More Images
NEW YORK—The recovery in the optical industry continued to stall last week as optical sales on a national level remained flat for the second week in a row, according to the latest Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker for the week ending Oct. 4. All service/product categories being tracked (except for the exams/refractions category) showed no change for the most recent week for which metrics were monitored (Sept. 28-Oct 4) when compared with the previous week (Sept. 21-27). Only exams/refractions experienced any change whatsoever when comparing the two weeks monitored, and that was a negligible -1 index point.

Regionally, optical sales were varied during the most recent week tracked (Sept. 28-Oct. 4). The Northeast and South were primarily flat with negligible differences of only +1 or -1 index point in the categories that experienced any change. The Midwest experienced the largest increases in optical sales over this past week, ranging from 1 index point for gross revenue to 3 index points for frame units. Contact lenses was the only category to decrease in the Midwest, at a rate of -2 index points.

The West had the greatest declines in optical sales over this past week, ranging from -3 index points for gross revenue and exams/refractions to -4 index points for frame units and lens pairs. Contact lenses was the only category to increase in the West, at a rate of 2 index points.

With both the Midwest and West having nine states each reporting increasing numbers of cases of COVID-19 (according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center), and with the Midwest increasing in most service/product categories while the West declined, it appears that wildfires in the West are having more of an impact on optical sales than the pandemic spreading in both Census regions.

The Jobson COVID-19 Practice Performance Tracker data is compiled by Jobson Research from GPN/EDGEPro and ABB Analyze data. Another element of the report illustrates Consumer Sentiments about the COVID-19 response and purchasing intentions, with data supplied by The Vision Council.

This index baseline was developed by Jobson Research from total sales from an average 7 days in the first quarter of 2019.

Click here to view the complete Jobson COVID-19 Performance Tracker