Seeing clearly: How brands can reach customers before they start shopping for eyewear
November 17, 2021 | By: Jareen Imam, Sr. Content and Editorial Manager
Whether eyewear shoppers are working from home, streaming the latest movie from their living rooms, or reading from their tablets, their eyes are very busy nowadays. In fact, the average American spends more than seven hours looking at screens each day, according to a report by DataReportal.1
When it comes to purchasing eyewear—whether that’s prescription glasses, sunglasses, blue light glasses, or reading glasses—shoppers are making purchases annually or occasionally, according to research by Kantar and Amazon Ads.2 In fact, 64% of eyewear shoppers purchase one of these products once a year.3 Since eyewear shopping is infrequent, brands may want to consider reaching customers in advance of their shopping journeys so they know what brands can offer them when they need new eyewear.
One of the ways brands could consider connecting with eyewear customers is by meeting them where they are already shopping. Although a majority of eyewear shoppers reported purchasing in a physical store (67%), they are spending time online prior to purchase, such as reading reviews (56%), doing virtual try-ons (54%), or visiting Amazon’s store.4 In fact, 63% of eyewear shoppers surveyed reported visiting Amazon at least once a week.5 With this in mind, eyewear brands may want to consider an omni-channel strategy to create a seamless experience for audiences who are moving fluidly between online and offline touch points.
Understanding the eyewear audience on Amazon
For many eyewear shoppers, buying new frames is typically a once-a-year purchase, but there’s an opportunity for brands to connect with eyewear shoppers who buy more frequently. For instance, eyewear shoppers who visit Amazon regularly (at least once a week) reported purchasing glasses more often, with 38% buying two or more times a year.6 These weekly Amazon visitors tend to purchase eyewear beyond just when they get a new prescription or if their frames break. In fact, 16% purchase new eyewear just to stay on trend, and 9% purchase new eyewear for a special occasion like going on vacation.7
Eyewear shoppers are open to trying new brands, which could mean there are opportunities for emerging brands to get noticed by customers, or even for more established brands to reach new customers. Ninety-one percent of eyewear shoppers said they are open to buying from a brand they don’t know and would be more likely to switch brands for a style they liked, better quality, and after reading good reviews.8
Eyewear shoppers’ journey is fairly short—in Amazon’s store, shoppers usually take two to three days from first browsing to purchasing.9 Because of this limited window, brands may want to adopt an always-on strategy so they can meet consumers’ needs at the right time. According research by Kantar and Amazon Ads, eyewear shoppers who regularly visit Amazon (at least once a week) were 2.8x more likely to recall an ad compared to those who didn’t visit Amazon as often.10
Reaching eyewear shoppers: a closer look
Forty-four percent of eyewear shoppers reported seeing an ad prior to purchase, from online display and video ads, to Streaming TV ads.11 As such, eyewear brands looking to connect with shoppers may want to consider a few different advertising strategies to reach relevant audiences. Brands looking to drive awareness and increase customer consideration may want to reach the audiences via Streaming TV ads, display ads, and audio ads.
Additionally, brands looking to build an omni-channel advertising strategy could consider using Stores to help create an immersive, digital shopping experience for eyewear customers. And brands can also use Sponsored Display and Sponsored Products to help customers find the details they need in order to make informed shopping decisions for their eyewear purchases.
Whether it’s for fashion, function, or a bit of both, customers who visit Amazon may be seeking information that will help guide them through their eyewear purchasing journey. Amazon Ads’ solutions could help brands connect with customers, making them feel confident, comfortable, and informed that the eyewear they are purchasing is the right one for them.
Sources
1 “Screen Time Statistics,”DataReportal, US, 2021
2-8 Kantar and Amazon Ads eyewear study, US, March 2021
9 Amazon Internal, 2021
10-11 Kantar and Amazon Ads eyewear study, US, March 2021