title: Customer loyalty among daily disposable contact lens wearers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Optometric practices offer contact lenses as cash sale items or as part of monthly payment plans. With the contact lens market becoming increasingly competitive, patients are opting to purchase lenses from supermarkets and Internet suppliers. Monthly payment plans are often implemented to improve loyalty. This study aimed to compare behavioural loyalty between monthly payment plan members and non-members.
  
  
  METHODS
  BBR Optometry Ltd offers a monthly payment plan (Eyelife™) to their contact lens wearers. A retrospective audit of 38 Eyelife™ members (mean±SD: 42.7±15.0 years) and 30 non-members (mean±SD: 40.8±16.7 years) was conducted. Revenue and profits generated, service uptake and product sales between the two groups were compared over a fixed period of 18 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eyelife™ members generated significantly higher professional fee revenue (P<0.001), £153.96 compared to £83.50, and profits (P<0.001). Eyelife™ members had a higher uptake of eye examinations (P<0.001). The 2 groups demonstrated no significant difference in spectacle sales by volume (P=0.790) or value (P=0.369). There were also no significant differences in contact lens revenue (P=0.337), although Eyelife™ members did receive a discount. The Eyelife™ group incurred higher contact lens costs (P=0.037), due to a greater volume of contact lens purchases, 986 units compared to 582.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Monthly payment plans improve loyalty among contact lens wearers, particularly service uptake and volume of lens purchases. Additionally the greater professional fees generated, render monthly payment plans an attractive business model and practice builder.
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom; BBR Optometry Ltd, Hereford HR1 2PR, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Neelam I
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom. Electronic address: s.a.naroo@aston.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Shehzad A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Naroo
authors.affiliation: School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eperjesi
authors.affiliation: BBR Optometry Ltd, Hereford HR1 2PR, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Rumney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003256:Community Participation; D003262:Contact Lenses, Extended-Wear / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004209:Disposable Equipment / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018803:Models, Economic; D009907:Optometry / Q000191:economics*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Business model; Contact lenses; Daily disposables; Loyalty; Professional fees; Profit