The Optical Foundry Podcast
The Optical Foundry Podcast
Exploring OGI Eyewear Dealer Loyalty Program 2025 with Rob Rich
Discover the power of partnership on the Optical Foundry Podcast as we explore the 2025 OGI Eyewear Dealer Loyalty Program. Join Rob Rich, CEO of The Optical Foundry, for a compelling discussion on how this tiered program is revolutionizing relationships with independent offices. Discover tailored marketing support, a points-based system offering rewards like free shipping, and exclusive perks for Icon-status partners. Learn how we prioritize loyal partners with dedicated customer service and one-of-a-kind design sessions with our Chief Creative Officer David Duralde. Don’t miss this insightful conversation on building meaningful connections in the optical industry.
The Optical Foundry Podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for making the time to talk to us about our new and improved dealer level program.
Speaker 1:I'm glad we could talk about it.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I guess for you what do you think when you think about the dealer level program and how it's evolved with og? What are you most excited about with this newest version? I?
Speaker 1:think part of it. You got to look back and go why do we even have this right? It's something that you know we've put in place to um, enhance our relationships with our accounts. You know, it's kind of the thing where the more somebody is committed, we're committed. You know, our whole basis is to be committed to these independent offices and, as they give us some additional business, we can show our commitment by giving them better ultimately better margins, because that's what they're looking for. You know, there are many points that will enhance margins and not just hey, what's the discount? What's the discount? It's not only about the discount, it's about all the things that actually make, at the end of the day, you or the independents, more money. So how do we show that to them? Well, we have our dealer loyalty program, which is what we're talking about today, and not only do we have discounts, but we also have shipping.
Speaker 1:One of the biggest feedback from accounts we hear beyond give me a discount is oh, I want free shipping. Well, with our dealer loyalty program, that's possible, possible. Uh, you know, if you reach the highest level, which is our icon status, you get free shipping on any order you you provide to us. Now, if you don't reach that status. There's three, three levels below that have certain variations where if you have, it's a master level of two piece at an expert level of four piece order. So you so you know you don't as an insider, which is the lowest level. You don't get free shipping in any of those scenarios but it's not too difficult to level up. We've got scenarios where you get free shipping at the expert master icon and they aren't onerous.
Speaker 1:And the way it's structured going into 2025 is we've got the points system and for every frame you buy from us, you get points added to your account. And to give people the idea of what that point system is, it's sure it's based on the value of the expense of the frame. So our highest points are related to seraphim, that's in the frame, so our highest points are related to Seraphim and for the Seraphim Shimmer you'll get four points in that scenario for those. And then you'll get, let's say, three points for OG and they all fall into and that's easy enough to lay out. Um, the point is is so four points for a serif and that means if you buy during the year, the entire year, 25 serif and you're an expert level, right, an expert level gives you free shipping on four-piece reorders.
Speaker 1:So all of our frames have certain points assigned to them, ranging from one to four, and you can attain those levels pretty quickly if you just turn your inventory at all 25, if you're a Serafin, let's say you're a Serafin-only account 25 Serafin is not a tremendous number to go through in an entire year to hit that first level where shipping can be achieved. So we think it's a pretty well-organized new way of doing things with the points and it's easily understandable. But it's not even only that item shipping. We've got the opportunity to get a rebate from us. If you keep your exchange rate lower, meaning less than 20%, you can get up to 3% back on your entire purchases for the year if you have your rebates in a rebate form at the end of the year.
Speaker 2:For all the levels or just for icons.
Speaker 1:For rebates. Again, that starts at the expert level, which is the second level, which again is that 100-point level. You know insiders, you, you know there's only a little bit there for the insiders, meaning you're on our store locator, but that's, you know, that's 50 points. So that is you know. While I absolutely appreciate every individual account, 50 points is, you know, a dozen serif frames, basically for the entire year. So is that a huge commitment to us? No, so the amount of what you get back is not tremendous, but you are included on our dealer locator. You do, of course, have rep support and you get some digital marketing support and branding asset access through our brand folder and things like that. So to help you drive some business to your, to your organization. So there is a little bit there for you, but obviously, as you move up the line, it goes up and include including things like rebates, which, uh, happen. Start at the expert level, continue through master and actually go up a little bit at the icon level.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when it comes to the icon level, um, do you have a favorite kind of benefit that is unlocked for icon status?
Speaker 1:Well individually by itself. I think you know there's a couple of cool things that you get with the icon level. Besides our undying faith and loyalty, we have instituted a new dedicated customer service line. Not that it's difficult to get through to OG with our live customer service always live. You get prioritized in the call queue in our office for the icon level using this phone number. And then the other bonus I'll say is annually you'll get an hour online design session, a new product session, with David Duraldi, our designer and chief creative officer.
Speaker 1:So not only are all your other benefits enhanced, like discount shipping, rebate, obviously the store locator, the branding assets, special graphics, custom graphic opportunities and POP, well, also the other asset that we've spent a huge amount of time, effort and money on, which is amazing, that we've taught, which hopefully all of our accounts have seen as our virtual try-on, which hopefully all of our accounts have seen as our virtual try-on that continues to update, and we have the app and people can access virtual try-on from not only our web, but they can download the app and have it with them wherever they go and have access to our entire collection. At that point, but with the master and the icon level, we'll assist you in embedding the codes on your website so you'll have a smooth transition into trying on our products through your own website. So those are, I'll call them. Those are that services at the master and the icon level, but certainly the unique one is your own service line into the office, as well as your annual session with David.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that one seemed really exciting, getting to sit down and talk with David and I didn't even see about the seamless kind of embedding of our software that we've developed into their website so customers don't even have to leave their website to get access to everything. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:I think that kind of add-on is something that people don't really fully grasp when it circles back to the mission, a little bit of the optical foundry, in that we're not competing with our accounts in any way. We are trying to advance their business because when they succeed, we succeed. Website, if they are on there, is something that those who are get a little nervous about, you know. Instead of launching into someone else's website, they they can stay home, if you will, on that website yeah I think, that.
Speaker 2:That seems like I think you put it incredibly well there that this dealer level partnership it's all about when they succeed, we succeed, and that, and that their success is almost first for us. It is we want them to succeed in order for us to succeed.
Speaker 1:A hundred percent. If they don't succeed, we are in trouble. So that is something that's very, incredibly important for us is promoting these partnerships, and I look at it as a partnership, partnerships, and you know I look at it as a partnership. You know we it isn't. You know we are asking for a certain level of commitment, and that's what a partnership is, it's not just a one, it's not a one way street, you know, and so maybe that's me being a little brazen, but the reality is is that we're willing to do more for those who are willing to work with us.
Speaker 1:And I'm not saying you know, we're your a hundred percent supplier, but, boy, the more you want to buy from us, certainly the more we're willing to do for you. And if you don't, that's fine, we have. You know there are levels that you do have a certain level of commitment from us, not that we leave in the cold. If you only want to do, you know, a dozen seraphim all year, we're happy to support you and give you some additional services. But you know, obviously we reserve the, the larger commitment for those who are, who are offering us a larger commitment oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I mean, I've, you know, gotten to work on some of those custom things that we do for our higher level partners and they are, you know, beautiful and intensive, and it really shows the relationship that we have with those accounts that they want to feature us so prominently and that we want to tailor our POP to them no-transcript.
Speaker 1:Well, I think a lot of it is unappreciated right now because people not really, you know, I think that to really it's hard to say what is a custom window display going to do for my business on the bottom line. Right, it's. There is how can I assign a value to that as a, as a as a retailer? But you know, I would say I think most people have to realize that that if they wanted to do something like that, that is an expense that that they're going to incur. They want to generally do things like that to differentiate and show off their offices in the communities that they're at, and there's a cost to that that basically, we're going a custom window with some sort of graphic that they're going to have to get from somewhere, which we think we produce some pretty beautiful graphic items and tie it custom to my store and have it fit to my my weird shape window that sits on the street there. It's a pretty great item that goes, I think, undervalued in terms of what that kind of thing costs.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, absolutely, I think. Yeah, that one is again one of. I'm biased, having been on the marketing team, but I do think those are really impressive and definitely, even if people come into the store and don't end up buying specifically our frames, we are drawing people to those storefronts with those displays.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I guess I'd say the other.
Speaker 1:Really, what I'll say is a really big ticket item for us that is a tremendous, tremendous asset is the virtual try on. Because even if you're it is so accurate, lifelike, real, that you know you have a store that you only have, you know 18, 24 of our total products in their store with our virtual try on total products in their store. With our virtual try-on, you have access to try-on accurately in so many ways, both size, color, et cetera, in your office of our entire inventory, which is gigantic it really is. When you put all of our stuff together and it's thousands of SKUs that are right there for you, it would take you two days of constant try on to try on everything that you have access to, even though you might only have a dozen or 24. You know even our. You know there's some accounts that are, you know, are tremendous supporters of ours. They may have 100 SKUs in the office but still they've only scratched the surface on what's available. But with virtual try-on they have it all, every color, every frame.
Speaker 2:Well, and also that virtual try-on, I think definitely will help accounts keep that exchange rate low enough to get the rebates too, because they're able, like, pre-test things before they order it's very true.
Speaker 1:You know the fact that I will say that every time I do demonstrate it for for someone, I always do a demonstration where I have an actual frame in my hand and I put the same frame on the virtual. Try on and have them test it and they're absolutely shocked on the absolute perfect representation of the frame in virtual. And so if you can get a customer who's looking at a frame and deciding between two colors, one in their hand and one virtually if they decide on the one virtually, you know what you're going to get. So the propensity to send that back because that didn't look, or you know the same, is down to minimal. And that is, you are absolutely correct. That keeps your exchange rate, because if people order in and say, hey, I want to do a customer approval and it gets bounced, well, they send it back. It does hit their exchange rate for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So that's kind of a nice way and that's available for everybody right there and especially for even our entry-level, like our insiders, If they're paying for shipping. They don't want to be paying for shipping knowing that it in all likelihood could go back. This way, they're paying for the shipping, they know their customer is going to love it, they know what they're getting and it saves them expense on that end and time yeah, well, I mean we and we put in.
Speaker 1:The thing is, I think what people need to do when they, when they get this concise laid out sheet in front of them, is actually take a few minutes. You know each account needs to. I think our, our, our team needs to present this and kind of walk down the differences and really highlight the values that are there on each one of these things, to step back and say these are valuable to help you run your business. You doing it now and if you are like the, you know the social media stuff, you know where are you getting your content from and you know can is in what we're assisting you with.
Speaker 1:If you did this uh with someone, what would it cost? Right, and we're saying, hey, it's. You know three of the four levels. You have access to these things and there's no cost. It's really on. They may not be doing stuff at certain points on the list of things that we're offering them as part of our program uh, that will make it difficult for them to assign value, but, trust me, every one of these things, there's a value to it, whether you know, and by using all of them, you'll enhance the uh, the ability to do more business than your. You know in each office. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, I don't want to keep you too long. I know it's the holidays, but I guess, before I let you get out of here, any other things that you're just really excited for the reps to be sharing with customers as we go into 2025?.
Speaker 1:Well, we've got in the first quarter. We've got a fantastic, exciting new brand extension and price point that will be hitting our collection and that, of course, is included in our new loyalty program with the point system. So everything we sell is, but this will, you know, ultimately enhance our portfolio, uh, of of offering to our accounts. You know our goal again, I'll circle back the ethical foundry put together a portfolio of frames at all that you can be, I'll say, a full-service supplier, hitting from one end of the spectrum to the top end of the spectrum, low to high, in terms of the offering of price points, style, while consistently keeping super high quality and being, as I said, a great partner. So we're just offering another point of contact and ability to enhance that relationship by this new collection.
Speaker 2:Oh, that is very exciting. Yeah, not every day we get a new OGI. Wear Optical Foundry line that's awesome. Wear optical foundry line that's awesome. Well, anyway, I'm going to let you, you know, kind of get back to your family and to celebrating the holidays, but I think this is really helpful. I know I feel like I learned a lot about our dealer level program, so hopefully it's helpful for everyone else too.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you, anna, thanks for the time, and have a wonderful holiday season.
Speaker 2:Awesome, beautiful. All right, bye.