Magic Design - Optical Designs

MORE than METAL RODS by M. Furman, MAGIC DESIGN MAGIC SPEAKS

What’s HOT in eyewear merchandising are metal frame rods. They are sleek, ingenious and well-engineered, and address today’s need for frame systems which are easy on the pocketbook, easy to install, and easy to load and lock merchandise (Click on “Visual Dynamics”).

The flip side of the coin is that it is also “easy” to back-burner tried and true principles of store merchandising when using these nifty rods. What I see happening to many optical dispensaries is the tendency to design the store around the rods. Professional and novice designers alike see the rods as the new definition of “modern”.

I went to one “re-furbished and refreshed” mall recently and found two big name optical retailers sporting metal rods in a rectangular format surrounded by like rectangular cabinets and tables with chairs, which were square-cornered and cushion-free. The only memorable difference between the two locations (even though one was a sunglass only location) was the choice of colors for the walls. The feeling from both décor was cool, contemporary and uncomfortable!

I do not recall seeing the store logo. I also found that same instant “rod décor formula” in an independent practitioner’s dispensary located in a quaint, old world, ethnic neighborhood on the outskirts of San Francisco. Does the shoe fit?

Display is a marketing tool. The question one should ask in regards to any display, be it a display on a shelf or total store re-do is: Does my new display effectively represent who I am and what I stand for in service and merchandise to my patients and customers. With the metal rods, I recommend giving them personality…YOUR personality! And hand in hand, the personality of your frames should be addressed. Locking frames up behind bars separates them from their end-user. Cy Furman, our design director, says that there is not a single frame system, metal, plastic or glass, that can stand alone without the support of engaging signs, alluring graphics and entertaining displays.

TIPS for Selling Sunglasses by M. Furman, MAGIC DESIGN MAGIC SPEAKS

Make you sunglass department a feature area in your dispensary.

Too many of us see sunglass sales as something we do “on the side”. Consequently we often see a sunglasses displayed unceremoniously on a back wall or on a generic rotary frame display.

If you want to make a difference in your bottom line sales of sunglasses, you must make a difference in the way you show your sunglass merchandise.

Create a “sunglass boutique” area in one corner of your dispensary. Use wood flooring or other complementary floor treatment to set apart this “boutique”. If you have the space, build a small in-store kiosk or “sunglass island” in your dispensary. If you do not have the space, a display pedestal or shelf area in a cabinet my become your new “sunglass department” in the dispensary.

Tell a story with your sunglass display. Keep your display simple and focused on one selling point. If you are promoting sunglasses for UV protection, your sign over your display may read “UV and You” and an appropriate simple-to–acquire prop to display next to your driving glasses might be a miniature sports car.

Break up the monotony. If you must show a lot of inventory, spice up repetitious display with a “spot display”. An intriguing display prop, a designer name plaque, or a poster can be your tools. Statistics prove that the item most likely to sell is the one that is highlighted in a display.

Do it your way! We all know everyone basically have the same merchandise and accompanying P.O.P. material. Keep an eye open as to shat your local department store or competitor is displaying and promoting. Try not to go head on head with other retailers. Keep you merchandise presentation unique and special.

Security is a factor in sunglass display. Name brand eyewears are most likely to walk. If you can display your merchandise under glass, with assistance required for customers to access the eyewear, that may be you best protection. If that is not feasible, then servicing your customer attentively may give you the security and surveillance you need to protect your merchandise.