Norville Group is urging practices to embrace new technology in the way they buy frames to help protect the environment and create a more sustainable model for optical commerce.
Speaking ahead of the launch of a suite of web-based tools to make online selection and ordering of frames easier, Norville Group chairman Frank Norville said the world's resources were diminishing at an alarming rate and the optical industry had to play its part in tackling this big issue. He said a model based on sales reps driving 60,000 miles a year visiting opticians to replace small amounts of stock was not sustainable or sensible.
'We are trying to convince opticians that there are other ways of looking at frames and ordering frames,' he said. 'The arrival of the iPad has changed everything. The current model of presenting frames is antiquated and we need to have a more modern way of approaching it.'
Norville said he would be incentivising practices to change by sharing the benefits of the money saved through electronic ordering and launching a scheme to support the Woodland Trust's Jubilee Wood project.
Norville said that while steps had been taken to reduce waste, minimise packaging and work with manufacturers to reduce and recycle waste, more was needed. 'We now need to look at the reduction of frame miles.'
He estimated that the average independent would have 50 reps trying to call. 'Practices can order online 24/7. Opticians have got to revisit their method of acquiring stuff,' he said.
Paul Walden, director, said increases in traffic, more thinly spread practices and ordering patterns made the old way of working a poor use of time but new technologies were on hand to help. He is overseeing the development of online tools that will enable practices to look in minute detail at colours and details on product. They will be able to rotate images through 360 degrees and zoom in on any detail and then order simply online. Tools to show off products in practice and frame-on-face iPad-based tools were also in the pipeline.
These would be backed up with free approval product and delivery through DX.
'We are realists, we know people will want to see reps. Those meetings will be more business focused. The current method of showing frames to opticians is not sustainable.
'We know it will be a gradual process, it's not going to change overnight,' added Walden.
'Everyone in optics has got to be more aware of the environment,' said Norville. 'It might annoy a lot of people but we need them to change.'