Half of survey respondents say ‘Made in the USA’ label is relevant
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LAS VEGAS — Fifty-two percent of American consumers surveyed said a “Made in the USA” label is an important factor in their purchasing decisions, according to a report from the Vision Council.
Healio spoke with Vision Council vice president of research and inSights Alysse Henkel at Vision Expo West about the group’s research on the impact of the “Made in the USA” label, Canadian vs. U.S. purchasing habits, use of safety eye wear and priorities in choosing eye care providers (ECPs) and eye wear.
‘Made in the USA’ survey results
Forty-four percent of 1,500 Americans surveyed said they buy American-made products “fairly often or always,” and 46% are willing to pay a premium of 6% or more for that label, according to results.
The survey was conducted in August as part of Vision Council’s Focused inSights reports, the council said in a press release.
For eye wear specifically, 56% of respondents are willing to pay a premium of 5% or more for prescription sunglasses made in the U.S., and 46% are willing to pay a premium for protective eye wear, Henkel said. Only 38% said the same for plano sunglasses.
“It’s interesting that the safety eye wear is higher on that list,” she said. “Maybe people want more reassurance by having that ‘Made in the USA’ label.
“We also tested to better understand what counts as ‘made in the U.S.,’” Henkel continued. “We tested if people agree with the definition: ‘All or virtually all materials included in the product must have originated in the U.S.’ We did find that when we presented a few different scenarios, for example, where the manufacturing was U.S.-based, but some materials were not, they considered that as made in the U.S. The labor involved is important.”
Twenty-seven percent of respondents associate the “Made in the USA” label with supporting local economies and ensuring job security, according to the release.
Canadian vs. American purchasing
In a separate Vision Council Consumer inSights survey, results showed that Canadians have eye exams and purchase glasses at a slower pace than Americans, according to Henkel.
“The eye wear purchase cycle is a median of 24 months between purchases in Canada; it’s 12 to 14 months in the U.S.” she said.
In addition, 49% of Canadians vs. 62% of Americans had an eye exam in the last year, she said, and 52% of Canadians vs. 63% of Americans with managed vision care bought glasses in the last year.
Of note, 46% of Canadians vs. 36% of Americans purchased blue light protection in their eye wear, Henkel said.
Safety eye wear habits
Henkel also discussed results of a recently released Vision Council safety eye wear report, the first of its kind for the council.
“It was surprising that one in four adults identified as having worn protective eye wear for sports,” she said. “One in three say they regularly wear protective eye wear, or goggles, for swimming.”
Of those using protective eye wear for home renovation projects, hobbies and sports, half say they contain prescription lenses, she said.
“But what’s tricky about that is only one in six — 13% to 15% — say they bought their eye wear at an optical store,” Henkel said. “I’m not sure how they’re getting prescription lenses in their protective eye wear. Maybe they got them online? It could be they’re wearing their regular prescription eye wear and calling it sports glasses.”
Nearly half of respondents said they wear protective eye wear while doing yard work or lawn mowing, and 40% said they wear it while doing home renovation, she said.
ECP, eye wear choices
Henkel also shared results from an unreleased Vision Council report comparing priorities in choosing an ECP and eye wear in 2024 vs. 2022.
“We’re seeing an increase in people saying they want to get an eye exam to ensure their eye health: 43% in 2024 compared with 34% in 2022,” she said. “We also see a change in how they’re choosing an ECP. They still care about insurance coverage and the cleanliness of the practice, cost and previous experience, but what’s rising is the importance of online reviews, from 55% to 61%.”
Henkel said previous surveys have asked if patients at home received care from their doctor over video.
“We asked for the first time in this survey if when they went into the eye care practice to have an exam, was their eye care provider remote, with only an assistant in the room?” she said. “That was a higher rate than I expected; 11% said they had an exam like that. We’re hearing that’s growing in the industry, and there’s interest in that.”
References:
- Consumer inSights Canada Q1 & Q2: Supplemental report with select U.S. consumer comparisons. https://thevisioncouncil.org/product/consumer-insights-canada-q1-and-q2-2024-report. Published Sept. 5, 2024.
- Focused inSights: Consumer perception and sentiments on “Made in the USA” products. https://thevisioncouncil.org/product/focused-insights-made-usa-eyewear-report-2024. Published Sept. 12, 2024.
- Focused inSights: Safety Eyewear Report 2024. https://thevisioncouncil.org/product/focused-insights-made-usa-eyewear-report-2024. Published Sept. 14, 2024.
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