Market Insights: How loyal are consumers to their recent ECP or eyewear retailer?

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.

More than half of consumers are loyal to the location or retailer of their most recent eyewear purchase

In recent studies, the majority of U.S. consumers (61%) indicate they will return to the same location or retailer of their previous eyewear purchase. More than a quarter of consumers are uncertain if they will return to the same location.

There is little deviation from the national average among different age segments. The most loyal segment is comprised of consumers who have most recently purchased from an independent ECP, with 75% of those respondents indicating that they will return to the same ECP, highlighted in blue above.​

The segments most likely to switch retailers for their next eyewear purchase include consumers that do not have managed vision care or an optical subsidy, and consumers with up to $60K annual household income (AHI), highlighted in yellow above.

Q: When you make your next Rx eyeglass purchase, will you buy from the same location or retailer where you last purchased eyeglasses? *By location of last Rx eyewear purchase.
Source: The Vision Council VisionWatch COVID-19 US Consumer Study, 6/1–6/30/2020, n = 6,689

Saving money, local proximity to home, and avoiding larger crowds are the driving factors for switching retailers​

Saving money is the most popular reason among consumers for changing retailers for their next eyewear purchase. Consumers also want to stay close to home and will switch to a retailer located more conveniently to their home. They also indicate that they want to avoid larger crowds associated with retailers located in malls, shopping centers, and those locations with higher overall foot traffic.

Q: Why are you planning to change retailers when buying Rx eyeglasses in the future? Figures will not sum to 100%, because of multiple selections.
Source: The Vision Council VisionWatch COVID-19 US Consumer Study, 6/1–6/30/2020, n = 2,629

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.