Today Clearly Contacts opens its first-ever free-standing store on Vancouver's Robson Street. We

on this store in January.

Clearly Contacts has reportedly signed a six-month lease for its Robson retail space, making us wonder about the company's long-term bricks-and-mortar retail plans.

Clearly Contacts is one of several new, exciting retailers that will be opening on Vancouver's famed Robson Street in the coming months. We'll be announcing more in the weeks ahead, as well as improvements coming to Robson Street itself.

It might be considered an unusual shift for an online retailer to open a bricks-and-mortar location in an age where many retailers see increasing online sales as their future.

The company's VP of marketing, Aaron Magness, says: "

There’s only so much you can learn from surveys and focus groups.

100% brick-and-mortar creates a challenge for the consumer because it’s not convenient, but with 100% online, you miss the opportunity to engage with your customer and find out what makes them tick.”

Other retailers like

Ebay

and

Etsy

have opened temporary 'pop-up' stores but Clearly Contacts' will be more permanent.

Magness says:

“We think there’s a real opportunity here. The first store will be a testing ground for future locations, focussing largely on customer experience and interaction—there will even be an eye-care professional on site to conduct tests."

Magness says the store is more about getting to know the customer than just making money.

We find Clearly Contacts' store opening to be a positive movement in the world of retail. Given that the store may be only open for six months, however, we suggest you hurry if you want to get your glasses in-store.

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Article Source

Canadian Business Magazine

]

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