Takeaways from a Prototype: Vision testing and eyeglass retailing through Community Pharmacies
On September 14, 2021, Jeeon & DOTGlasses trained 15 RMPs (rural medical practitioners) in Polash & Manohordi Upazila of Narsingdi to participate in a prototype for the next two months. Each RMP got DOTGlasses KIT which allowed for easy vision testing and contained 20 modular eyeglasses that could be assembled as per the patient’s needs in 2 minutes. After the training, each pharmacy was decorated with DOTGlasses branding, and marketing materials were given to raise product awareness in the community.
DOTGlasses s.r.o. has an innovative solution to address the problems of visually impaired people in low-income communities. The solution consists of an easy-to-train and easy-to-use testing kit (which eliminates the need for an eye specialist or optometrist) along with modular frames and lenses (that greatly reduce the cost of ensuring product availability). Check them out here.
Over a period of 2 months, ~200 beneficiaries were screened for presbyopia and myopia. The majority of them could be categorised under socio-economic classes C & D. Eventually, 50 spectacles were sold to the patients through this prototype. During this time, Jeeon’s representative regularly followed up & assisted with screening, selling & arranging campaigns.
The results of the prototype however were far below our expectations. Here are some of our key takeaways from this experience.
Primarily, we feel that there is a product-market mismatch at the current price point (MRP: Tk. 320). Given the high degree of standardisation of the product, the pool of potential customers is limited to those that are not particularly concerned about style. However, the existing price point is too high for this group of customers- they can get a basic pair of glasses at BDT 150–200 from an optics shop and BDT 100 from NGOs like BRAC.
On the other hand, those who are willing to pay BDT. 320 (or even more) are conscious of style, design, and uniqueness. The lack of options in terms of “design” (which we interpret as availability of different colours, use of different materials, rim options, and thickness of the frame) is a barrier to purchase. Moreover, for some people, the standardisation of the design and the fact that many other people may be wearing the same design in their vicinity is enough reason not to wear the glasses even if they were given for free.
A potential strategy may be to try and position DOTGlasses as a premium brand with a high price — after all, everyone wanted the same iPhone in the 2010s). However, this will greatly limit the market to young, fashion-conscious, affluent customers. Building on top of this, a 1-on-1 charity model could also perhaps be experimented with (akin to the TOM’s shoes model). However, this comes with its own set of risks.
Another fundamental question that arose from the prototype was whether pharmacies are a good channel for eye screening to begin with. Customers at a pharmacy, especially in low and middle-income communities are not used to spending much money at a pharmacy, even if they have the ability to pay. According to the FGD discussions, the cap for the typical transaction at a pharmacy is BDT. 150–200. The customer groups we talked to simply do not expect to spend more at a pharmacy in a single transaction, no matter the quality or convenience of an offering.
On the other hand, it also does not seem to make much economic sense for the pharmacy. The incentives offered by the local healthcare facilities for referrals from pharmacies seem to sufficiently outweigh the margin (BDT. 30–50) that a pharmacy makes from selling a pair of low-cost spectacles.
It should be noted that the robustness of the eyeglasses was highly appreciated by both RMPs and customer/potential customer groups. The modular designs were also appreciated since it greatly reduced the required storage space for a pharmacy. Unfortunately, it seems that these commendable innovations are not enough for the Bangladesh market with a highly competitive optics industry.
If DOTGlasses intends to serve the underserved customer segments in Bangladesh, we recommend exploring ways of bringing the price point down to competitive rates through subsidisation mechanisms (perhaps with the government or aid organisations). As such, a potential channel for this product (given that the price is subsidised) may be government or NGO health workers that may add this product to their existing basket of products and services and create access to vision services for the hardest-to-reach population groups.
Shad M Farabe
Manager, Sales & Operations
Jeeon Bangladesh Ltd.
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These findings are based on (a) mystery shopper exercises at 6/15 pharmacies (b) interviews with the RMPs (c) focus group discussions with customers and potential customers and (d) interviews with shopkeepers at optical shops. The suggestions however are simply the musings and pinions of the Jeeon team members closest to this prototype.
Jeeon has been working with pharmacies and village doctors since 2015 to build their capacity and develop their service portfolio. We had a successful two-year partnership with VisionSpring for the Clear Vision Collective (CVC) initiative in 2019.
