By now, most of you have probably heard about Hubble contact lenses. Hubble claims to be "the more affordable daily contact lens", and delivers contacts straight to the consumer's door each month. Patients are still required to get an eye exam and prescription from an OD, and the site also helps consumers find and book appointments with ODs in the area. After getting their prescription, they come back to Hubble and get their first box of dailies for free and then pay a $30 monthly subscription for 60 lenses. 

Aside from 1800-CONTACTS and Warby Parker, this is now one more online retailer your practice has to compete with. So, what's your plan when you get patients asking about Hubble, and how will you and your team defend your products and expertise to patients? We've got a few ideas to help. 

3 Ways Your Eyecare Practice Can Compete with Hubble

Know and Understand Your Practice's Value Proposition

Not every patient that comes into your practice is going to be the best fit, or a part of your target audience. But understanding what makes your practice appealing and valuable to the right patient will help you hold on to those patients that are right for your practice. When purchasing eyewear or lenses online, the overall experience is much different than purchasing in-house from your practice. As the OD, you have the chance to learn about and discuss each patient's needs and can have a productive conversation about the best products for their vision. 

Plus, purchasing from your practice makes it much easier if a patient has a problem with the fit of their products and they need to quickly pop in for an adjustment. As far as contact lenses go, inform patients how easy it can be to re-order a new supply from your office. Many patients might not think that ordering from your practice could be as convenient as ordering online.

Educate, Educate, Educate

Patients come to you because they trust your knowledge and expertise for their health, but many patients might not understand what all goes into a contact lens prescription.So when people see a cheaper price tag they might not think about the quality of the product they are putting in their eyes, and that's where patient education is so important. Make sure your patients know what makes one contact lens more expensive than another and how the right product will benefit their vision over time. 

Provide Alternatives

Instead of just providing one contact lens option for your patients, give them a few different options at different price points to choose from so that they they can find the product that will work best for them. With all of the different brands and choices available, more options might help your patient find the lens that meets both their vision needs and their budget.

Make more sales in your optical dispensary with our 4 week guide.