was an optometrist, so he decided to
give it a try.
“I told myself I'd try optometry one
year, to see if I liked it, and finally
I did it all,” he says.
Sauvageau has an interest in biology
and physics, and he also wanted to
own his own business – all factors in
the success of his career choice.
“I was pretty intrigued by the eye
and the visual system so I told myself
it seemed like a good fit for me,” he
says. “I like people, so I like to work
and meet new people. I told myself
I better try it for real.”
Sauvageau enjoyed the courses so
much that by the end of his first year
he had three jobs, one in research in
optometry, one in a clinic and one
tutoring children in science.
“From that moment, I realized I really
liked the profession and what I could
do in it,” he says.
His advice to those entering
the industry comes from what
he's seen change in the
short time he's been
practising optometry.
“You have to be curious
because it's a profession
that always evolves,” he
says.“There are always new
technologies, new p roducts
out there – pharmaceuticals,
eyewear, contacts – it
changes every month so
you have to keep reading
and be passionate about it
to be good at it. That's the
first thing I realized - that
passion is an indispensable
tool.” The evolution of
the optical industry he
mentioned has been more
rapid and surprising than
anything else he's seen,
36 Optical Prism | April 2017
which is why he founded Opfront.ca
to help independent optical practices
with online tools that showcase
in-store inventory.
“The industry is changing more rapidly
than I ever expected,” he says.
“There's consolidation in the market
and it's becoming harder and harder
for independent practitioners and
eyecare professionals.”
Since he graduated in 2010 when
online services were fairly new, he says
independent eyecare professionals
entering the market have to be ahead
of the game.
“You have to look at where the market
is going and be interested in it,”
Sauvageau says. “My biggest advice
for a young eyecare professional would
be to stay up to date of where the
industry is going, what consumers are
looking for.”
The new face of competitiveness in
the optical industry is forcing all
sectors to be more competitive and
reach out to people they're not
currently reaching.
“More than 90 per cent of people, in
all industries, are starting their
buying process online these days,”
he says. “So internet is really the core
of retailing right now, there's more
than 80 per cent of Canadians bought
online in 2015 and that jumps to 95
per cent for millennials so those
figures are pretty high. E-commerce
is growing three times as fast as retail,
in general. So in our market, we need
to adapt quickly to make sure we get
our fair share of this opportunity.”
With e-retailers discovering they too
need physical spaces to attract the
consumer, independents changing their
game is imperative to their survival.
“They're opening the physical spaces
we already have. We already have that
expertise and physical space, the
inventory, so we have to do it
better than they are.”
LM3191 col.4
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