Market Insights: How likely are consumers to return to physical eyewear retail stores?
The Vision Council serves as a leading resource for the most comprehensive optical industry research, fielding surveys on a regular basis to monitor attitudes and behaviors among consumers, industry member companies and eyecare professionals. Below is a snapshot of compelling data from the research team’s recent studies.
Nearly 70% of consumers indicate that they will likely return to physical eyewear retailers after COVID-19
In recent surveys, most consumers report that they are likely to return to physical brick and mortar optical retailers and optometry offices to try on and purchase eyewear. Nearly a quarter of consumers indicate that they are not sure or that it is too soon to tell, while only 8% say they are unlikely to return to physical optical stores.
Age, vision insurance coverage and recent channel activity influence consumers’ likelihood to return to physical stores
Consumers 35 years or older are more likely to return to physical stores than consumers 18–34 years old, with a higher percentage of older demographic age segments reporting a likelihood to return than the national average for all adults. A greater percentage of consumers with managed vision care or an optical subsidy indicate they are likely to return compared to those consumers without. And, not surprisingly, more consumers whose most recent eyewear purchase was from an independent ECP or corporate retailer indicate they are likely to return to physical stores compared with recent online eyewear shoppers.
Q: After the COVID-19 crisis is over, how likely are you to return to a brick and mortar physical eyewear retailer to try on and purchase eyewear? Figures will not sum to 100%, because other answer options removed. *By location of last Rx eyewear purchase.
Source: The Vision Council VisionWatch COVID-19 US Consumer Study, 5/1-5/15/2020, n = 5,028
Consumers want PPE, safety precautions, sanitization and social distancing protocols to be comfortable in stores
Most consumers want to see additional safety and protective measures in place before going back to a physical optical stores to make a purchase. Specifically, 41% of eyewear shoppers want retailers to sanitize any eyewear before they try it on at the store. Equally large numbers of consumers want retailers to limit the number of people in the store at any one time (38%) or to have retail employees wear PPE gear like facemasks and gloves (37%).
Q: Which of the situations below would encourage you to visit, try-on and purchase eyewear from a physical brick and mortar retailer? Figures will not sum to 100%, because of multiple selections.
Source: The Vision Council VisionWatch COVID-19 US Consumer Study, 5/1-5/15/2020, n = 5,028
The Vision Council’s latest webinar is now available for download. Presented by The Vision Council’s research team on May 21, the presentation provides an updated view on consumer, member and eyecare provider sentiment and behavior based on recent study results.
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From consumer opinions to optical market reports, The Vision Council offers hundreds of industry studies for free to members as well as exclusive access to custom research projects. To learn more about how industry research and analysis can drive your business forward, contact Nathan Troxell at ntroxell@thevisioncouncil.org.