Flak 2.0 XL SportRx Limited Edition

[Jerome]

SportRx now has a collaboration with Oakley and released a Flak 2.0 XL in matte carbon with various lens options
This one has the Prizm Deep Water Polarized lenses

See all the models here Oakley / SportRx Flak 2.0 XL (Limited Edition)

They also released a new video on their YouTube channel in which they visit Oakley HQ and tell all about this special release. They recorded this video in a room that is called “The Supermarket” where you can select all possible colors for any Oakley frame.

The matte carbon looks great, however this limited edition does not have socks that match the lens colors...
Does matte carbon mean that “normal carbon” is polished?

What do you think, worth a buy or not?

 

[SpliceD]

Pass.

SportRx is just a retailer. Other than Oakley throwing them a bone because they review their frames, I don't see anything particularly special about them other than the frame color. Lens options are just the full lineup of Prizm lenses.

 

[Lars]

SportRx now has a collaboration with Oakley and released a Flak 2.0 XL in matte carbon with various lens options
This one has the Prizm Deep Water Polarized lenses

See all the models here Oakley / SportRx Flak 2.0 XL (Limited Edition)

They also released a new video on their YouTube channel in which they visit Oakley HQ and tell all about this special release. They recorded this video in a room that is called “The Supermarket” where you can select all possible colors for any Oakley frame.

The matte carbon looks great, however this limited edition does not have socks that match the lens colors...
Does matte carbon mean that “normal carbon” is polished?

What do you think, worth a buy or not?

The supermarket sounds very cool.
That should be open to the public.

 

[Jerome]

The supermarket sounds very cool.
That should be open to the public.

I totally agree, it seems that the customization options that the supermarket offers go far beyond the customization options that the Oakley website provides.

It would be super cool to be able to visit Oakley HQ and visit the supermarket to really create a unique pair of super customized Oakleys that you cannot create on the Oakley website. If you watch the SportRx video they explain that basically “everything” is possible in the supermarket including hydro dipping.

Of course this kind of customization would come at a higher price but being able to really create a unique customized pair sounds very tempting to me.
Does everyone agree with my “supermarket opinion” or are the current customization options on the Oakley website enough for everyone?

 

[Lars]

I totally agree, it seems that the customization options that the supermarket offers go far beyond the customization options that the Oakley website provides.

It would be super cool to be able to visit Oakley HQ and visit the supermarket to really create a unique pair of super customized Oakleys that you cannot create on the Oakley website. If you watch the SportRx video they explain that basically “everything” is possible in the supermarket including hydro dipping.

Of course this kind of customization would come at a higher price but being able to really create a unique customized pair sounds very tempting to me.
Does everyone agree with my “supermarket opinion” or are the current customization options on the Oakley website enough for everyone?

Would be cool if they did a way you can schedule you supermarket appointment and get your own very custom glasses. I personally would pay allot more then retail for a pair and I would definitely have at least a couple pairs made. would be great if they topped this off with its own supermarket microfiber bag.

The current OCP is a good offering but I would love to see allot more color options, especially some bright ones on lifestyle frames.

Probably will never happen but we are allowed to dream big.

 

[Jerome]

Would be cool if they did a way you can schedule you supermarket appointment and get your own very custom glasses. I personally would pay allot more then retail for a pair and I would definitely have at least a couple pairs made. would be great if they topped this off with its own supermarket microfiber bag.

The current OCP is a good offering but I would love to see allot more color options, especially some bright ones on lifestyle frames.

Probably will never happen but we are allowed to dream big.

I totally agree. I also think that this whole supermarket OCP ain’t a niche market but could be a true goldmine. If I had this supermarket OCP option I would be willing to spend top $ for a true supermarket OCP pair!

We are allowed to dream big and maybe somebody from Luxottica that is reading this forum is going to pitch this idea to management. Let’s just pray and wait with patience.

 

[Lars]

I totally agree. I also think that this whole supermarket OCP ain’t a niche market but could be a true goldmine. If I had this supermarket OCP option I would be willing to spend top $ for a true supermarket OCP pair!

We are allowed to dream big and maybe somebody from Luxottica that is reading this forum is going to pitch this idea to management. Let’s just pray and wait with patience.

Lets hope so this would put Oakley in another unique position in the marker of personalized eye wear.
Would absolutely pay top dollar for something like this.

 

[SpliceD]

Right, but from a marketing standpoint, the Supermarket is reserved for collaborations with athletes, designers, companies, etc. to allow them to come in to design a "Limited Edition": something unique that will bring customers in. Why would they do this when they already have OCP? If they did, "Limited Edition" wouldn't mean anything because then anyone could walk in and recreate a frame some athlete was wearing (or something very similar), thus nullifying any marketing strategy that was created between Oakley and the individual/company. Even in the video, Declan Lonergan made a comment about why they didn't think of doing a matte carbon frame for their standard lineup and "Sunglass Rob" was quick to nip that saying he can't anymore because it's now a "SportRX Limited".

From a business marketing perspective, opening up the Supermarket as another OCP to the general public won't make sense to their bottom line. Allowing you to create a one off (or even a handful), is not a "goldmine" because it screws with their marketing. That's bigger than the individual consumer. Even if someone at Luxottica/Oakley was reading this, they'd just chuckle and move on. At least that's what i'd do.

 

[Jerome]

Right, but from a marketing standpoint, the Supermarket is reserved for collaborations with athletes, designers, companies, etc. to allow them to come in to design a "Limited Edition": something unique that will bring customers in. Why would they do this when they already have OCP? If they did, "Limited Edition" wouldn't mean anything because then anyone could walk in and recreate a frame some athlete was wearing (or something very similar), thus nullifying any marketing strategy that was created between Oakley and the individual/company. Even in the video, Declan Lonergan made a comment about why they didn't think of doing a matte carbon frame for their standard lineup and "Sunglass Rob" was quick to nip that saying he can't anymore because it's now a "SportRX Limited".

From a business marketing perspective, opening up the Supermarket as another OCP to the general public won't make sense to their bottom line. Allowing you to create a one off (or even a handful), is not a "goldmine" because it screws with their marketing. That's bigger than the individual consumer. Even if someone at Luxottica/Oakley was reading this, they'd just chuckle and move on. At least that's what i'd do.

I understand your answer. But I think that customization is a market that is bigger than most people think it is.

Would it make sense that you can actually recreate a frame that cannot be recreated with the current OCP offering? Why hold this for the main public and only allow athletes to do this?
To me this just looks like a way to create more revenue from customers that are willing to spend top dollar to really be able to create a unique pair.

I’m not seeing how this could hurt the marketing. Customers that are not that deep into Oakleys will not see the difference between a “supermarket” pair or an “normal OCP” pair when they see an ad with an athlete. Only customers that know their “Oakley stuff” will see the difference and I think that these customers are willing to spend top dollar for “supermarket OCP”.

Compare this to the almost unlimited customization options that luxury car makers offer. The further a car is customized the more unique it becomes and the higher the price will be. Luxury car makers in Europe are in a niche market but they make an unbelievable amount of revenue simply by adding almost unlimited customization options for people that are willing to spend a few hundred thousand dollars (euro in this case actually) more per car just to make it unique through customization. A standard luxury car costs $ 250,000 and a customized one $ 350,000 up to whatever the customer wants to spend. You want to spend a million on a Aston Martin, a Ferrari or a Bentley? They will find a way to make it worth a million by adding so much rare stuff it will justify the price. I you are willing to pay they will paint it with 24K gold. The more a car is customized the more it will keep it’s value. It’s insane basically but this seems to be the way it works over here in Europe.

This whole idea could also be applied to a “Supermarket OCP” pair. Just make it a one off and people are willing to pay top dollar believe me. The more unique something becomes the more it’s worth.

 

[SpliceD]

I understand your answer. But I think that customization is a market that is bigger than most people think it is.

Would it make sense that you can actually recreate a frame that cannot be recreated with the current OCP offering? Why hold this for the main public and only allow athletes to do this?
To me this just looks like a way to create more revenue from customers that are willing to spend top dollar to really be able to create a unique pair.

I’m not seeing how this could hurt the marketing. Customers that are not that deep into Oakleys will not see the difference between a “supermarket” pair or an “normal OCP” pair when they see an ad with an athlete. Only customers that know their “Oakley stuff” will see the difference and I think that these customers are willing to spend top dollar for “supermarket OCP”.

Compare this to the almost unlimited customization options that luxury car makers offer. The further a car is customized the more unique it becomes and the higher the price will be. Luxury car makers in Europe are in a niche market but they make an unbelievable amount of revenue simple by adding almost unlimited customization options for people that are willing to spend a few hundred thousand dollars (euro in this case actually) more per car just to make it unique through customization. A standard luxury car costs $ 250.000 and a customized one $ 350.000 up to whatever the customer wants to spend. You want to spend a million on a Aston Martin, a Ferrari or a Bentley? They will find a way to make it worth a million by adding so much rare stuff it will justify the price. I you are willing to pay they will paint it with 24K gold. The more a car is customized the more it will keep it’s value. It’s insane basically but this seems to be the way it works over here in Europe.

This whole idea could also be applied to a “Supermarket OCP” pair. Just make it a one off and people are willing to pay top dollar believe me. The more unique something becomes the more it’s worth.

That's what i'm trying to say. The Supermarket is reserved for in house marketing specifically to work with clients to build the brand for both Oakley and it's collaborators. It's a marketing department strategy tool, not a consumer product and is not meant to be. OCP is specifically a consumer product.

Why hold this from the main public and only allow athletes to do this? Because famous and rich people love/thrive on special treatment. This is Oakley's way of giving them special treatment. Take that away and it's not special anymore.

First, let's get the nomenclature right. Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac is a standard luxury car. Bently and Aston Martin is Ultra-Luxury (Mercedes has models that fall into this category too). Ferrari and Lamborghini are Supercars. When you refer to Ultra Luxury and Supercars and paying the kind of money for the base model car, you should be able to customize to your heart's content. Because who else can afford those kinds of cars? Famous and rich people who love/thrive on special treatment. But even then, it's not as you say, customizable to your heart's content. You are still bounded to what they can offer. Napa leather on your seat? No problem. Endangered Albino Elephant leather with (illegal) ivory shift knob and buttons? Hmmmm.... we'll get back to you on that Also, ultra-luxury and supercars are a niche market themselves. They are not mass marketed to the general consumer pool. They are for the wealthy. I don't have the data, but i'm absolutely certain they don't make the volume Mercedes or Lexus does. Yes, each car is crazy expensive, but how many do they sell on a daily basis. I imagine Ferrari might sell a car every day or two, but compare that to how many standard luxury cars move off the lot each day.

Now, if we're talking about the higher end mass market consumer, we move to Lexus and Mercedes, where they do allow limited customization options on their regular lineup, not dissimilar to Oakley's OCP. You get a limited range of choices which will satisfy most consumers, same as what OCP offers. Within those same lines, you obviously don't get the options for a lime green interior with a colorshift pearl exterior on a Mercedes E Class model. If you wanted that, you'd have to go 3rd party customs.

But this is apples to oranges. I don't see Oakley as a "Supercar of the sunglass world", which is what i think you're insinuating.

However, i think i see where you're coming from as an Oakley enthusiast. You don't see why Oakley wouldn't cater to their fan base. But at the same time, do they even do this now? Barely. Don't forget they are a business first. Their primary objective is to satisfy their shareholders. Giving up a marketing tool reserved for their top business partners (athletes/3rd party retailers) to you or me doesn't make financial sense. They teased us with their new x metals, and that failed. They brought back the Eye Jacket Redux and that's gotten mixed reviews. Let's face it. Fans of Oakley is not what makes money for the business.

Now, would i pay top dollar for a pair of Flak 2.0? No, because I find it hard paying MSRP, but that's just me. Would you? Yes (as you said you would), but to what extent? And again, does that make sense for Oakley to let you and others walk in to customize something that is usually reserved to create exclusivity with their business partners? Probably not.

I agree with you 100% that customization is a HUGE market. What i'm getting at is that's what OCP is for. It gives that market just enough to satisfy that craving to be unique. What i gather from that video is that the Supermarket is their marketing strategy tool. A tool that allows their business partners to create strategy and demand for something. Exclusivity (for profit), not uniqueness (for fans).

Again this is all my opinion and Oakley might prove me wrong, but speaking with general business sense, it just doesn't make sense.