Discover how Otto's "Eye Drop Ship" program can revolutionize your practice by automating sales capture and streamlining order fulfillment for hundreds of dry eye and other eye care products.
Key Takeaways
- Offer direct shipping on hundreds of dry eye products without any of the hassle, for product sold in-store or online
- No need to manage inventory; clinics can sell products they might not otherwise carry
- Clinics pay wholesale rates plus shipping and handling, charged to a credit card
- Clinics determine the product offering, sale price, and shipping fees charged to customers
- The program is available with all Otto subscriptions at no extra cost
Understanding the Eye Drop Ship Program
The Eye Drop Ship program offered by Otto allows your practice to sell and drop-ship hundreds of dry eye and eye care products right to your patients' homes. This program provides a hassle-free solution for fulfilling orders for products from all your favourite brands, including I-MED, Labtician, Thea, Candor, and so many more, eliminating the need to stock, pick, pack, or ship products yourself.
By utilizing the Eye Drop Ship program, you no longer need to tie up your cash in inventory and worry about minimum order quantities or inventory going stale, and it's easier than ever to offer direct shipping to your patients. This allows you to focus on providing excellent care to your patients and giving them new and simplified ways of purchasing a wide range of dry eye and other eye care products, so they don't go to your competitors instead.
Benefits of Utilizing the Program
From simplifying workflows, to adding new revenue and enhancing your patient experience, there are countless benefits to incorporating the Eye Drop Ship program into your practice. Here are some notable mentions:
- Hassle-free direct fulfillment: You can offer direct shipping on hundreds of products without the need to stock, pick, pack, or ship yourself. This saves your staff time and effort, allowing them to focus on providing quality care to your patients.
- No inventory management: There's no longer a need to tie up your cash in inventory, manage individual supplier accounts, worry about minimum order quantities or product going stale. You make it easy for patients to buy, and we handle the rest.
- Find new revenue: Sell and earn a profit on products that you might not otherwise carry in your clinic, opening up a potential new revenue stream for your practice.
- Convenient for patients: Patients looking to buy online can buy dry eye and eye care products alongside their contacts in one convenient place, with the option to ship to their home.
- Let patients buy from YOU: Give your patients the option to easily buy from you, rather than from the competition. This acts to strengthen patient relationships and keeps sales within your business ecosystem. Shipments come in plain packaging and do not indicate Otto or Eye Drop Ship.
- Automated order capture and fulfillment: Offer timely refill reminders and subscription programs for hundreds of products, making it easier for patients to re-order and avoid running out of their essential supplies.
- Control over pricing and shipping: You maintain complete control over your product pricing and shipping policy. This allows you to tailor these aspects to best suit your practice and patient needs.
- Pay as you go: Simply pay your costs as orders are placed. Payment is straightforward and secure, using a credit card right on the Otto platform. No need to set up credit accounts with dozens of suppliers.
How to Incorporate Eye Drop Ship into Your Practice
Incorporating drop-shipping for dry eye and other eye care products into your practice is simple and can greatly benefit your business. Here are some steps to get started:
- Sign up for Otto, if you haven't already!
- Add products to your offering from brands like I-MED, Labtician, Candor, Thea, PRN, and more. You can download the list of products here.
- Sell products in-store or online through your website.
- Opt to fulfill orders through Eye Drop Ship with a single click on the Otto platform, and we'll ship out the product on your behalf.
- Easily capture recurring sales with timely refill reminders and subscription programs. These features are included in your Otto subscription and make it easy for patients to repurchase their dry eye products and ensure they never run out.
- Repeat step 4.
Best Practices for Maximizing Success
So you've decided to implement drop-shipping in your practice. A wise decision! Now, here's a few suggestions for how you can maximize your chances of success:
- Offer the Full Suite of Products: Without the need to carry inventory or manage accounts with each brand, we recommend including the full suite of available products in your online store. This approach ensures that your patients have access to a comprehensive range of options, making your practice or website a one-stop-shop for their eye care needs. It also allows you to generate new revenue selling products you otherwise might not carry. Of course, you always have full freedom to select which products you do and don't offer.
- Utilize Order Links for Easy Patient Ordering: Make it effortless for your patients to order their eye care products by sending them personalized Order Links. This lets patients know that they can buy from you, and allows them to complete their purchases with just a few clicks, streamlining the ordering process and enhancing the overall customer experience. This is also a powerful way to present the option and win back patients who leave the office without having made a purchase.
- Capture Recurring Sales: Leverage Otto's capabilities to automate the capture of refill orders for in-store and online patients with timely reorder reminders and subscription programs. This not only ensures that your patients never run out of their essential products but also secures ongoing sales for your practice with minimal effort.
- Encourage Bulk Purchases with Discounted Pricing: To promote larger purchases, consider offering discounted pricing on multi-unit orders. This strategy can help spread out the shipping and handling fees, making it more economical for both your practice and your patients. It's a win-win situation that encourages loyalty and repeat business.
- Strategize Shipping and Handling Fees: While it's practical to pass along the shipping and handling fees to the customer to ensure your practice isn't absorbing these costs, it's also worth considering offering free or discounted shipping on larger orders. This approach can serve as an additional incentive for patients to make bulk purchases, further enhancing the attractiveness of buying through your practice.
By implementing these best practices, you can maximize your chances of success with the program. Not only does this bolster your practice's service offering, but it also strengthens patient relationships by providing convenience, value, and a seamless purchasing experience. Embrace these strategies to set your practice apart and establish it as the go-to source for all things eye care.
How Much Does it All Cost?
The Eye Drop Ship Program is included at no extra charge in your Otto subscription. Simply subscribe to Otto to get access to this program, plus enjoy a custom-branded online store, automated refill reminders, subscription programs, integrated contact lens ordering, comprehensive contact lens quotes, and so many more of the powerful features Otto offers.
Sell products at the price you set, and when fulfilling an order through Eye Drop Ship, your costs are broken out as follows:
- Wholesale Cost: The is the cost of the actual product, which is more or less the same as you would pay when buying wholesale from the manufacturer directly. You can download the wholesale price list here.
- Handling ($7.67/shipment): A modest fee covering inventory management, support, picking, packaging, and more—essentially, all the logistics you no longer need to worry about and the tangential costs you no longer have to incur.
- Shipping (Variable): A direct transfer to you of the amount it costs to ship product on your behalf, which will vary by destination.
- Sales Tax (Variable): The local sales tax amount for the cost of goods and shipping and handling. This is covered through the sales tax component of the patient's purchase total.
You maintain full control over the shipping and handling fees that you charge to your customer. We recommend passing these costs, in whole or in part, onto the customer to minimize your out-of-pocket expenses, perhaps waiving them over a certain purchase amount to incentivize larger purchases (ie. Free shipping on orders over $150).
Get in touch!
Send us an email or meet with us to learn more about how Otto can elevate your dry eye business.
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