Latest in Specsavers marketing

Specsavers, the multinational chain of more than 2000 retail shops, appeals to consumers on the basis of local expertise, fashion design and affordable pricing. The company's multichannel strategy appeals to multiple market segments.

Local Specsavers shops examine the external marketing environment for spectacles and other eyewear products and offer products and services to meet the needs of their retail clientele.

Specsavers particularly wants to be known for its community involvement and social responsibility. So, for example, some UK stores recently participated in charity efforts like fundraising for Brain Tumour research.

The UK Specsavers organisation is highly social...and has attracted hundreds of thousands of views for its YouTube videos over the years. Its Twitter account, opened eight years ago, has nearly 40k followers. Its Instagram page features stylish eyewear for men and women, a complement to the pricing promotions in other media.

In Africa, nearly 300 franchised Specsavers shops emphasise affordable eyewear via social media such as Facebook and Twitter. The organisation offers free try-on of glass frames by mail, so customers can see how frames look at home.

In Australia, the Specsavers organisation uses the strapline 'Good looking styles at feel good prices' on its website. Its Instagram account asks brand fans to 'snap a spec selfie' and upload with the tag #LoveGlasses for a chance to win a prize. Its Facebook page has more than 110k followers and its YouTube account has nearly 1000 followers. The Australian Specsavers stores support hundreds of local community causes.

This updates the Specsavers example in the chapter on Analysing Customers and Markets, in my book Essential Guide to Marketing Planning.

Specsavers focuses on differentiation

Specsavers differentiates itself from other providers of spectacles by focusing on two key points of difference: (1) affordable pricing and (2) stylish frames.

The company, which partners with local optician professionals in the UK and Australia, as well as in Europe, has some 2,000 retail locations. With buying power like that, Specsavers can offer a variety of fashion frames at popular prices. It is also expanding into the niche of prescription safety glasses through a licensing deal with JCB.

The company seeks efficiency of operations to keep costs and prices low. For instance, it is streamlining its information technology arrangements and outsourcing to the cloud. It is also applying the latest manufacturing technology to the products it sells--including sustainable energy to keep Specsavers green.

Among the marketing techniques Specsavers uses is social media marketing on Facebook and beyond. The #LoveGlasses hashtag highlights images and posts that relate to its style credentials, all part of the marketing plan based on Specsavers' positioning of affordability and fashion.

This post updates content in Chapter 4 of Essential Guide to Marketing Planning, 4th edn.