“
This concept is a world first
”.
In Bordeaux, the optician Ambre Garcia does not skimp on words!
She set up a vending machine for sight products.
Glasses, lenses and cleaning products can be purchased or picked up at any time of the day or night.
A system that has met with great success, especially since the start of the health crisis.
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The concept is simple: a box installed in the window of the Bordeaux brand includes a distributor of optical products and lockers where prescriptions and broken glasses can be deposited.
As for self-service purchases, there are mainly cleaning products and eyeglasses or sunglasses, packaged in a cardboard box to prevent them from breaking.
The dispenser itself is designed to protect the product: “
it is a lift system that collects the glasses, before gently depositing them in the bin
.”
Regarding the deposit reception option, "
we put the lenses requested by the customer or the glasses repaired in the locker, then we warn him by text that he can come and pick up his order with a code to enter in the system to open the locker, and this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
”explains the optician.
For Ambre Garcia, director of the DYV group, which includes the Desire y Voir franchise, the story begins in 2014 after an assault in one of its points of sale.
Following this trauma, "
I could no longer go to the store, so I decided to put myself in a box
", she quips.
Its first eyewear distributor was launched in 2017 at Bordeaux airport, before being moved to Nice station in 2018, then being joined by another small-format version in 2019, that of the Désir boutique. there See Bordeaux.
An unexpected craze
This system has "
exploded
" since the start of the health crisis, and in particular during periods of confinement, where it represents 60 to 70% of Amber Garcia's activity.
Among the clients, many are nursing staff: “it
is a practical device for them, because we are not far from the
Bordeaux University Hospital
.
We had a lot of positive feedback from them
, ”she reports.
This success is good news, because the vending machine still represents an investment of 15,000 euros.
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The optician of Toulouse origin did not expect such enthusiasm.
For the past few days, “
I have had an incredible number of requests, my cell phone does not stop vibrating
,” she says.
In France and abroad, more and more opticians and pharmacists are seeking help from Amber Garcia to set up a similar distributor in their shop window.
"
I have a lot of projects for 2021,
" says Ambre Garcia without too many details, saying she is superstitious.
