This month, our Optometric Business Tracker data reveals that—looking at practice data for sales and exams—January 2020 was strong, and grew compared with 2019, but January 2021 was weaker than both.

“We expect to see significant growth starting in March 2021 compared to 2020, as so many practices were closed in 2020 due to Covid,” says Evan Kestenbaum, co-founder and COO of GPN. “Due to this anomaly, it’s important to compare not only 2021 numbers to 2020, but also include 2019 as a baseline comparison.”

With this in mind, The Optometric Business Tracker methodology and data presentation format have been updated for 2021.

METHODOLOGY UPDATE: Beginning in January 2021, the methodology of sampling has been updated to reflect traditional same-store sales year over year. As locations stop sending data throughout the year due to closures, sales, etc., they will be either replaced or removed completely from the sample for all prior years. Therefore, each month will have the same number of stores reporting.

This is different from the 2020 methodology whereas locations that closed, merged, or stopped sending data were left in the sample as the Covid-19 crisis had an impact on them.

➤ Read on for more must-know real-time data from GPN covering more than 2,600 practice locations across the U.S., served up in partnership with Eyecare Business. We are tracking practice exams, patient payments, and frame, lens, and contact lens sales from coast to coast on a weekly and monthly basis.

 

 

 

 

 » Industry data provided by GPN: gpntechnologies.com