Table of Contents
Issues in the Market
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- Key themes
- Definition
- Abbreviations
Future Opportunities
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- Satiating the consumer ego – generation by generation
- ‘No, I don’t need varifocals. How old do you think I am??’
- But don’t reach for the contacts just yet…
- Slow down and think local
- The optician ‘round the corner
Market in Brief
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- Optical goods market growth
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- Figure 1: The market for optical goods, by product category, 2009
- More consumers are wearing glasses
- Growing enthusiasm for contact lenses…
- …but shift to daily lenses depresses demand for solutions
- Eye examination income grows
- Challenges to conventional optical goods
- Retail market dominated by opticians
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- Figure 2: Company shares in sales of optical goods, 2009
- Optical goods supply a global affair
- Eye examinations are the gateway to sales
- How to improve profits when costs keep rising
- Expansion into related markets
- Adding value through fashion
- Delaying tactics
- Laser in the mainstream
- Supermarkets will increase share
- Small impact from direct selling
Internal Market Environment
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- Key points
- Glasses and contact lens wearers
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- Figure 3: Use glasses, contact lenses or had laser eye surgery, 2004-09
- Gradual increase in wearers
- Contact lenses helped by new product development
- Laser is a real alternative
- Internet, mobile phone and television use
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- Figure 4: Use of the internet, televisions and mobile phones, 2004-09
- Spending more time online…
- …but less time in front of the TV
- Squinting at the phone
- Incorporating screen use in marketing
- Employee rights
- Hobbies and pursuits
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- Figure 5: Hobbies and interests, 2009
- Trends in reading
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- Figure 6: Trends in reading, 2004-09
- Keeping up appearances
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- Figure 7: Attitudes towards personal appearance, 2004-09
- Spectacles reflect image
- The natural look
- Peacock generation
- Forever young
- City slickers
- One in five wear designer glasses
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- Figure 8: Wearing of designer-branded frames, 2009
Broader Market Environment
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- Key points
- Population growth adding to demand
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- Figure 9: Structure of the UK population, by age and gender, 2004-14
- Boom in 25-34s great for contact lenses
- Presbyopic trend
- Free eye tests
- Shift towards VDU working and office work
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- Figure 10: Employment, by sector, 2005-09
- Number of drivers
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- Figure 11: Number of drivers and average mileage driven per year, 2004-09
- Trade associations
- Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) (www.abdo.org.uk)
- General Optical Council (GOC) (www.optical.org)
- Association of Optometrists (AOP) (www.assoc-optometrists.org)
- Federation of Ophthalmic and Dispensing Opticians (FODO) (www.fodo.com)
- The Eyecare Trust (www.eye-care.org.uk)
- Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO) (www.fmo.co.uk)
- Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers (ACLM) (www.aclm.org.uk)
Strengths and Weaknesses
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- Strengths
- Weaknesses
Who’s Innovating?
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- Key points
- High-tech specs
- A bifocal lens without a giveaway line
- Asda re-invents price competition
- Contact lens manufacturers turn to training
- Chinese manufacturing raising its game
- 3D a dream too far?
- Essilor buys a ready reader business
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Ready readers – a lower-price option
- Laser eye surgery – moving into the mainstream
- Grudge purchase?
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- Figure 12: Expenditure priorities, 2007-09
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Steady growth in demand reversed in the recession
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- Figure 13: UK retail value sales and forecast of optical goods and services, 2004-14
- The future – return to growth
- Factors in the forecast
Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Contact lenses grow within the sales mix
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- Figure 14: UK retail value sales of optical goods and services, by sector, 2007-09
- Spectacles
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- Figure 15: UK retail value sales and forecast of spectacles, 2004-14
- Many new developments centre on progressives
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- Figure 16: Volume share of spectacle lenses, by main type of lens, 2007-09
- Getting used to progressives
- Less need for coatings
- Contact lenses and solutions
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- Figure 17: UK retail value sales and forecast of contact lenses, 2004-14
- Growing demand for contact lenses
- Scope to grow the contact lenses market
- Complex prescriptions for contact lenses
- Switch to dailies has reshaped the market
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- Figure 18: Contact lens wear, by type of lens, 2004-09
- Complex lenses carry a premium price
- Lower demand for rigid
- Solutions market declines as dailies increase share
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- Figure 19: UK retail value sales and forecast of contact lens solutions, 2004-14
- Eyecare
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- Figure 20: UK retail value sales and forecast of eyecare products, 2004-14
- New product launches boost eyecare
- Comfort for contact lens wearers
- Eye examinations
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- Figure 21: Market value of eye examinations, 2004-14
- NHS changes in Scotland
- Will the UK follow suit?
- Extras from fundus cameras
- Laser
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- Figure 22: Market for laser eyesight correction in the UK, 2006-10
- Laser beginning to mature
- Laser – discretionary spend
- Three main players
- UK has more scope for growth
Market Share
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- Key points
- Spectacle frames
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- Figure 23: Brand shares in value sales of spectacle frames, 2007 and 2009
- Contact lenses
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- Figure 24: Brand shares in UK value sales of contact lenses, 2007 and 2009
- Plenty of premium product launches
- Own-label on the rise
- Contact lens solutions
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- Figure 25: Brand shares in UK value sales of contact lens solution, 2007 and 2009
- Own-label solutions dominate
- Shift to dailies denting demand for solutions
Companies and Products
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- Key points
- Spectacle frames
- Luxottica
- Luxottica brands
- Safilo Group
- Safilo brands
- Marchon
- Marchon brands
- De Rigo
- De Rigo brands
- Other spectacle frame suppliers
- BBGR
- Essilor
- Nikon Optical UK
- Norville Lens Supplies
- Rodenstock
- Seiko Optical UK (Pentax)
- Signet Armorlite (Kodak)
- Sola (Zeiss)
- Contact lens and solution suppliers
- Johnson & Johnson
- Ciba Vision
- Sauflon
- Bausch & Lomb
- CooperVision
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Key points
- Topline adspend
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- Figure 26: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on optical goods and eyecare*, 2005-09
- Advertisers
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- Figure 27: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on optical goods and eyecare, by company, 2006-09
- Specsavers dominates adspend
- Vision Express driving hard
- Advertising strategy
- Specsavers brand building
- Vision Express on eyecare
- Boots free second pair
Channels to Market
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- Key points
- Retail distribution of optical goods and eyecare
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- Figure 28: Retail distribution of optical goods and eyecare, 2007-09
- Specsavers
- Boots Opticians/Dollond & Aitchison
- Vision Express
- Optical Express
- Small chains and independents
- Supermarkets
- Internet specialists
- Contact lenses online
- Internet and direct sellers of spectacles
Consumer Experience of Eye Tests
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- Key points
- One in five adults rarely or never have eye exams
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- Figure 29: Experience of eye tests, December 2009
- Specs/contact lens wearers much more inclined to have eye tests
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- Figure 30: Experience of eye tests, adults who need vision correction, December 2009
- Older people more frequent visitors
Wearing of Glasses and Contact Lenses
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- Key points
- Seven in ten need optical goods
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- Figure 31: Eyewear used to correct vision, December 2009
- Reading prescriptions most common
- Complex prescriptions
- What they use
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- Figure 32: Repertoire of what use/used to correct vision, December 2009
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- Figure 33: When eyes were last tested, by repertoire of what use/used to correct vision, December 2009
Purchase of Optical Goods and Eyecare
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- Key points
- Where they buy optical goods
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- Figure 34: Where people purchased glasses or contact lenses in the last 12 months, December 2009
- Specsavers dominates in the UK
- Independents remain popular
- How customer profiles vary
- Online shopping in the minority
- Do customers shop around?
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- Figure 35: Repertoire of number of places people shop for their glasses or contact lenses, December 2009
- Convenience, service and trust
Consumer Attitudes Towards Eyesight
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- Key points
- Retention is a major challenge for opticians
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- Figure 36: Attitudes towards eyesight, December 2009
- Education is paying off
- Money no object?
- Keeping up to date
- Contact lenses have a positive image
- Laser please
- Target groups
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- Figure 37: Target buyer groups for optical goods, December 2009
- Uninterested (31%)
- Who are they?
- Marketing message
- Unquestioning loyals (33%)
- Who are they?
- Marketing message
- Keenly aware (36%)
- Who are they?
- Marketing message
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- Figure 38: Attitudes towards eyesight, by target groups, December 2009
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- Figure 39: Where buy glasses or contact lenses in the last 12 months, by target groups, December 2009
Appendix
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- ACORN
- Advertising data
Appendix – Internal Market Environment
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- Figure 40: Use glasses, contact lenses, had laser eye surgery, by demographics, 2009
- Figure 41: Use of televisions, by demographics, 2009
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- Figure 42: Hobbies and interests, by demographics, 2009
- Figure 43: Hobbies and interests, by demographics, 2009 (continued)
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- Figure 44: Reading, by demographics, 2009
- Figure 45: Attitudes towards personal appearance, by demographics, 2009
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- Figure 46: Wear designer-branded frames, by demographics, 2009
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Appendix – Broader Market Environment
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- Entitlement to free sight tests
- Employer/employees and eye examinations
- Drivers Vision
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- Figure 47: Number of drivers and average mileage driven per year, by demographics, 2009
Appendix – The Consumer – Experience of Eye Tests
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- Figure 48: When last eyes tested, by demographics, December 2009
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- Figure 49: Repertoire of what use/used to correct vision, by demographics, December 2009
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- Figure 50: What use/used to correct vision, by demographics, December 2009
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Appendix – The Consumer Purchase of Optical Goods and Eyecare
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- Figure 51: Where buy glasses or contact lenses in the last 12 months, by demographics, December 2009
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- Figure 52: Repertoire of number of places people shop for their glasses or contact lenses, by demographics, December 2009
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Appendix – The Consumer – Attitudes towards Eyesight
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- Figure 53: Most popular attitudes towards eyesight, by users, by demographics, December 2009
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- Figure 54: Next most popular attitudes towards eyesight, by demographics, December 2009 (continued)
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- Figure 55: Attitudes towards eyesight, by eyes tested in last 12 months, by demographics, December 2009
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- Figure 56: Target groups, by detailed demographics, December 2009
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