Optical retailer to offer easy, online scheduling for in-store eye exams and sell ecommerce prescription glasses delivered nationwide with record speed

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — National optical retailer Eyemart Express has launched a new ecommerce site eyemartexpress.com that offers best-in-class web technology with a human touch and delivery speed that is unmatched in the industry.

The new ecommerce site, combined with Eyemart’s nationwide network of 250 stores with experienced optometrists and in-store labs, represents the most compelling omni-channel proposition in the optical market. Customers can use the site to easily schedule eye exams and order quality prescription glasses at a great value, delivered to home in just a few days. 

“The opportunity to offer our distinct value – which combines hyper-local community engagement with unparalleled service and speed – on a national scale will enable us to grow our business and tap into new markets,” said CEO Mike Nuzzo. “We will continue to elevate our brand, deepen our connections in the communities we serve, and strengthen our long-standing relationships with local doctors who are passionate about the care they provide.”

Eyemart Express also recently updated the look and feel of its brand, focusing on ‘See the Moment,’ which represents the speedy, high quality service that customers value, and the company’s dedication to ensuring customers don’t miss key moments in their lives.

About Eyemart Express
Eyemart Express is more than just a local eye care provider – we are eye care experts embedded in the fabric of our local communities. Doctor-founded in 1990, our team has grown alongside our customers and their families, bringing quality and accessible eye care services to each town we serve. Deep partnerships with local optometrists, on-site technicians, and in-house labs enable us to deliver over 80% of glasses in one hour in our 250 stores nationwide. We offer a seamless blend of the latest technology, comprehensive eye care, and genuine human connections to deliver glasses to any location in the U.S. that are “Made Today – Shipped Tomorrow,” faster than any other eyewear brand. The company ranks among the top optical retailers in the country with its family of brands: Vision 4 Less, Visionmart Express, and Eyewear Express. For more information about Eyemart Express, visit eyemartexpress.com.

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SOURCE Eyemart Express

TORONTO, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – INOVAIT, the pan-Canadian innovation network supporting advancements and commercialization in image-guided therapy (IGT) and artificial intelligence (AI), is excited to announce the latest recipients of its Pilot Fund. This competitive funding program is awarded to compelling medical technology projects that harness the transformative power of AI, machine learning, and big data analytics in IGT to advance medical innovation and streamline care.

INOVAIT has committed just under $730,000 to support six new projects involving collaborations between small- and medium-sized enterprises, hospital research centres, and academic institutions, creating jobs and launching healthcare innovation across the country.

The combined value of the six projects is over $2.2M, contributed by all participating companies, organizations, and partners. INOVAIT is proud to offer this non-dilutive financial support to Canada’s most innovative technologies in IGT. Funding was provided coast to coast to projects that demonstrated the highest commercialization potential and economic impact, including projects in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

Kullervo Hynynen, co-executive director of INOVAIT, proudly stated, “INOVAIT’s financial support promotes the practical application of research and development efforts, speeds up market readiness of innovations, generates high-impact jobs for Canadians and fuels the sector overall.” He added, “To date, INOVAIT has selected 88 IGT-AI projects for funding, leading to an expected infusion of $128 million into the burgeoning Canadian image-guided therapy sector.”

Sound Blade Medical leads one of the six announced INOVAIT Pilot Fund projects. In partnership with Dalhousie University, they are revolutionizing endoscopic healthcare through cutting-edge image-guided histotripsy and machine learning algorithms. Their INOVAIT Pilot Fund project focuses on advancing treatment and care for those suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Current surgical options to treat OSA are performed blind, often leading to complications such as bleeding, infection, speech impairment, and tongue paralysis. Sound Blade’s project will further develop non-invasive, image-guided ultrasound ablation (histotripsy) technology as an alternative to tongue-base reduction surgery for OSA. With the help of AI, Sound Blade’s intra-oral image-guided ablation prototype will precisely and non-invasively liquify fatty tongue tissue, protecting vital neighbouring tissue and mitigating the complications associated with standard surgical OSA treatment.

“We are incredibly grateful to INOVAIT and the Government of Canada for their generous support,” said Jeremy Brown, CEO and founder of Sound Blade. “The INOVAIT Pilot Fund will accelerate our ability to bring innovative healthcare solutions to the market and improve patient lives.”

INOVAIT is able to enable projects like Sound Blade’s because of the support from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF).

“Our government understands the amazing potential of image-guided therapy and AI to revolutionize how Canadians receive medical care,” said The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “That is why we are excited to partner with INOVAIT to help support stakeholders working across this exciting new technological landscape and ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of cutting-edge medical innovations.”

For a complete list of companies funded to date through INOVAIT, visit www.inovait.ca/funding. For any inquiries regarding INOVAIT or its programming, please reach out to inovait@sunnybrook.ca .

About INOVAIT

Established in 2020, INOVAIT invests strategically in collaborative partnerships that build upon Canada’s strength in digital innovation and health science research to create a critical mass of world-leading image-guided therapy (IGT) companies focused on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data analytics. Led by the Sunnybrook Research Institute and supported by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund, the network brings together small, medium-sized, and large companies, research organizations, post-secondary institutions, and not-for-profit organizations to collaborate, connect, and work together. The network’s mission is to build a truly integrated IGT-AI ecosystem by fuelling continuous innovation, commercialization, and collaboration that revolutionizes healthcare globally.

About Sunnybrook Research Institute

Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) is the research arm of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, an internationally recognized academic health sciences centre fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. With well-established programs in basic and applied sciences which span across three scientific platforms and ten clinical programs, SRI is developing innovations in care for the more than 1.3 million patient visits the hospital sees annually. Recognized as a Centre of Excellence in focused ultrasound, SRI has one of the most comprehensive and successful focused ultrasound research programs in the world, with technical, scientific, and clinical experts accelerating progress in the field.

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SOURCE INOVAIT

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Obi, the global real-time aggregator for rideshares, today released an expanded and updated Global Rideshare Report incorporating additional first half 2024 data. This extensive report provides an unparalleled analysis of the rideshare industry, examining 85 million unique searches and over one billion data points.

The report offers a deep dive into the increasingly complex pricing models used by rideshare companies and market dynamics across major cities worldwide, including New York, London, Paris, and Delhi with unique insights on how to beat surge and weather pricing dynamics.

“This unprecedented report shows how complex pricing models and rideshare data have become,” noted Obi Chief Revenue Officer, Ashwini Anburajan. “We highlight never before seen data sets and trend analysis across the industry. We hope this report will open a few eyes and help consumers as well as companies make smarter decisions. The world of rideshare data has been very opaque historically and this is just the first step in helping to bring greater transparency with Obi’s unique insights.”

The updated Obi Global Rideshare Report – First Half 2024 highlights significant trends and insights across both driver side and rider side, reflecting the industry’s evolution post-pandemic. Combining proprietary data with public sources, the report explores critical topics such as driver pay, price fluctuations, competition amongst providers, and the growth of green rides.

Key takeaways from the new Obi Global Rideshare Report – First Half 2024 include:

Inflation And The Rideshare Price Rollercoaster: In the last four years in the U.S. market, rideshare prices have spiked, dropped and leveled out. An illustration of how prices have increased: a ride on Uber in 2020 that cost $30 would have risen to $35 in 2021 and $37 in 2022. In 2023 prices dropped, and the same ride would have cost users $33. In mid-2024 that same ride is now $31.50. In the period between 2020 and 2022, prices spiked by 23% if you took an Uber and 32% for Lyft. This has now come down and prices are 4.5% higher than they were in 2020 for Uber, while Lyft prices are 8.1% higher. Consumers are paying more per ride in the last three years than in the ten years prior when VC funding fueled growth over profitability. Gas prices, inflation and the push for profitability have all impacted consumers.As consumer prices increase, driver pay drops: We found that drivers earn a smaller percentage of the ride fare than they had pre-pandemic in 2019. Uber pays 10.5% less on average to their drivers. Drivers have gone from earning 72.6% of the ride to 60.7% in the first half of 2024.Rideshare Prices Rose By Over 9% In A 12-Month Period Nationally: Over the 12 month period from July 2023 through June 2024, rideshare prices continue to increase. Uber’s prices increased over this period by 9.75% from $28.18 to $30.93 nationally in the United States. Lyft’s prices also ticked up by 9.8% from $28.17 to $30.93. Consumers continue to travel slightly farther, with average distance for a trip increasing from 11.06 km (6.87 miles) to 11.3 km (7.02 miles)Earnings Per Ride Grows In New York City: Both rideshare companies in the New York City market are making more per ride than they were pre-pandemic. In 2019 Uber’s average earning per fare in NYC was $1.80. It has increased by 250% and is $6.29 in the first half of 2024. In 2019 Lyfts’s average earning per fare in NYC was $4.11. It has increased by 38% and is $5.65 in the first half of 2024.Competition Among Rideshare Providers in London Keeps Prices Low: Unlike New York City, London’s prices have stayed relatively stable over the last several years driven largely by price competition between multiple rideshare companies. It’s 68% more expensive to take a ride in NYC than in London. London riders have more brand loyalty than other cities, with 22% of users choosing their preferred brand even when the price difference is as high as £5.Uber Underestimates Trip Duration. Data shows trip duration has a relatively minor impact on ride selection. However, Uber appears to indicate that the trip will take less time than its competitors in New York City a staggering 85% of the time, estimating that a trip will be between 4 to 5 minutes shorter than other rideshare providers.Weather Drives Surge Pricing Across Cities: Rainy weather is driving surge pricing across cities globally. We see a difference between 6% to 10% depending on the city. Cities like London and New York where rain is a regular occurrence experience the highest surge. Good news for riders in snowy weather, rideshare companies often lower their prices to attract riders.Consumers Need Incentives To Take Green Rides. Uber and Lyft have done an admirable job in increasing the number of green vehicles available to consumers in global cities. However, even though green rides have the same relative wait times and prices, consumers still choose the standard vehicle option if the wait time is as little as 1 minute longer or $1 more in price. 37% of consumers feel that green rides should be cheaper than regular rides. Overall, 10% of rides in New York are green while in Paris and London over 20% of rides selected are green rides. We credit this to European cities enforcing tougher regulations to mandate more green vehicles on the road.Eager for Driverless Cars. 77.5% of rideshare consumers say they are ready to use autonomous vehicles. Safety was the biggest concern of consumers who wouldn’t choose to ride in an autonomous vehicle.

The updated Obi Global Rideshare Report – First Half 2024 is available for download at http://rideobi.com/report2024.

About Obi:

Obi is a global real-time aggregator that compares millions of pricing and pick-up (ETA) data points, providing consumers and businesses with actionable insights. The free Obi app allows riders to compare taxis, black cars, and major rideshare providers instantly. With over 650,000 users, Obi partners with numerous rideshare and taxi providers worldwide to ensure transparency in ride fares. The app is available for free download on iOS and Android.

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SOURCE Obi