Sunglasses: Centre of attention
The sunglasses category falls under the ever so vague ‘luxury’ umbrella, a category that also encompasses fashion, pens, watches, gifts and a host of other items. But now retailers, buyers and planners can see that the sunglasses segment of this vast category really does warrant some focus
and attention.
I am confident in saying that the sunglasses category really is one of the most dynamic in the travel retail market at the moment. Retailers are waking up to the potential of significant returns from even the smallest areas. We can see by some of the success stories around the world that with the right product assortment, a well-developed retail area, strong branding and clear merchandising, this category will blossom further.
A great example of how retailers are changing their thinking process is to look at how they are making some changes in the high profile promotion spaces, which have always been dominated by the fragrance and liquor houses. The retailers are opening up these spaces to other categories and for us this has produced some incredible results. Last year at Hong Kong International Airport, Luxottica Group and Nuance-Watson (HK) worked together in partnership to develop a stunning standalone sunglasses promotional area in the centre of the retail space. Spaces such as these have rarely been used for the fashion categories but this promotion, which ran for two months, covered a 25sqm area and looked like a standalone sunglasses boutique. The space exclusively promoted Luxottica Group’s key brands, including Ray-Ban, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bvlgari, Versace, D&G, Dolce & Gabbana and DKNY. We will be repeating a similar promotion with Nuance-Watson (HK) in May for three months.
This month we are starting a similar promotion at Taipei Airport. Running for five months, this high profile promotion is located in a very prominent position where customers pass by after security control. The first thing they see is the sunglasses area. These are just some of the examples of how retailers are refocusing their attention on the category.
What remains important in these promotions – and is a key requirement for the development of a successful sunglasses offer whatever the given space – is that each of the brands has its own dedicated space and is supported by strong branding. Sales support is also crucial and we are committed to training the onsite support staff so that they have the tools and knowledge to engage the customer in conversation about the brands and the technical specifications.
On the shop floor, where space is always tight, things are also changing. I am always amazed at how our customers have changed their approach to this category. When customers are opening new stores or refurbishing existing areas they are coming to us for assistance with planning the sunglasses area and are demonstrating to us that they are giving increased consideration for sunglasses; in some cases they are dedicating significant areas to the category. This represents a major difference to how business was in previous years. Just four or five years ago we really had to sell the category and almost convince some customers of how sunglasses can add real impact to their overall offer.
From our standpoint as the largest optical frames and sunglasses manufacturer and distributor in the world, branding is the key driver for our company and our portfolio of luxury brands to keep growing; and this should be true for the whole category. Taking care to ensure that each brand has clear visibility, is merchandised in the best possible way and positioned well in store must remain the core focus for suppliers and retailers in the category. When you make branding a priority you will always find the right space for your brands.
As I mentioned recently during my speech at the Trinity Forum in Dubai, I believe that there are still many missed opportunities in the luxury market, and this includes the sunglasses category. Often this is an area housed next to other items, such as fashion or maybe even confectionery. In these cases one of the crucial things to consider is how each of the categories flows into the next within the store. Is the customer getting confused and being bombarded by brands from various sectors? This does not help to sell any category or product. Operators really are starting to appreciate and invest in the sunglasses category and they now have a need for strong promotional support from the suppliers – they realise it is an important component of their assortment in this channel. We are seeing the sunglasses areas go from confusing spaces with no branding, poor merchandising and lack of visibility to glorious efforts that really deserve a mention, such as those listed above.
Of course clients are always pleased with sales volumes, but in a good number of cases, quality is often forgotten. But things are changing as we see a clear evolution compared with previous years. However, there is an element that is still missing in the way travel retail handles luxury products as a whole and this is Category Management, which involves much more than the simple desire to carry the product.
Category Management is the real commitment to devote the right people to handle the category; to have the highest level of product knowledge and consumer knowledge; to have the right amount of space and proper environment; to have the correct merchandising solutions, and to also have a tight control on stock management to ensure the shop has the right product at the right time. This way a sale can never be missed.
So what’s the future for the category? In travel retail it is still very important for a good percentage of the operations to work harder on the shopping experience and we all have to work together to make the shopping experience a memorable one for our clients. In that sense there is still a long way to go. But for sure the category is now being given the attention it deserves and finally the results are highly visible to all, most importantly the passengers. n
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