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Jobson Research's OBB Shows Independent ECP Confidence Drop Again in October
| November 18, 2011 3:00 PM |
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By Delia Paunescu
Assistant Editor
NEW YORK—According to the latest edition of Jobson Optical Research’s Optical Business Barometer (OBB), the outlook of independent ECPs towards their overall business decreased again in Oct. to reach an index of 3.4. The Barometer had held steady for the two months prior to Sept., when the index was at 3.5. July and August of this year both had an index of 3.7, a rise from June 2011’s reading of 3.6.
“A similar trend transpired for the same months in 2010 when the ratings were 3.7, 3.3 and 3.2 respectively,” the report said, referring to the period between August, Sept. and Oct. of last year.
A monthly survey of a representative sample of independent optical retailers (single locations and groups of no more than three locations), the OBB is designed to gauge the optical business trends of eyecare professionals at independent optical locations. Conducted online by Jobson Optical Research, the OBB is designed to measure attitudes of independent eyecare professionals about the current business climate and outlook. The OBB is based on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is “very negative”, 3 is “neutral” and 5 is “very positive.”
“The current month’s ratings for all product and service categories dropped to levels that are either equal to the previous low point for the year or establish a new low point,” the OBB reported. For Oct., eyeglasses, contact lenses and eye exams each saw a 0.1 decrease - down to 3.3 for glasses and CLs and down to 3.4 for eye exams.
Similarly, overall optical ratings the Northeast Region remained steady in Oct. compared to September at 3.4. “The South increased from 3.4 to 3.6, while the Midwest decreased from 3.4 to 3.2 and the West dropped from 3.8 to 3.3,” the OBB said.
The report added that future business ratings (anticipated results for upcoming 6 months) remained steady at 3.5 in October compared to Sept.
The
National Federation of Independent Business’ (NFIB), Index of Small Business Optimism for Oct. 2011 increased for the second consecutive time in sixth months, to 90.2, up 0.3 points from Sept.’s score of 88.9.
The findings of the OBB are also compared to those in the Consumer Confidence Index from the
Conference Board. For Oct., the index fell to 39.8, down 6.6 from a revised score of 46.4 in Sept.
For more information, or to learn more about detailed information featured in the complete report, contact
Jennifer Zupnick at (212) 274-7164.
dpaunescu@jobson.com
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