The word retail is enough to give some optometrists the heebie-jeebies. Others see it as a necessary evil, while many embrace it with open arms. Whichever camp you feel part of, retail is going through a technology evolution, so developing an understanding of it will be crucial in years to come.
At the recent Visionaries conference hosted by Carl Zeiss Vision in London, the issue of retail and how it might look in future was discussed by a panel of retail and technology experts. It’s always interesting listening to the thoughts of experts and data from outside of the optical sector, even if they do tend to be more of a ‘global view’ perspective.
Key insights from the talk included statistics on macro trends like how sustainability is influencing buying behaviour, now true for up to 20% of consumers, while 80% of customer journeys now begin online via product and retailer research – even if it’s a quick look at Google reviews.
Innovation and disruptive technology expert, John Straw, was particularly keen to talk about intelligent glasses and how, in his opinion, they would start to become the norm within three years. He said this would ultimately lead to an evolution of roles in optical practices, with dispensing opticians and optometrists possibly taking on the moniker of vision techs, that sit somewhere between Apple Store Genius and eye care professional.
At first, I was sceptical of Straw’s assessment, but having tried glasses with integrated hearing amplification and a sunglass that switches reading addition power through gesture control while at Vision Expo East the weekend previously, it began to make a lot more sense. As more of these products arrive on the market, the knowledge base of staff, registered or otherwise, will need to increase.
Whenever the emergence of intelligent eyewear is mentioned, I always get flashbacks of Google Glass, a product where optical channels, or indeed optical usability, were never really considered. The next generation of products have optical performance and usability front and centre at their cores, but I think we’re still quite some time away from in-practice Genius Bars.