In May, we did a post on Groupon, the new trend of consumer purchasing. We are always curious as to if eyecare is using Groupon and how and what they are offering. Below is an example of an eyecare office in Texas, who used Groupon to what I would consider some amazing results. 87 people bought a $50 discount certificate. ($4350) That certificate has to be used by October 20, 2010 giving the purchaser 6 months to use or gives the eyecare professional 14.5 potentially new patients a month. Not a bad gig.
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I think this is a very interesting concept and I have been curious about how it would work for our industry. Good info and definetly worth investigating for the right office. Thanks for keeping us updated on the latest marketing trends, we need them.
Great idea but Groupon gets half of the $50 certificate, the advertiser would only receive $2175
I think the point was getting new patients and to show if Groupon works.
They are also offering $50 off an eye exam if needed (regular $170), so the patient pays $120. Are they serious? Who can charge $170 for a routine eye exam? Is this how they make up the loss from the eyewear?
Is it worth it? For those 87 patients the total “loss” is $13,125. This counts the $100 off and the $25 per patient that goes to Groupon, and assumes 45 need an eye exam for another $50 off. For an office that averages $325 collections per refraction, an additional 40+ patients paying at regular price will need to be seen to make up the difference.
Most docs who value their time with the patient and demonstrate to their patients the high value of their exam can easily charge $170+ for an exam. What does an ophthalmologist do differently from an optometrist for a routine exam? Yet they routinely charge $170+. Docs need to quit giving their services away for free.