Table of Contents
Issues in the Market
-
- Definition
- Abbreviations
Insights and Opportunities
-
- Clashing cultures need innovative treatment
- More stylish possibilities for prescription sunglasses
- Responsive photochromics for drivers
- Opportunity to differentiate drivers’ sunglasses
- Stylish product needs more innovative displays
Market in Brief
-
- Sustained long-term growth in sunglasses
- But susceptible to disruption
- Positive outlook
- Luxottica becoming more dominant
- Fashion shops represent highest growth
- Two main customer types
- Drivers are a key target group
- Price perceptions
Fast Forward Trends
-
- Trend 1: Help The Aged
- Definition
- Context
- Market touchpoints/implications
- Trend 2: Customise This!
- Definition
- Context
- Market touchpoints/implications
- Trend 3: Does My Ego Look Big in This?
- Definition
- Context
- Market touchpoints/implications
Internal Market Environment
-
- More income boosts spend on luxuries
- Increase in overseas trips
-
- Figure 1: Domestic and overseas holiday volume, 2000-06
- More kinds of holiday and a broader spread of types
- Ski holidays static
-
- Figure 2: Type of holiday taken for last holiday, 2002-06
- Celebrities
- Fashion statement
- Sports fans
- Sunglasses useful for drivers
- Heightened awareness of sun damage
Broader Market Environment
-
- Gradual slowdown in consumer spending
- Higher employment means more confidence
- Population shift upscale but ageing
- More ABC1s will help drive demand
- Temperature trends
-
- Figure 3: Summer sunshine in the UK and England, 2002-06
Strengths and Weaknesses
Competitive Context
-
- Eyecare equivalents
-
- Figure 4: Spend on spectacles and contact lenses compared with spend on sunglasses, at current prices, 2001-06
- Sun protection
-
- Figure 5: UK value sales of suncare, 2001-06
- Pre-holiday shopping is key for buying sunglasses
- Parallel brands in sports clothing
- Extravagant handbag habits
- Designerwear has had a less heady time
-
- Figure 6: Spend on sunglasses compared with spend on holidays, 2001-06
Who’s Innovating?
-
- Global supply
- Faster and more daring innovations
- Sunglasses fashion very different from mainstream spectacles
- Oakley setting the pace and differentiating
- Photochromics appearing for plano sunglasses
- Curvier prescription lenses coming on-stream
- More ways to change the appearance of sunglasses
- Linking into other trendy products
- New target marketing initiatives with polarised lenses
- New styling trends
Market Value and Forecast
-
-
- Figure 7: Market size and forecast of the sunglasses market*, 2001-11
- Unpredictable factors at stake
- Average prices benefit
- Future trends
- Market forecast
-
Market Segmentation
-
- Values outpacing volumes
-
- Figure 8: Estimated UK retail sales of standard and premium sunglasses, by volume and value, 2002-06
- Mid-market dynamism
- Premium image is everything
- Prescription stands on its own two feet
Companies and Brands
-
- Changes to the supply chain
- Premium sunglasses
- Mid-market sunglasses
- Luxottica
- Ownership and origins
- Market presence
- Portfolio of brands
- Target market
- Advertising spend
- Owned brands (8)
- Licensed Brands (18)
- Safilo Group
- Ownership and origins
- Market presence
- Portfolio of brands
- Target market
- Advertising spend
- Owned brands (5)
- Licensed brands (25)
- Marchon
- Ownership and origins
- Market presence
- Portfolio of brands
- Target market
- Advertising spend
- De Rigo
- Ownership and origins
- Market presence
- Portfolio of brands
- Target market
- Advertising spend
- Oakley
- Ownership and origins
- Market presence
- Portfolio of brands
- Target market
- Advertising spend
- Blue Gem
- Fabris Lane
- Foster Grant
- Marcolin
- Maui Jim
- Mondottica
Brand Communication and Promotion
-
- Nurturing the image above the line
- Below-the-line incentives target the retailer
-
- Figure 9: Selected examples of main monitored media advertising expenditure on sunglasses, suppliers and brands, 2002-06
- How the retailers support sunglasses
-
- Figure 10: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on sunglasses, opticians and retailers, 2002-05
Channels to Market
-
-
- Figure 11: Total UK market for sunglasses, by type of outlet, 2002-06
- Opticians chains dominated by the big four
- Chemists sector dominated by Boots
- Supermarkets becoming a complete one-stop shop
- Department stores – leading groups expanding
- Fashion retailers – pacy, fashionable and affordable
- Other retailers
- Online selling
- Theft – an industry-wide issue
- Counterfeit goods
-
The Consumer – Decision-making
-
- Evidence of a buoyant market
-
- Figure 12: Important factors when choosing sunglasses, August 2006
- Reassurance is a key factor
- Parallels with suncare
- Surprisingly low concern about UV protection
- Opportunity to add value with comfort
- Fashion potential as a sales tool
- Pent-up demand for prescription sunglasses
- Drivers form a core group
- Style features of sunglasses
-
- Figure 13: Important style factors when choosing sunglasses, August 2006
- Practical considerations come first
- Status symbols
- In celebrity denial
- Image-conscious males
- Function vs fashion
The Consumer – Price Perceptions
-
- Key findings
-
- Figure 14: Prices consumers are prepared to pay for sunglasses*, August 2006
- Higher level of interest in sunglasses in 2006
- Realistic expectations at lower prices
- Plenty of demand at higher prices
- Demographic patterns
-
- Figure 15: Prices consumers are prepared to pay for sunglasses, by age group, August 2006.
-
- Figure 16: Prices consumers are prepared to pay for sunglasses*, August 2006.
The Consumer – Further Analysis
-
- How important is functionality?
-
- Figure 17: Repertoire of important factors when choosing sunglasses, August 2006
- Price perceptions/adding value
-
- Figure 18: Price prepared to pay for sunglasses, according to important factors, August 2006
- How important is fashion and style?
-
- Figure 19: Price prepared to pay for sunglasses, according to style criteria, August 2006
Appendix
-
- Introduction
- CE mark
- Relevant trade associations
- Consumer research
- ACORN
- Advertising data
- Internal market environment
-
- Figure 20: Full driving licence holders, by age and gender, 1992/94-2004
- Broader market environment
-
- Figure 21: PDI and consumer expenditure, at current and constant prices, 2001-11
- Figure 22: PDI, at current and constant 2001 prices, 2001-11
- Figure 23: Consumer expenditure, at current and constant 2001 prices, 2001-11
-
- Figure 24: UK employment and unemployment, by gender, 2001-11
- Figure 25: UK population, by age, 2001-11
- Figure 26: UK adult population aged 15+, by socio-economic group, 2001-11
- Market Value and Forecast
- Factors incorporated in the forecast
- Segment performance
-
- Figure 27: Estimated average price of entry, standard and premium sunglasses, 2002-06
- Consumer 1 – Detailed demographics
- TGI data
-
- Figure 28: Adults who wear glasses or contact lenses, 2002-06
- Figure 29: Adults who wear glasses or contact lenses, by agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2006
-
- Figure 30: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements – 7-19-year-olds, by age, 2006
- Suncare protection
-
- Figure 31: Main reasons for using sun protection, August 2006
- Figure 32: Attitudes towards sun protection, August 2006
- Important factors when choosing sunglasses
-
- Figure 33: Important factors when choosing sunglasses, by gender, age, socio-economic group, marital status, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, working status, tenure, region, ACORN categories, technology usage, commercial TV viewing, supermarket usage, household size, car usage and detailed lifestage groups, August 2006
- Figure 34: Important factors when choosing sunglasses, by gender, age, socio-economic group, marital status, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, working status, tenure, region, ACORN categories, technology usage, commercial TV viewing, supermarket usage, household size, car usage and detailed lifestage groups, August 2006
- Style factors
-
- Figure 35: Important style factors when choosing sunglasses, by gender, age, socio-economic group, marital status, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, working status, tenure, region, ACORN categories, technology usage, commercial TV viewing, supermarket usage, household size, car usage and detailed lifestage groups, August 2006
- Figure 36: Important style factors when choosing sunglasses, by gender, age, socio-economic group, marital status, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, working status, tenure, region, ACORN categories, technology usage, commercial TV viewing, supermarket usage, household size, car usage and detailed lifestage groups, August 2006
-
- Figure 37: Important style decisions, by important factors when choosing sunglasses, August 2006
- Consumer 2 – Detailed demographics
-
- Figure 38: Important factors when choosing sunglasses, by price prepared to pay for sunglasses, August 2006
- Price perceptions
-
- Figure 39: Price prepared to pay for sunglasses, August 2006
- Figure 40: Nets of price prepared to pay sunglasses, by gender, age, socio-economic group, marital status, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, working status, region, ACORN categories, media usage, commercial TV viewing, supermarket usage, household size, car usage and detailed lifestage groups, August 2006
- Consumer 3 – Detailed demographics
-
- Figure 41: Repertoire of important factors when choosing sunglasses, August 2006
- Figure 42: Repertoire of important factors when choosing sunglasses, by important factors, August 2006
-
- Figure 43: Repertoire of important factors when choosing sunglasses, by gender, age, socio-economic group, marital status, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, working status, tenure, region, ACORN categories, daily newspaper readership, commercial TV viewing and supermarket usage, August 2006
- Figure 44: Repertoire of important style factors when choosing sunglasses, August 2006
-
- Figure 45: Repertoire of important style factors when choosing sunglasses, by important factors, August 2006
- Figure 46: Repertoire of important style factors when choosing sunglasses, by gender, age, socio-economic group, marital status, lifestage, presence of children, Mintel’s Special Groups, working status, tenure, region, ACORN categories, daily newspaper readership, commercial TV viewing and supermarket usage, August 2006
Back to top