check out frames from that line.

POSTERS AND MORE

Make a strong impact in your dispensary with a bold, oversized brand image.