In-Store and On-Site: The Summertime Experience Builds Community and Brings Customers

"Being out in the community is a fantastic way to engage with our customers, period." – Darren Horndasch, president/CEO, Wisconsin Vision.

NEW BERLIN, Wis.—As summer gets underway, Wisconsin Vision has a number of summertime promotions planned for both in the store and out in the field to help reach out and participate in the community, while building loyal customers at the same time.

Being that National Sunglasses Day is June 27, we thought it would be neat to create a "unique experience" for our customers when they come to our centers. Our store staff will be wearing summer attire, from flowered shirts, to sun dresses and more. They will also be allowed to decorate their centers (within reason) to fit the "summer theme" and really make the customer have a fun and yet playful experience while there. We will be educating customers on UV awareness and really try to get them to understand the importance of eye health.

We have also found that we really like to immerse ourselves in the community. We participate in a lot of local health fairs, on-site at the Timber Rattlers (minor league baseball) games prior to the games. We have a partnership with them, and it is a great opportunity to meet our customers face-to-face at a fun place.

We have also been involving ourselves more in the Hispanic community as we have a large following in this group. We have two events this summer that will be coming up. With our newest location, we also just wrapped up participating in a fashion show with our businesses in the Third Ward.

Wisconsin Vision partners with its local minor league baseball team, the Timber Rattlers.

In our Illinois stores, we participated in a Kids Expo which was a great place to meet families, and we will also have a presence during a 5K Run in Joliet, which is right where one of our stores is located.

National Sunglasses Day will not only help promote sunglasses sales but will also get the word out about UV awareness and eye health.

Labor Day is huge for us. Our center staff participates in parades throughout Wisconsin, Indiana and some in Illinois, or we go out in the field to speak with our customers at local events during the day. Given that we have a lot of union business, this is a great way for us to reach back out to our union members and reconnect with them.

Each event we do we find is informative for the centers, but it is also beneficial for us here at corporate. Being out in the community is a fantastic way to engage with our customers, period.

This summer we will also offer chances to win a Platinum Protection Plan, which includes the replacement of a frame for any reason within one year of purchase. Lenses are 60 percent off if they need to be replaced, and the customer receives an eight-ounce cleaner and microfiber cloth, for the first 10 customers who correctly answer a series of fun questions, or a bottle of lens spray if they only get two answers correct. Customers receive lens cloths as a general giveaway just for participating.

The main promotion on National Sunglasses Day will be 30 percent off any sunglasses or prescription sunglasses that day, and with our 50 percent second-pair promotion continuing, the customer can purchase two pairs and save even more.

To get the word out about the event, the store will hand out flyers and post them on public bulletin boards in the area (grocery stores, coffee shops etc.). On the bottom of the flyer will be the 30 percent coupon promotion to entice those who we do not directly speak to prior to the event. We will also promote this on our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).

Finally, we will also roll out our very successful Ray-Ban sunglasses sale beginning in June.