YENER OPTİK
Innovation & Sincerity
I think Silmo Istanbul is a great chance for our sector. The last fair was very good with both wholesaler and retailer participation rate; it made significant contributions to the sector and us.
Hello Mrs. Şerife, first of all, could you introduce yourself a little bit and tell us about how your path crossed with the optical sector?
Hello, I am Şerife Elik Kaya. I am the responsible manager of Yener Optik Burhaniye branch, I am also the wife of its founder Mr. Yener. I started the optical sector about six years ago by deciding to open our own store with my husband. My husband had already been in the sector for fifteen years. Afterwards, I studied opticianry and tried to improve myself both in theory and practice, and I still continue to improve.
How did you decide to open your store? Could you tell us about your establishment phase?
After working in the sector for many years, we wanted to evaluate our own experiences and bring a new perspective to the sector with our own understanding of service and craftsmanship. For this purpose, we decided to open our store in our region to offer the latest creations boutique products to our customers, to provide the highest quality and reliable service with our state-of-the-art machinery and equipment and to focus on one hundred percent customer satisfaction. While designing our store, we worked with interior architects who are experts and experienced in this field by adding our own ideas.
Could you tell us with which vision and goals you opened your store?
First of all, being in the health sector requires our communication with people to be real and sincere. First of all, we take care of our customers like one of our family members. In doing so, we have created a boutique product portfolio with the world’s leading lens companies, optical and sunglasses brands. We constantly follow the latest creations and the latest technology products and offer them to our customers. Our vision is innovation and sincerity.
Do you have products from every group in your store? How do you think having different product segments reflects on your sales?
Yes, we have products in almost every segment and for every budget. Although we mainly carry middle and upper segment products, we also have a wide product portfolio that can be used on a daily basis. Thus, we appeal to all our customers. We are the most ambitious optical store in the gulf for the products of world famous brands.
What are the most sold optical and sunglasses brands in your store?
The optical brands we sell the most are Mykita, Tom Ford, Etnia Barcelona, Seiko, Modo, Moleskine, Façonnable, Charmant, Dutz, LongChamp and other world-famous fashion brands. Among the sunglasses brands we sell the most are Mykita, Serengeti, Tom Ford, Prada, Versace, For Arts Sake, Burberry, Dolce&Gabbana, Nikon and Lacoste.
How do you choose the brands of optical and sunglasses you sell?
In optical glasses, we choose products that people will be satisfied with their ergonomic design in accordance with fashion. We keep the latest creations in sunglasses in our store.
Designer brands are very popular in recent years. Do you also receive demand from your customers in this direction?
In the constantly renewing and developing information age, we have to constantly renew and develop. Therefore, we are in contact with designer brands and respond to the demands of our customers. We are also very happy by satisfying our customers who are bored with classic models and want different designs.
What are your after sales services?
What is important for us is our after-sales service rather than making sales. We help all our customers, whether they buy products from our store or not, with after-sales. While doing this, we try to do it in the shortest term. One of our goals is to make all our customers who come to our store happy, not to say ‘no’, and to think empathetically.
How do you inform your customers about changes and campaigns in your store?
We regularly organize campaigns on special occasions in our store. We organize special events especially on our anniversaries. We increase our target audience by using the power of social media and other digital platforms. We deliver information about our campaigns and events to our customers through social media and our automation program.
What role do you think the window layout and interior design of an optical store play in sales? What did you pay attention to while preparing these elements?
We offer our customers an idea about our store by presenting models from simple but latest creations in our showcase layout, as well as using digital visuals. In this way, our customers prefer our store by knowing and seeing which brands and product groups are available in our store. We also constantly update our products in interior design according to the season. Since the region we are in is a summer region, we mostly feature sunglasses in the interior during the summer months. Therefore, while preparing our showcases, we act according to brands, product groups and seasonal season. This reflects positively on our sales.
As a retailer, what are your views on the price competition between you and your colleagues?
In terms of pricing, we are in favor of offering quality service without reducing the value of the products in the market conditions by complying with the sales prices recommended by the companies. In other words, a product should be sold according to its value. The factor that distinguishes us from our competitors is our service quality.
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?
First of all, we think that optometry education should be available in our country. Because adults should have an eye examination once a year and children every six months. Unfortunately, they have to postpone this due to economic conditions and lack of physicians. The gradual increase in our population, the insufficient number of hospitals and physicians, and the fact that private hospitals and private practices see this situation as purely commercial harms the health sector. We are very sensitive about informing all our customers who come to our store about the awareness of using glasses and we wish all our colleagues to do the same. Because the more this awareness develops, the more our sector will develop. In addition, since we are in the health sector, we wish more work to be done on the inspection of products and the sale of products on the internet.
Do you follow international optical fairs and sectoral developments abroad?
Of course we do. We follow all optical fairs both in Turkey and abroad and we take care to attend them. In this way, we follow the latest products, the latest technologies and constantly update our store accordingly.
What are your opinions and evaluations about Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, which took place between December 17-20, 2022?
I think Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair is a great chance for our sector. Silmo Istanbul Optical Fair, which took place between December 17-20, 2022, was very good with both wholesaler and retailer participation rate and made very good contributions to the sector in general and to us in particular. I hope it will continue to develop and grow.
Could we learn your views on 4 your eyes, which started to be published in digital media as of 2023?
With the development of digital technology in every field, I think this is a very positive step. Thus, 4 your eyes can be accessed by everyone, not just those in the industry. At the same time, I think you are making a great contribution to sustainability technology, I support you and wish you continued success.
June 2023