Mr. Suwit Uesabangyang started out as a freelance programmer and was looking for extra income online until he came across the eyeglasses business. What was the turning point? And why did it have to be an eyeglasses shop business?
When it comes to going to an eyeglasses shop, everyone usually goes there only when they feel that their vision is not clear, whether it is nearsighted, farsighted or astigmatism. What we do when we go to an eyeglasses shop is to choose the frame we want, have our vision measured, choose the lenses, and then go home. Therefore, the time we spend at an eyeglasses shop is probably less than an hour, unless there are a lot of people in the shop.
Most of the conversations about eyeglasses come in the topic of what kind of frame do you want? Round or square? Thick or thin lenses? Do you have a photochromic lens? And what is your budget for this eyeglasses? So that the shop can recommend frames that are within your budget. This may be a process that you encounter when visiting other eyeglass shops, but at Mr. Suwit’s Siam Glasses shop, it is not like that. The longest process is not the eye measurement but….”the conversation.”
The beginning of an eyeglasses shop
Mr. Suwit said that he graduated with a degree in computer science and intended to become a programmer. At first, he tried working in a field that was related to his studies, as a freelance programmer as he had intended. But at one point, he began to feel that he wanted to have extra income. He started looking for things around him and found glasses because Mr. Suwit was someone who wore glasses.
“Beautiful glasses, but expensive.”
At that time, the Internet was widely available, making selling things online very popular. Mr. Suwit therefore started selling his glasses frames on various online sales websites. However, after selling for a long time, he realized that most glasses with beautiful shapes and popularity were often too expensive. Some customers who wanted them did not have enough money, so they started to wonder how to make glasses that were beautiful, good quality, and affordable.
“Extra income becomes a full-time job.”
Mr. Suwit began to find the answer to the question by looking for a way to contact a factory to produce eyeglass frames himself. If he could order them himself, he would get beautiful frames like leading brands, but he could control the cost and price of the frames. At first, he started to order frames to sell only on the internet. When he saw that the feedback was good and he had more work, he stopped working as a programmer and turned to focus on the eyeglasses shop full-time.
“The customer wants to try it on, but there’s no storefront.”
When selling eyeglass frames gradually improved, the next problem that Mr. Suwit had to find an answer for was what to do when customers wanted to try them on before deciding to buy. But it turned out that at that time, there was no storefront for customers to come in and try them on. A programmer like Mr. Suwit had to start studying information about eyeglass shops, finding information, going to training, learning about eye measurement, or learning about eye diseases in order to have enough knowledge to open an eyeglass shop and hire staff to work.
“Choose a frame, measure your eyesight, recommend lenses, cut lenses, wait to receive them back.”
If we go back to the service of optical shops in the past, we will find that there are not many processes when a customer walks in, chooses a frame, measures eyesight, recommends lenses, cuts lenses, and waits to receive the glasses back. Mr. Suwit, who wears glasses himself, feels that the actual process in optical shops should not be just this. Optical shops are like clinics or hospitals, but opticians are like doctors who should interact with patients and learn more about their stories.
“Glasses are not like clothes.”
An eyeglasses shop is not like a clothing store where we can choose the style we like, try it on, and then buy it. Blurred vision should be discussed in more detail about the cause or problem rather than having many frames lined up for selection. Blurred vision problems, whether due to nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, should start with a discussion to find a solution to the problem of lenses first, then go to the step of choosing the desired frame. This way, the problem will be solved directly.
“I’d rather have customers come into a store with a table to talk to rather than a bunch of glasses on display.”
Mr. Suwit said that solving vision problems should take at least 30-60 minutes to consult, talk, and measure, which is very difficult because most optical shops have only one room for examining and talking. When a customer comes in, the examiner has to quickly examine to catch up with the customers waiting outside. The time spent talking, consulting, and measuring vision has been cut short. Mr. Suwit therefore used this to adjust and create a new service concept at Siam Glasses. When entering the shop, everyone must start by talking and consulting about all the problems, before discussing the vision measurement. The shop’s service guidelines are as follows:
- The eye examination room has 2 examination rooms to accommodate customers and allow for more time to talk with customers.
- Our team and eye examination personnel will provide advice, consultation and assistance to customers. Once the problem is known, the process of selecting the lenses and frames that are most suitable for the customer’s problem will proceed.
The set goals
Mr. Suwit said that he intended to make the eyeglasses shop a real eyeglasses shop by solving customers’ problems with prescription lenses rather than a variety of fashion frames. Although eyeglass frames are currently a lifestyle, fashion, and preference that must be diverse according to the diversity of customers, solving vision problems is more important because it is not just about creating products that meet customers’ lifestyles, but also about increasing the efficiency of customers’ lives.
Obstacles along the way
The obstacle that Mr. Suwit had to face was the difficulty of choosing a job that was not in line with his field of study. The eyeglasses business is a solution to vision problems along with a variety of fashionable frames that suit each customer’s lifestyle. Therefore, making an eyeglasses shop that meets the needs and meets his own ideal eyeglasses shop is a matter of trial and error. For example, in terms of eyeglass lenses, which are a vision technology that is constantly being developed, the shop has to adjust itself to be up-to-date every year and is always ready to accept new information, whether it be about lenses, brands, or frames.
“The concept of the store is to provide customers with beautiful eyeglass frames that are comparable to brands with good materials and cheap prices.”
Since the shop orders the production of its own eyeglass frames, the shop must bear the cost in this part more than other shops, which mostly buy to resell. Their process is to buy at a high price. When selling to customers, they must sell at a higher price because they add profit. But Siam Glasses orders the production to get a low cost per piece in order to sell to customers at an affordable price. The result is that the shop must bear the cost more than other shops. Some styles, if customers don’t like them, can’t be sold. They have to follow up on feedback from customers to make changes all the time.
Impression
What impressed Mr. Suwit about his work here is that most customers who come to use the service often say that the shop spends a lot of time with customers and pays attention to the small details, which is in line with the shop’s goal of being a shop that solves vision problems for customers by talking to solve problems. This method allows finding the real problems of customers and understanding their needs, not just coming to get glasses and that’s it. In addition, the shop also keeps customer information. If there is any problem, the shop will help predict or warn customers in advance so that customers can be careful in time.
Why choose Essilor?
Mr. Suwit explained that Essilor is a very good partner or trader in terms of lenses. There are many products to choose from, both in terms of technology and specialized lens groups that can solve all customer problems, for example, presbyopia, light filtering lenses, sunglasses, etc. Essilor’s products can meet customer needs very well.
Message to the New Generation Salaryman Page
In addition to the regular work that salaried employees are doing diligently, try looking for additional income from things around you or things close to you. These additional jobs, in addition to creating a career and additional income for us, sometimes it can become the main income instead of the regular work we are doing. And if you find something you like or are good at, don’t stop just because you don’t dare to take a risk. Go for it and go all out with it. Then you won’t have to regret it later because you didn’t do it.
“Look for extra work from things close to you or things you like. Sometimes those extra jobs can make you more money than your regular job.”
SiamGlasses Eyeglasses Shop (Shop opens daily from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM)
Address: Siamglasses Eyeglasses Shop, Bang Khae Branch (next to MRT Bang Khae Station), Tel: 092-1234-957 and Siamglasses Eyeglasses Shop, Buathong Village Branch (next to MRT Khlong Bang Phai Station), Tel: 099-099-0264
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