Bebek Optik
Luxury and Quality in One
“Thanks to Silmo Istanbul, in addition to discovering new brands and products, I enjoy meeting my colleagues and discussing the future of the industry with them.”
Hello Mrs. Burcu, first of all, could you introduce yourself a little bit and tell us about how your path crossed with the optical sector?
I was born in 1978 and I am a mother of 3 children. I started my business life by designing jewelry. My husband has been doing this profession for 35 years. At first, I found it very enjoyable to visit my husband and choose sunglasses suitable for the wearer’s face… Afterwards, my visits turned into a 9am-7pm shift. I worked with my husband for about 10 years. Later, I realized more clearly that this profession is not about making sales, but that the eye is the most important limb of human life and I wanted to learn every fine detail. At the age of 40, I studied at university. I received my optician diploma. I combined all the knowledge I learned at school with my profession in order to do my profession correctly and healthily. Reading the correct prescription, noticing the prescriptions that are rarely written incorrectly, and at the same time ensuring that the users who come to my store with eye defects can be guided correctly is the most sensitive point of my profession.
How did you decide to open your store? Could you tell us about your establishment phase?
Our store is in its 4th year. We took over a previously existing store. I work as both the responsible manager and the business manager of this store. My bosses are Yağmur and Sabri Sarıoğlu family. We established this store together and we continue to renew it every year.
Do you have products from every group in your store?
Of course, there are lower segment products in our store, but there are also upper group and design boutique brands, and every year the requests of my customers, current trend models and noname design products are added to our store. The fact that we have a wide variety of products due to our location meets the demands of our customers at a higher rate, which is of course reflected in the increase in sales rates.
What are the most sold optical and sunglasses brands in your store?
Sales of every trendy brand and model are continuous. In general, since I am also in the Bebek neighborhood, the upper group sales are high. Gucci, YSL, Mykita, Serengeti, Bottega Veneta are the top brands in optics and sunglasses, followed by Rayban, Prada, Miu Miu.
How do you choose the optical and sunglasses brands you sell?
My store is located in Bebek, one of the most prestigious and most visited areas of Istanbul, which has a changing profile of people. For this reason, I prefer current products that follow the trend for my Bebek customers who are permanent residents and for my customers who will come from outside. Also, the people here really like the products that have a design and a different line that no one else has. That is why we also choose limited edition products. We can appeal to every customer who comes to our store. I believe that we have succeeded in changing the perception of “Bebek neighborhood is luxurious, prices are very high” in people’s minds with proportional prices in the product scale.
Designer brands are very popular in recent years. Do you also receive requests from your customers in this direction?
In our store, we give more space to design products as well as current new season trend products. Seeing that people feel comfortable and different when they look in the mirror when they wear a design product and the happiness on their face, knowing that not everyone will see the product they buy, directs us to boutique brands and design products.
What are your after sales services?
Depending on the customer’s request, our glasses are sold in our store in the best and healthy way with the right products guaranteed. After-sales repair, adjustment and maintenance products are free of charge. We also provide free adjustment repair service even if the customer has bought a product from another optic. We offer the right to cancel the return up to 15 days if the product he bought does not fit him.
How do you inform your customers about changes and campaigns in your store?
We have an active Instagram account. Also, our store does not make its discounts according to the season. We sell the product on the label at the beginning of the summer season and do not discount it at the end of the season. We think this is unfair to our customers. Think of it like this, you buy an X brand at the label price, you come back 3 months later and the product you bought is on sale for half the price. This situation creates sadness and regret in the customer. That’s why we always apply the maximum discount we can make at the end of the season. This makes us preferred in our region. Also, our website will be launched after the new year. Additional discounts special for the first user, sales close to the cost of the products left over from a few seasons ago will enable us to reach people more easily.
What role do you think the window layout and interior design of an optical store play in sales? What did you consider when preparing these elements?
The showcase of a store gives the whole impression about that store. You first look at the showcase and if you like it, you go inside. This is the same in every sector. If you don’t like the showcase, if you don’t find it of good quality, you won’t be curious about the inside of a store. I display products in the showcase that are clean, easy to choose, will arouse curiosity and make the customer go inside. We have a bright store where each brand has its own place in the interior design. The customer should be able to easily choose the brand and model they want. It is important for the customer to be able to easily see what they are trying on in the mirrors at the point of movement in terms of comfort and saving time. In addition, since the continuation of the brands are exhibited in the drawers under the brands of the stands, it is easy and comfortable to choose in that order.
As someone who serves in the sector, what do you think about the rate and awareness of eyeglass use in our country? What can be done to increase the use of eyeglasses and who has a duty?
I have been serving in this sector for twenty years and I see that people still use glasses unconsciously, although not as much as before. Someone who cannot read near can say that they can read with my mother’s father’s glasses without any examination. Or someone who is bored with glasses wants to wear contact lenses by heart, and contact lenses are never sold in our store without a prescription. As an optician, I convey the necessary information to my customers about the disadvantages of this. There are also sunglasses bought from clothing stores or the market because they are cheap. Of course, I often share the damage they cause to the eye on our Instagram account. One thing I have noticed is that the misuse of glasses in the old times has decreased nowadays. I think the advancement of technology and social media providing accurate information has reduced this rate a lot.
Now, the awareness of getting comfortable vision and using a healthy product with the right product at the right time is widespread, not just because it is fashionable or to look more beautiful. Social media is the right address to emphasize the accuracy and importance of this in terms of health.
Do you follow international optical fairs and sectoral developments abroad?
It is very important to have information for the upcoming season at fairs abroad. We follow them closely. At least we can follow the trends about what we will sell in the season. In addition, the sector is developing very fast. We can learn about new lenses, coatings, new trend brands and developments in contact lenses at fairs.
What are your opinions and evaluations about Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair?
I have been following Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair with excitement for years. In addition to the new season products, I enjoy meeting with my colleagues in such an area, chatting, discussing the development of our profession and doing this hosted by Silmo Istanbul.
Could we learn your opinions about 4 your eyes, which started to be published in digitally?
Your magazine 4 your eyes is the first source of information that I have been reading and reviewing with pleasure in our store for years and sometimes the first source of information that I learn about a missing information. Now that it is on social media and digital media, it allows me to access it more easily. Thanks to you, I can follow the sectoral innovations and reach the information of my new colleagues and their stores.
October 2023