Annual review Specsavers Annual Report LR Proof | Page 8

PASSIONATE
ABOUT OUR
CUSTOMERS
Enhancing our offer
We are committed to fulfilling the varied and ever-
evolving needs of our customers. In the UK we
continued to grow our home-visit service. We provided
first-class experiences and unbeatable value to more
than 110,000 people who would otherwise have been
unable to benefit from our optical care. With a number
of new partners joining us, we expanded our domiciliary
business across the Republic of Ireland, and saw
sales in the UK increase by 6% to £19m. Our first
domiciliary television advert helped raise awareness
of our sight test at home service, and highlighted the
importance of regular eye-health checks among those
who are housebound.
This year we started our journey to transform eye health
THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR BUSINESS
in Northern Europe. As our reputation as trusted local
eye-health experts strengthens, we invested heavily
in comprehensive sight-test training and technology,
Our unwavering passion to provide the best Since its launch in 2016, the tool for customers to Our Try On app is now available to all our customers formed strategic alliances with leading eye-health
possible experience, value and choice in eyecare book appointments online has been hugely popular, worldwide as a way of sampling our products before organisations (including the Finnish Federation of the
and hearing care means we now serve more than accounting for around a third of appointments made visiting a store. The functionality can be used on all Visually Impaired and the Norwegian Association of
36 million customers worldwide. This is reflected in across our markets every week. During the past 12 devices, and gives customers a great opportunity to play the Blind) and published State of the Nation Eye Health
our continued growth year-on-year, enabling us to months, we have made significant improvements to the around with styles and preferences in their own time, reports in each market across the region.
sell record numbers of glasses, contact lenses and online capability, notably the way the system works on which can speed up the decision-making and dispensing hearing aids over the past 12 months. mobile devices. process when they are in a store.
We also made strides in the roll-out of optical coherence
tomography (OCT) in our stores across the UK and
Innovating the
customer experience In Australia, our customers can now buy glasses through We developed the world’s first digital application for Australia. As the first optician to offer OCT, which is a
our website, and this has proved a big hit, with people creating personalised recommendations for customers non-invasive, diagnostic imaging test, our optometrists
clearly enjoying the convenience of purchasing our in store. Our website version has been used more than can provide leading customer care by identifying signs
Digital technology plays a significant part in how we products online. 230,000 times, but the new iPad app – Frame Styler - of conditions such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy
interact with our customers, both in store and online, revolutionises the experience, adding a whole new earlier than traditional methods. The technology offers
and is fundamental to our ongoing success. level of convenience and wow factor. The app significant benefits to our customers and there are plans
captures a scan of the customer’s face, and makes to introduce the service in our other markets.
During 2017/18, we continued our investment in cutting- recommendations using facial analysis. The tool reveals edge technology to build digital services that not only the most suitable frames based on the scanned image Closing the gap between optometry and ophthalmology
deliver an unrivalled, omnichannel customer journey, alongside other customer data such as sales patterns, to provide high-quality eyecare to customers in
but also help our store teams be as efficient and well- and then offers customers the option of saving their the community continues to be a key focus for us.
equipped as possible. The introduction of more digital favourites. Now available in all stores across the UK, Newmedica, a leading provider of NHS-funded
self-service options and other engaging services has led the app means our teams can confidently source frames ophthalmology services in which we invested in late-
to enormous growth in the number of people exploring that best suit the customer. 2016, made significant progress during the year. Today,
Specsavers online. We now see more than 1.3 million we operate specialist eye-health clinics and surgical
visitors to our websites every week. Whether it’s to book centres, with a number of new ones planned for
an appointment at their local store, view our latest ranges 2018/19. Established as ophthalmology joint venture
and offers and try on glasses virtually, or seek expertise via partnerships, the centres deliver a wide range of
our Ask the Optician feature, using the latest technology hospital-grade eyecare for patients who then return
provides an easy, accessible and trusted experience for
customers as a pathway for their healthcare needs.
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The Frame Styler app in action at the UK partnership seminar.
to their local optician for aftercare.
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