CLICK Tracks New Online Connections

Soon, you can directly connect with CLICK "live" and in person.

Please “Save the Date” for our first-ever CLICK Conference, a special session designed to help ECPs and optical retailers learn more about social media and the Web.

The CLICK Conference, which will be sponsored by Hoya Vision Care, will be held 8 a.m. to 10 a.m on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas just prior to the opening of International Vision Expo West. Leading Web experts and ECPs will share what’s shaping today’s online success stories. Space will be limited at the Conference, so mark your calendars now! We’ll be posting more details and speakers very soon!

Catch up on CLICK which offers a one-of-a-kind perspective and useful info! We are now coming to you twice a month! Learn from dozens of stories, tips and interesting ideas in the easy-to-access archives of CLICK at www.visionmonday.com. Have you tried something new on your website or launched a special social media campaign? Tell us about it and we'll consider it for an upcoming feature in CLICK.
—The Editors

Social Sun Helps Sunglass Hut Connect
To Both 'Brick' and 'Click' Customers

MASON, Ohio—Technology is enabling consumers to experience sunwear purchasing in many new and different ways. At Sunglass Hut (SGH), a proprietary interactive retail concept called Social Sun allows consumers to try on sunglasses, take pictures of themselves, add clever captions and share images with their friends via Facebook or email.

The retailer, which operates 1,850 stores in North America, began testing the technology about a year ago in a handful of units in high-traffic locations like Los Angeles, Miami and New York, including its NYC flagship store. Since then, the concept has been rolled out to 100 stores in the U.S. and, according to Mark Weikel, senior vice president and general manager for Sunglass Hut North America, the group, a division of Luxottica (NYSE:LUX) will continue to invest in the device.

“We're about building our brand and actively connecting emotionally with our customers. When we started the Social Sun pilot we wanted to establish SGH as kind of a 'playground,' to develop the in-store experience and make it easy for people to find a way to look their best in a fun and cool way. At the same time, we gained a lot of insights by watching and observing undecided customers, really observing how they went through the sunwear try on experience to see what looked best. Customers can try on pairs in the store, take a picture, create a gallery of photos and via simple system, email or FB their choices to friends.”

In the latest edition to the system, Weikel told CLICK, “We added a built-in scanner which scans the UPC bar code of a grame as well as see options of a range of SKUs on SGH's website—styles and color choices not necessarily available in all stores—and make a direct online purchase.”

The sunglasses can then be sent to any location, with free standard shipping. Weikel explained, “We see there's a bit of a blur between 'brick' and 'click,' and we do try to stay ahead of the curve. We believe there's a really fast convergence today among stores, digital, mobile and social all coming together. Our intentions are to understand and meet the customers no matter how they want to interact with us.”

Social Sun has also been a winner, Weikel said, in terms of its social media connections. “We can tell by the way customers use it, have fun with it, interact and mug with each other or watch others use it in the store. In a few of the locations, SGH has also put up a 65-inch flatscreen monitor hooked to the system, so if a customer wants their photo to also show up on a big photo grid in the store for others to see, that's a new option.”

And, he points out, customers can post their Social Sun images to their own Facebook pages or become part of SGH's growing Facebook page presence—with 11,000 “fans” and counting.

“We see sunglasses as the 'it' accessory, we're all about style and fashion and 'finding your cool' and we're actively engaged in what is next. Digital try on technology is very exciting.”

Jobson's Digital Ad Network Allows Practitioners to Improve Communication With Patients

NEW YORK—With the digital signage market nearly tripling in size over the past eight years, there's been a dramatic impact on the way retailers of all types are using digital signage at the point of purchase in their locations. In fact, the category is projected to reach $5 billion by 2012.

New programs used in the health care arena feature on-site digital screens which can display, illustrate, describe and educate customers and patients on site.

The new Jobson Digital Ad Network is growing its presence with optical retailers and ECPs via a range of new network technologies that allow practitioners to engage with patients while they are waiting for appointments, and communicate important product and vision care messages during the critical time—just as they and their staff are interacting with patients in their office.

According to Jobson Digital Ad Network's Joe Savarese, vice president and general manager of Jobson Internet Solutions, digital point-of-sale options give doctors and ECPs an opportunity to influence and educate in entertaining and novel ways.

The Network now includes about 40 Doctors Vision Center locations, communicating messages to patients via MedCenterDisplay.com

Another 700+ locations among independent eyecare professionals is part of the Network via the iPort system and technology, some of which feature EyeTalk, a way for the individual doctor to “talk” to patients about various vision conditions and treatment options.

The Jobson Digital Ad Network allows for messages to be customized and controlled via a simple interface online and the flexibility of adapting content to these private broadcast networks in a retail or practice setting develops new ways for ECPs to translate their eyecare expertise to their patient base.

Savarese said that Jobson is looking to expand its network via other digital network providers to the vision care community.