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Transitions Names Costco Optical Winner of the 2018 Canadian Retailer of the Year Award

Transitions Optical honored Costco Optical with the 2018 Canadian Retailer of the Year title, a category of the Transitions Innovation Awards program, during a recognition ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at Transitions Academy 2019 in Orlando, Fla.

“Not only did Costco Optical create numerous unique training materials in order to educate their staff on the benefits of Transitions®lenses, but they also set a new benchmark in their stores that exceeded the Canadian national average for the sale of Transitions lenses,” said Drew Smith, director, North America Channels, Transitions Optical. “We congratulate Costco Optical for their continuous efforts to advocate for the Transitions® brand, and proudly honor them as Canadian Retailer of the Year.”

Eugénie Robinson, optical assistant general merchandise manager at Costco Canada, accepted the award on behalf of the retailer at Transitions Academy.

“This past year, we really targeted our messaging to patients by providing the information in an easy-to-digest way, which I think truly propelled us to the top,” said Robinson. “We are very excited to be accepting the award for Canadian Retailer of the Year and partnering with Transitions Optical in the future.”

During Transitions Academy, Canadian Retailer of the Year finalist Iris was also recognized for their commitment to Transitions brand and improving customers’ vision.

Photo: Costco Optical was awarded the 2018 Canadian Retailer of the Year title.

Click HERE for the full press release.

Experience Trendsetting Eyewear Retail Locations with Vision Expo’s New Guided Store Tours

Vision Expo East and Retail Store Tours™ are proud to introduce exclusively curated guided retail store tours available to attendees from March 2024. These tours will offer attendees an inside look at how eyewear retailers drive traffic to their stores, leverage the latest technology, maximize their store experience and set themselves apart in several of New York City’s world-renowned neighborhoods.

With access to three custom-made tours, attendees can choose the tour that’s most relevant to their optical business:

  • Madison Avenue: Bespoke Luxury + Customization
  • SoHo: Innovation + Personalization
  • Oculus: A New Lens on Retail

As the epicenter of luxury, Madison Avenue tours provide the ideal location for timeless and trendy concepts that push boundaries of taste across product categories. Discover design and retail modernizations that are intended to stand out from highly visible international and niche brands in the high touch experience Madison Avenue stores offer their discerning clientele.

SoHo tours will explore visionary business innovators and savvy re-inventors as they redefine themselves and launch new brands along the iconic cobblestone streets. Experience revolutionary eyewear retailers and hidden treasures as well as the best practices for designing product displays, services, technologies and crafting the right atmosphere for your brand.

Inside the Oculus, witness how this destination is transforming downtown shopping with cutting-edge design, sales associate training and innovative experiences. With pop-ups, flagship stores, iconic retailers and online brands, the Oculus offers attendees a diverse array of retail modernization and optical innovators to explore.

The retail store tours can be added to attendee’s Vision Expo experience during the registration process for a separate fee of $160, each. Attendees that have already registered for Vision Expo can add the tours to their existing registration by visiting VisionExpoNY.com.

For tour times, dates and registration information, click here.

To register for Vision Expo East 2019, visit VisionExpoNY.com and be sure to follow along on all of Vision Expo’s social media channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Transitions Style COLORS Exceed 2018 Sales Expectations

In 2017, the Transitions Academy presentation made a major pivot, positioning the brand as young, hip and stylish– no longer Grandfathers’ Transitions.  The message was highlighted with the announcement of new Style COLORS and light-activated new Style Mirror options as well fresh new creative to reinforce the brand’s lifestyle attributes.

Optik Magazine reported the event and attendee’s enthusiasm for the new Transitions brand message and Style colours. So, how have things progressed over the year? 

Patience Cook

At this year’s Academy, held in Orlando February 3-6, Patience Cook, Transitions Director, North America Marketing, was obviously pleased to report that Style COLORS had achieved substantial month over month growth from the July launch to year end, achieving 175% of the full year forecast in just 6 months.

While 2018 Transition Academy message focused on two new technologies planned for 2019, GEN 8, and Acuvue Oasys with Transitions 2-week contact lenses, the Transition’s lifestyle brand image continued to resonate throughout the event.  

“Light Years Ahead”, the 2019 Transition Academy tagline echoed the positioning of the GEN 8 version with superiority claims in the functional attributes of photochromics lenses. Acuvue Oasys with Transitions bona fides were validated by the product’s selection by Time Magazine as one of 2018’s Best Inventions.

Last year’s enthusiastic response to the new Style COLORS appears to have been predictive of the 2018 results. No doubt the Transitions brain trust is looking forward to presenting continued positive results in 2020 from Style COLORS and the new technology offerings. 

Acuvue Oasys with Transitions Light Intelligent technology will be available to order on April 1 in Canada and Transitions Gen 8 is expected to be available in the summer 2019.

Related Posts

Transitions Academy Review 2018

2nd Annual Canadian Frame Study Reveals Opportunities and Threats

The results of the second annual Canadian Frame Market internet study, jointly conducted by VuePoint IDS and Jobson Optical Research are now available. The 2018 study, building upon the inaugural research conducted in 2017, reveals that Eye Care professionals are choosing to be more selective and do business with fewer frame suppliers.

The distribution strength of the top players shows signs of weakening compared to the previous year.  Only 2 of the top 10 companies showed gains in distribution. Among frame suppliers with 20% or greater door penetration, few (11%) showed a year-over-year increase in distribution.

These results indicate that Canadian ECPs remain open and willing to list new frame suppliers that fulfill their most valued attributes but are being more selective in their choices. 

The study provided insights on 38 Canadian frame suppliers on 28 different market attributes including perception of product quality, customer service, sales rep service and more.  For the first time, the study probed Canadian ECP’s attitudes towards firms with and without a Canadian-based customer service and distribution presence and identifies specific issues experienced in dealing with suppliers not based in Canada. 

The study identifies which companies are perceived to potentially gain or lose business over the next 12 months. Suppliers with a predicted net business gain/loss in 2017 had a moderate positive correlation with the 2018 actual results. 

The report also includes a Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) for the leading suppliers in the Canadian market.  The NPS is a robust measure of company or brand loyalty by customers familiar with the brand and is widely-accepted as a proxy measure of revenue growth. 

Companies competing within the Canadian market, evaluating the market for entry and/or considering major strategic changes in their approach to Canada, will find considerable value in the results.

The study is available for $995 US or $1195 CDN. 

For More information contact:

David Pietrobon, VuePoint IDS
dpietrobon@vuepoint.ca

226.780.6871 x 5111  

Or
Bill Scott, JOBSON
bscott@jobson.com

Specsy: Creating Your One of a Kind Spectacles

Specsy’s innovative, 3D printed custom frames are made from nylon through a Selective Laser Sintering 3D printing process. Your patient will have a futuristic experience beginning with a 3D scan of their face to create a one of a kind Specsy 3D printed nylon frame.

Available in a rainbow of colours, custom crafted, made uniquely to fit their facial proportions. Specsy creates the perfect frame fit and a spectacular pair of glasses every time. 

specsy.com/

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