EDITOR’S LETTER
Do You Have Kids?
kids are amazing. If you want a good dose of joy, laughter, out-of-the-box ideas, and fresh insight, go hang out with some children.
And, whether or not you have some of the more than 74 million U.S. kids today as patients and customers—and whether or not you have them (or have grown kids) in your family—children have likely affected your life (and your business) in a positive way.
Busy with my career and a life filled with travel and adventure, I was a late-blooming mom. My daughter is now six, and I feel very fortunate to experience the truly incredible adventure of raising a child—and being with kids every day.
But it’s not always easy. And there’s no doubt that tiny, growing humans are a unique patient-customer base. The children’s eyewear sale requires special handling. In this issue, we dig into the kids’ eyewear market to serve some fresh ideas to the table for you and your business.
“If blocking the blue light may have a potential benefit and no harm, then we have a duty to talk about it.”
—Danielle Crull, ABOM, owner of A Child’s Eye, tells Eyecare Business in this issue.
Need best-selling kids’ products? Starting on page 46, check out our kids’ eyewear photo shoot, which is packed to the gills with the coolest, most technically advanced, durable, and purely fun new eyewear for children.
Want a download on the kids’ consumer market? On page 60, Forbes.com retail editor Barbara Thau checks in with some high-profile kids’ experts and tells us just what appeals to young consumers today. Hint: Mini-me looks are all the rage.
Curious what lenses to offer kiddos? EB’s resident lens expert Susan Tarrant checks in with three successfully kid-centric ECPs to offer up some great insight + a guide to 12 products that are spot-on for children, all starting on page 68.
We hope you enjoy our annual kids-focused issue—and please follow us on Facebook (@EyecareBusiness) and Twitter (@EyecareBusiness) all this month for even more highly usable intel on the hottest new kids’ products and selling tips from our EB team.
EB celebrates its 30-year anniversary in 2016! Do you remember this kids-focused cover from 2002?
Best Regards,
Erinn Morgan
Editor-in-Chief + Editorial Director
Eyecare Business