This tracker measures sales trends comparing pre-pandemic, during the pandemic, and post-pandemic.

We selected 1,500 optical locations that have been operating and reporting their sales to our partners, GPN and ABB Analytics, since 2019. We re-based the index to an average week in 2019. This new index base will be used as an arbitrary benchmark and assigned a value of 100.

GROSS REVENUE 3-YEAR TREND

The July 4th holiday had little negative impact on national optical sales last week (June 28-July 4), in part due to the Federal holiday falling on Monday, July 5, which is not included in this week’s Tracker for Week 27 of 2020. In fact, the national average for gross revenue at ECP locations increased by 1 index point when comparing last week with the previous week. With the July 4th holiday falling within Week 27 during the past two years, this places this year’s gross revenue level well above where it was last year during the pandemic at this time as well as well above where it was during the same time period of 2019.

BUSINESS METRICS

Like gross revenue, contact lens sales also increased last week (by 3 index points for this category), while all other service/product categories – exams/refractions, lens pairs, and frame units – decreased equally at a rate of 2 index points. This brings all optical sales categories equal to or above the levels they achieved at the same time periods during the last two years (both of which included the July 4th holiday).

SNAPSHOT

With gross revenue and contact lenses showing increases last week when compared with the previous week, and all other categories declining, gross revenue continues to be the only category performing at sales rates above an average week in 2019, while all other categories remain below that index level.

*The index baseline was developed by Jobson Research from total sales from an average week in 2019. This index baseline is equivalent to a score of 100. All other time periods going forward are calculated as a percent increase or decrease from the 100 baseline index of that period. This index is intended to show directional and magnitudinal change that the market is experiencing. Actual index scores are arbitrary meaning the baseline of 100 is simply used as a benchmark. Jobson Research shall not be held liable for any use or misuse of the data described and/or contained herein.

Please note that practices that use practice analytic systems tend to skew a bit larger and have higher revenue than practices that do not.

Source: GPN/EDGEPro and ABB Analyze contributed anonymous sales data used to determine gross revenue, exams/refractions, frame units, lens pairs, and contact lens boxes. Data was collected from approximately 1,500 independent eye care practices.

For more information from Jobson Research contact jwaller@jobson.com,

you may also reach out to GPN/EDGEPro and ABB Analyze directly.