DALLAS—A new marketing tool for independent eyecare professionals has helped a test group of ECPs increase their sales in a recently completed 13-month trial, according to ActiveLink Optical.

ActiveLink Optical is an innovative technology that uses email marketing and facial recognition to engage the patient in “trying on” new frames. According to the company, ECPs in the trial increased eyewear sales by 9.6 percent to a test group, while contact lens sales and professional fees from the group of patients included in that trial (versus a control group within the same practice) also rose.

John Wimbish, OD, of Allen Eye located here said, "We were pleased to be part of the trial for ActiveLink Optical because we feel like it will set our practice apart and keep us competitive. Of course we were also glad to see an increase in revenues and the ability to educate patients about new lens technologies before they came in for their annual exam."

ActiveLink reports that its test took place from January 2016 through the end of January 2017 (13 months), and included a practice with 6,041 patients that qualified for the program. Two-thirds (4,022) were randomly assigned to the test group, and received a total of 15 communications from ActiveLink during the 13-month trial.

The remaining control group (2,019 people) did not receive any communication and had no knowledge of the program. Both groups received standard practice communications, such as appointment reminders.

The company’s facial recognition software matches a patient’s face to the perfect frame and sends personalized frame suggestions from the practice straight to the patient’s inbox. Patients start thinking about glasses before they arrive for their exam thus keeping the practice top of mind through consistent, relevant communications.

ActiveLink said its software is intuitive, making eyewear recommendations based on facial shape and characteristics, and adjusting those recommendations based on patient feedback. ECPs receive a lead report and analytics from ActiveLink to identify patients who are interested in new frames and provide information on frame preference trends.



Click on the video above to see how the ActiveLink software works.