Consumers are increasingly embracing the subscription model of purchasing for more and more of their everyday needs. Richard Kestenbaum reported in Forbes, August 2017 issue that subscription model purchasing has increased by 800% since 2014 and is expected to continue its aggressive growth. And while subscription purchases may initially have entailed only specific niche products, they now account for a wide array of consumer purchasing needs. Succcess in subscription does not depend on what's being sold, says Kestenbaum. It's a new way of selling products regardless of the product category. He goes on to point out that subscription sellers are not creating new products – they are simply offering consumers a new way to buy them. And the response has been overwhelming, with top subscription sites drawing millions of visits each month.
As the subscription model continues to explode, savvy optometrists have begun to embrace the same model as means of both appealing to their patients’ evolving purchasing preferences and as a means to recapture contact lens sales from online retailers. LensFerry® offers them the ability to sell annual supplies of contact lenses to patient in a subscription model format. The patient is billed monthly and receives their contact lenses delivered directly to their home every 3 months. The incremental profit on the sales remains with the practice.
Brent Fry, OD has recently adopted LensFerry in his practice in Knoxville, TN. He describes implementing the process as straightforward and well supported. “We just started using LensFerry about one month ago” says Fry. “As we set it up, the representative was very helpful and prompt with solving any issues that we were having.”
The LensFerry model makes the purchase of annual supplies a more affordable option for patients because the payments for the supply are spread out over time, making the purchase more financially manageable. The direct-to-patient delivery makes getting the contact lenses straightforward for the patient and they are assured of always having an adequate supply. LensFerry allows patients to buy lenses made by all the major manufacturers. Fry sees additional benefits in LensFerry’s features. “We plan on utilizing LensFerry to increase contact lens compliance among our patients along with the number of annual supply sales,” he says.
Even in the early stages, the added convenience of the service is appreciated by staff and patients alike, according to Dr. Fry. “We have had positive responses from our patients about the convenience of the service,” he says. “The time our staff has been saving since LensFerry provides the reminders has been noticed too…and we all know time is money.”