The Vision Council's new report assesses eye care providers' frame buying habits

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A new research report from The Vision Council took a deep dive into how eye care providers source and select eyeglasses frames for their practices.¹ Focused inSights 2024: Frame Buyers assessed who makes frame purchases at practices, how often purchases are made, and where products are sourced, in addition to the choices that eye care providers make about styles and the materials of frames that they purchase most often, according to a news release.

“The findings from this report, developed in collaboration with Eyecare Business magazine, reveal that eyecare providers are strategic in balancing patient preferences with inventory constraints in the curation of frames sold at their practices,” said Alysse Henkel, vice president of Research and inSights at The Vision Council, in the release. “Customer preferences and historic sales, such as the popularity of square and rectangular frames, influence frame buyers’ decisions, even if they would like to sell more unique styles from boutique brands. Overall, the report underscores the key trends shaping the eyewear market and offers a roadmap for suppliers to better align with provider and customer needs.”

The survey for the report was conducted by Eyecare Business magazine and The Vision Council from July to August 2024, with 282 eye care providers participating in the survey. Interviews were conducted online with Qualtrics. Results from the survey have a margin error of +/- 5.8% percentage points.¹

In terms of inventory updates and frame board capacity, the report found that 78% of providers display between 200 and 1200 frames on their boards, with 70% of providers updating their inventory quarterly. For the inclusion of new styles, 73% of providers reported that their inventory is refreshed with new frames every 3 to 6 months. Frame boards are typically comprised of 80% ophthalmic frames and 20% sunglasses. Additionally, most frames are sourced through in-person sales representatives, with providers prioritizing cost effective options across all price segments.¹

For preferred frame styles, square and rectangular frames “dominate” inventories, comprising an average of 53% of available styles, according to the release. This is due to these styles being the most popular among providers’ patients. Additionally, although 40% of providers prefer boutique brands, large corporate and licensed designer brands make up over half of inventories.¹

For the full report, visit The Vision Council’s Research Download Center.

Reference:

1. New research from The Vision Council explores behaviors of eyewear frame buyers. News release. The Vision Council. January 7, 2025. Accessed January 15, 2025. https://thevisioncouncil.org/blog/new-research-vision-council-explores-behaviors-eyewear-frame-buyers