Optical capture rate compares the number of patients who received their prescription and the number of patients who filled their prescriptions at your practice. Since frame and contact lens sales are a big source of revenue for many practices, it’s important to have your optical software keep up with the number of sales you make. You would want to have a high optical capture rate. In fact, the industry benchmark says that 60% of your patients should be filling their prescription in your practice.
Showrooming is often an obstacle for practices trying to increase their optical capture rate. Showrooming is when your patient gets a prescription from your practice, tries on a frame that they like, and then buys the product online at a lower price. We'll help you stop showrooming and improve your optical capture rate with the tips below.
How to Calculate Your Optical Capture Rate
Divide the number of patients who filled their prescriptions by the number of patients given a prescription and multiply by 100.
If your capture rate is below the average 60%, here are a few things you should and shouldn't be doing on the sales floor and in the exam room.
Do: Explain prescriptions to patients.
If your patient requires a specific lens type, they might not understand the benefits or importance of it unless you explain it to them. Take the time to talk to them about their prescription and inform them of the dangers of getting a cheap knock-off online. Make sure that the doctor hands off a prescribed lens material and design to the optician so both doctor and optician can educate the patient.
Don’t: Assume contact lens wearers or patients without a new prescription are not interested in purchasing new frames.
If your patient doesn’t have a new prescription, they could still be interested in shopping around. Introduce your new arrivals or new trends in frames. All contact lens wearers also need backup glasses in case their contacts fall out or rip. When they get a new prescription, make sure they get a new pair of backup glasses as well. Simply mentioning this to patients and expressing genuine concern is usually all it takes. If that’s not enough to stimulate the sale, think about packages that you can offer that make purchasing backup glasses a good deal. For example, you can charge a flat price for a certain tier of frames when your patients purchase an annual contact lens supply.
Do: Feature promotions through email or your website.
If you plan on having special offers, make sure that your patients are aware of the savings they could enjoy. Keep your website updated with current promotions. Definitely send out email or text notifications of coupons, discounts, and new products that are relevant based on their purchase history. Additionally, posting about time-sensitive deals on social media usually leads to more engagement and buzz, especially when you use a custom hashtag.
Don’t: Overprice frames.
Today’s consumers are smart shoppers and they know their options. Word of mouth is powerful, and you don’t want them telling everybody that your frames are overpriced. Do your research on what practices around you are doing, then price your frames competitively. Tools like Frames Data will be able to give you accurate wholesale and suggested retail pricing. If you’re looking for more larger profit margins, focus on second-pair sales or accessories instead of hiking up the retail price.
Do: Keep inventory unique.
Carrying unique product lines such as private labels or high quality products that are not available from online retailers can give you a competitive edge that patients will notice. Find out which items are discounted online and carry that item in a variety of colors to encourage in-office buys. Your patients will be impressed that you're aware of online competition and prepared to match it.
8 important benchmarks can be found in our ebook.
