Page 8 - Envision November-December 2020
P. 8

Cover Story                                                                                                                                                                                              facebook.com/OJobs

                 C ONSUMER NEEDS

                                         Paul Boyko, optician and owner of Visions
                                         of  Canada in Windsor ON, had his best
                                         summer  on  record,  despite  the  fact  that
                                         a significant portion of his clientele was
                                         absent.  “My  American  customers,  who
                                         typically make up one-third of my
                                         clientele, could not get across the border.
                                         They love how we engineer their eyeglasses
                                         and the care we give them. We miss them
                                         but business is still up 15 per cent over
                                         2019.”
                                                                             ECPs can be important supports for clients                      BACK-TO-WORK IS
                                  / Paul Boyko /  Boyko believes that the inability to travel  struggling with new visual demands, says
                                         internationally  for  pleasure,  or  to  cross-  Osborne. “And lens fogging has become
                                         border shop in the U.S., along with the  a big problem for eyeglass wearers who
                                         temporary inability to spend money on  are going out to work and need to wear                       UNDERWAY!
                                         various forms of entertainment in the city,  masks, so anti-fog lenses or solutions, and
                                         left consumers with more money to spend  frames and lenses that are designed for air
                                         on eyewear. “There is certainly a demand  circulation will be a big help for clients.”
       “   offer were appreciated        for high-quality product, with people   anti-fog lenses and solutions. She is also                 Indeed, after several weeks of lockdown where many eye care professionals were forced
            The service and value I
                                         spending more and buying multiple pairs.”  Randhawa notes that she is selling more

          even more. I expected a        Sue Randhawa, optician and owner of The  selling eyewear to shoppers who purchase                   to suspend their activities, we now see that the reopening of optical clinics and offices
                                         Optical Boutique in Vancouver, was caught  glasses with plano lenses to help protect
            big drop but  because        in a double bind when the shutdowns  their  eyes  from  the  COVID-19  virus.                                                      is already underway.
                                         of March 2020 happened. She learned  Another area where sales have increased
          we are in a niche market,      that Vision Expo East in New York City  is on task-specific computer lenses. With                        IN THIS CONTEXT, DO YOU NEED TO RECRUIT STAFF TO
                                         had been cancelled due to the pandemic,  more people working from home and
           the  situation has turned     just days before she shut down her store.   more  meetings  conducted through  video                                      STRENGTHEN YOUR TEAMS?
                                       “  large part of my buying at VEE in March                                                                industry, is pleased to offer you a special back-to-work offer to help you find
                     out well for us.    “There was so much uncertainty and   conferencing, clients want eyewear that is                      If so, the OJobs.ca team, the only bilingual job site specific to the Canadian optical
                                         apprehension in those few days. I do a  bigger, bolder and more colourful.
                                         and then again at the Silmo trade show in  The need for control of the retail store
                                         Paris in the fall. I simply could not buy new  entrance area due to pandemic-related
                                         product and that turned out to be a good  hygiene and distancing requirements can                                                 THE right candidate!
                                         thing as I didn’t know what my clients   both  meet  and  hinder  consumer  needs.
                                / Sue Randhawa  /  were going to want and need when we   Osborne points out that shopping for                            POSTING OF A                                POSTING A
                                         re-opened. Would they even have money  frames is very personal and that most
                                         to spend? If anything stands out for me  ECPs strive to create a warm, friendly and                         REGULAR JOB OFFER                         FEATURED JOB OFFER
                                         about the last nine months, it is this: the  fashion-oriented environment that is                                      AT                                        AT
                                         service and value I offer were appreciated   clearly at odds with the wearing of masks
                                         even more. I expected a big drop but   and gloves and the use of plexiglass                                 $124.50                                   $149.50
                                         because we are in a niche market, the   barriers. “There is such a disconnect here.
                                         situation has turned out well for us.”  The ECP really needs to be an educator, a
                                                                             fashion advisor, and a hazmat suit wearer.                                 INSTEAD OF                                INSTEAD OF
                                         But just because consumers have money to  She needs to project some authority in
                                         spend does not mean they have the same  terms of helping deal with vision needs                                     $249                                      $299
                                         needs as they did pre-pandemic. Margaret   and the new hygiene reality. There are
                                         Osborne, optician and  professor  of   all  these  touch  points  that  seem  at  odds.
                                         marketing  at Toronto’s Seneca College,  Being creative within this context to give
                                         says, “I think it is critical to talk about  the client an experience of retail pleasure            USE THIS PROMO CODE TO BENEFIT FROM THE REBATE: BACK
                                         the change in our work/home life during   will go a long way.”
                                         isolation. Extensive screen time, for
                                         example, is a problem. Zoom meetings                                                               Register on OJobs.ca and access a                         Contact us at 450 629-6005,
                                         demand much longer “stare” time without                                                            large resume database of optical   3Posted on generalist job   ext. 361 or at info@ojobs.ca for
                                         breaks than our previous office work. The                                                                                        sites such as Jobs.ca, Retail.ca,
                                         effects can be brutal—including headaches                                                          job seekers, post your job offers   Salesrep.ca, Healthcare.ca and   more information or technical
                                         and shoulder and back pain—for anyone                                                              and take advantage of the entire    CareerAIM             assistance.  We  will  be  happy
                                         who lacks good correction for computer                                                             OJobs.ca network to ensure wide                           to serve you and help you find
                                         distance. Most people who wear progressive                                                         distribution. In fact, beyond  3Relayed on our partner sites  the right candidates as soon as
                                         lenses  are  not  aware  of  task-specific                                                         the posting of your job offer on                          possible!
                                         computer lenses. I think this is a big                                                             OJobs.ca, it is also:        3 Shared on all our social
                                         untapped market.”                                                                                                                networks


       8  /  NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2020   /   www.ENVISIONMAGAZINE.ca  /                                                                           MAXIMUM VISIBILITY, MINIMUM EFFORT… FIND YOUR NEXT EMPLOYEE TODAY!
   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13