Part Two: From Discount to Design
Redesigning how lens suppliers and independents work - and win.
Last week’s Eye Style piece looked at The Independence Paradox from the practice side; how independents often end up funding the very systems that keep them dependent.
The truth is, those systems weren’t built by villains. They were built by suppliers trying to survive.
The list prices, the volume tiers, the rebates, the marketing funds - they all have a logic behind them. A logic that made perfect sense when the industry was smaller, slower, and far less transparent.
If you haven’t read Part One, here it is for context:
Part One: The Independence Paradox
There’s a quiet irony in independent optics right now. Many independents talk about supporting other independents, but when it comes to lens suppliers, they’re often buying through channels that give big groups and multiples even better deals.
This week, we look from the other side. Because understanding how these structures evolved (and why they’re now breaking) is the first step towards redesigning them.
The Illusion of Price (from the Supplier’s Side)
From the outside, list pricing looks like theatre; inflated numbers designed to make discounts seem generous.
From the inside, it started as something else entirely: a way to maintain order. Lens production needs predictability. Pricing tiers and discounts created a simple visual map for volume. They allowed forecasting, stabilised costs, and gave reps flexibility to compete in an increasingly aggressive market. The psychology worked too. A discount feels like a win; a rebate feels like a reward.
Suppliers used both to protect value while building loyalty; the same behavioural pattern that’s defined retail for decades. Elegant, efficient, and, for a long time, effective. But as transparency increased, the illusion of premium turned into suspicion.
Everyone now knows the list price isn’t real, which makes every discount look performative.
The structure that once inspired confidence now breeds doubt.
The illusion of price still exists, it’s just no longer doing its job.
If you’re a lens supplier, rep or practice owner struggling to make sense of pricing tiers, loyalty schemes or partnerships that feel one-sided - the rest of this article will show you how to rebuild them so they actually work.
Implemented properly, what follows could make (and save) you serious money. And result in a relationship that actually works for the benefit of all.
Labs, you’ll know what to do to win trust back.
Practice owners, you’ll know exactly what to ask for.