Summer Frame of Mind
Why successful practices are rethinking the season and creating momentum instead of waiting for September.
For years, summer has carried a reputation in optical as the season when business softens. Schedules loosen up, staff vacations begin, routines shift, and many practices simply expect slower days.
But from what I’ve seen working with practices across Canada, that mindset is often what creates the slowdown in the first place.
The practices that continue to grow throughout the summer months are not necessarily in bigger markets or busier locations. They are simply approaching the season differently. They understand that summer does not eliminate demand. It changes patient behaviour.
Families suddenly have more flexibility. Students are out of school. Professionals finally take vacation time and start dealing with appointments they have postponed for months. Patients are travelling more, spending more time outdoors and becoming far more aware of glare, UV protection and lifestyle-driven eye wear needs.
The opportunity is still there. Practices simply need to align themselves with how patients are living during the season.
Summer is a Retail Opportunity
One of the biggest mistakes practices make is treating summer strictly as an exam season.
In reality, summer can be one of the strongest retail opportunities of the year.
Patients are often more relaxed and less rushed during the summer months. They have more time to browse, try on frames, and have conversations with staff. They are also more open to lifestyle purchases and second pairs.
This is the perfect time to focus on:
Prescription sunglasses
Polarized lenses
Sport eyewear
Contact lenses for travel and activities
Backup eyewear
Children’s eyewear before back-to-school
Fashion-forward frames and sunwear
Patients are often more willing to experiment with style during the summer months. They are thinking about vacations, weekends at the cottage, outdoor activities, and social events. That creates natural opportunities for more lifestyle-driven conversations.
The practices that perform best during the summer are not simply selling products. They are connecting eyewear recommendations to real-life situations.
For example:
Polarized lenses to reduce glare off the water
Comfortable vision on the golf course
UV protection while boating
Contact lenses that allow patients to wear the sunglasses they love
Sunglasses for outdoor spots and activities
Reduced glare while driving during long summer road trips
Those conversations feel helpful rather than transactional.
Turning Walk-Ins into Loyal Patients
Summer often brings a different kind of foot traffic. More casual. More exploratory. Less appointment-driven.
Some practices view that as lower-value traffic. I actually see it as a major opportunity.
Patients who are not rushing in and out often become the best retail conversations because they have time to engage.
This is where the optical team becomes incredibly important.
Practices that train their teams to approach patients confidentially, start conversations naturally, and focus on lifestyle needs tend to see much stronger summer retail performance.
A simple styling conversation can quickly evolve into a second-pair purchase when the recommendation feels relevant and personal.
Summer is also a great time to create small experiences that encourage patients to stop in.
I’ve seen practices generate great engagement through:
Sunglass styling events
“Travel-ready Vision” campaigns
Cottage and boating promotions
Sports vision features
Local partnerships with camps and golf clubs
Community events and seasonal promotions
Even small updates inside the practice can make a difference.
Refreshing displays, moving sunwear front and centre, updating signage, and rotating featured collections can completely change the energy of the space.
Summer retail thrives on visibility, energy, and discovery.
Flexibility Matters
One of the biggest differences I see in high-performing practices during the summer months is flexibility.
Practices that rigidly maintain the exact same schedule structure year-round often struggle. Successful clinics adapt to changing patient routines.
Parents are more likely to book daytime appointments when children are out of school. Professionals on vacation may prefer midday appointments. Students heading into post-secondary programs often need last-minute exams before September.
Practices that accommodate those shifts tend to maintain stronger exam volume.
That may mean:
Offering more daytime appointments
Leaving room for same-day bookings
Extending evening hours strategically
Increasing availability before long weekends
Making scheduling more convenient and accessible
The language practices use also matters.
Simple messaging like:
“Before your vacation.”
“Before camp.”
“Before back-to-school.”
is often far more effective than broad generic promotions because it connects directly to what patients are already planning.
The Practices That Stay Busy Plan Early
One of the clearest patterns I see is that successful practices do not wait until June to think about summer. Their planning starts in the spring.
Patients completing exams in April and May are encouraged to pre-book summer follow-ups, family appointments and annual exams. Teams actively create momentum before summer arrives rather than trying to fill schedules reactively later.
This becomes especially important heading into back-to-school season.
Practices should already be preparing for September well before Labour Day.
That means:
Reviewing inventory levels early
Confirming best-selling frame availability
Planning staffing schedules in advance
Launching early back-to-school campaigns
Reaching out to overdue patients before schedules become crowded
The practices that feel the greatest stress during late summer are usually the ones trying to react at the last minute.
Staffing Requires Strategy
Summer staffing can be one of the biggest operational challenges practices face. Vacation requests increase, availability changes, and schedules become far less predictable.
The strongest practices manage this proactively. One of the biggest mistakes I see is approving vacation requests without first looking at the operational impact.
Practices that navigate summer successfully usually:
Finalize vacation schedules early
Stagger time off strategically
Cross-train team members before summer begins
Establish minimum staffing requirements
Prepare contingency plans for illness or absenteeism
Cross-training is especially important because its create flexibility without significantly increasing payroll.
When team members can confidently support multiple areas of the practice, schedules become far more resilient.
Summer can also become an excellent time for training and operational improvement.
Slightly quieter periods can be used productively for:
Retail coaching
Workflow improvements
Systems training
Team development
Process evaluation
The key is maintaining momentum rather than slipping into a reactive mindset.
Summer is a Relationship-Building Season
One of the biggest opportunities that practices overlook during the summer months is relationship-building.
When teams are not operating at peak fall intensity, they often have more time to slow down, educate patients, and create stronger personal connections.
Patients remember experiences more than transactions.
Practices that create welcoming, personalized, and engaging experiences during the summer often strengthen long-term loyalty heading into the fall and winter.
This is also a great time to reconnect with inactive patients through outreach campaigns, annual exam reminders, and personal follow-ups.
Summer can also create valuable opportunities for community connections. Practices that attend, sponsor or participate in local events, festivals, camps, and sports initiatives often strengthen visibility and patient relationships in a way that feels authentic and community-driven.
A Different Way to Think About Summer
I often encourage practices to stop viewing summer as a season to survive. The practices that continue to expect slower business often unconsciously create it through reduced energy, weaker marketing, and passive scheduling habits.
The practices that thrive during the summer months behave differently.
They plan earlier.
They stay visible.
They create experiences.
They train their teams.
And they adapt to changing patient behaviour.
Summer is not inherently slower. It is simply different.
And for practices willing to rethink their approach, it can become one of the strongest opportunities of the year.
Nancy Dewald is a business development professional, workshop facilitator and optical industry veteran. She is CEO and founder of Lead Up Training & Consulting, which specializes in identifying business gaps, implementing solutions and developing leaders.
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