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 Analyze, 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 national average for gross revenue at ECP locations declined substantially last week (May 30-June 5) due to the Monday Memorial Day holiday falling on the first day of the period being tracked. Gross revenue’s decrease of -18 index points last week (Week 23) brought it to a level of 88 index points. Memorial Day also fell during Week 23 of last year, bringing gross revenue to a level of 83 index points in 2021 at this same point in time. While Memorial Day did not fall within Week 23 of either 2020 or 2019, it was still down to 75 index points at this point in time in 2020 because that was still during the first few months of the pandemic. The year prior to that, Week 23 matched an average week for 2019.

BUSINESS METRICS

Memorial Day on the first day of Week 23 resulted in declines across the board last week. When comparing last week with the previous week, all optical sales categories were down. The smallest decline was contact lenses (-9 index points), but the decreases in all other categories were in the double digits – frame units and lens pairs by -16 index points, exams/refractions by -17 points, and gross revenue by -18. Even though Memorial Day was also during Week 23 of last year, when comparing last week’s optical sales with the same period last year, all categories were up this year – frame units and lens pairs by 1 index point, exams/refractions and contact lenses by 3 index points, and gross revenue by 5 index points.

SNAPSHOT

With optical sales categories down across the board last week, all are at levels below an average week in 2019 (the index baseline assigned a value of 100 for this Optical Business Tracker). The closest to that baseline is gross revenue at 88 index points, and the furthest is the exams/refractions category at 75 points.

*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.