Lessons from Eyewear E-commerce Success: How Activewear Brands Can Leverage Online Shopping Platforms

In the age of digital transformation, brands must leverage technology to understand their target audiences and better cater to their needs and expectations. For example, a previous post explains how businesses in the activewear segment and the broader fashion industry can deploy generational marketing using websites, social media, and other digital platforms. 

By optimizing their websites, brands can appeal to the Baby Boomers, who prefer desktop platforms over mobile devices. Meanwhile, an active social media presence can capture the increasing purchasing power of younger generations like Millennials and Generation Z.

However, another technological development that sports apparel brands can use to their advantage is online shopping through websites and e-commerce platforms. When planning to integrate e-commerce into their workflows and operations, activewear businesses can learn lessons from the eyewear industry. After all, the global eyewear market’s value of $151.92 billion in 2023 alone is significantly driven by e-commerce, both as a new outlet for market expansion and a vehicle for innovative marketing strategies.

Below, we look at eyewear brands and retailers that have successfully deployed e-commerce as a distribution channel. We also highlight what activewear brands can learn from them to grow their customer base and achieve success.

User-friendly interfaces to help customers

A notable advantage of e-commerce is that brands can showcase an extensive product catalog, unlike brick-and-mortar stores dependent on inventory management and storage space. However, vast selections can also be a bane, as they can overwhelm customers with purchasing decisions.

The good thing is that businesses can address this by ensuring user-friendly interfaces for their websites and shopping platforms. For example, leading eyewear retailer Target Optical offers a wide variety of glasses frames from top brands and helps users find the perfect pair through its site search filters. Its official website categorizes prescription eyeglasses based on gender to meet the vision needs of men, women, and children. It also caters to varying style preferences by filtering through frame colors, materials like plastic and titanium, and shapes like the rectangular AX3077 from Armani Exchange and cat-eye VO5356 from Vogue Eyewear. Likewise, active apparel brands can improve search filters to showcase their clothing options without overwhelming customers to the point of abandoning shopping carts.

Virtual try-on solutions for more informed purchases

Another common pain point on online shopping platforms is the inability to try on products, which customers may otherwise do when visiting physical retail stores. Yet again, brands looking into e-commerce can deploy virtual try-on solutions to help customers make more informed purchasing decisions.

For instance, the company FITTING MONSTER provides virtual try-on services to enable customers to see how their chosen eyeglasses, sunglasses, or colored contact lenses look on their faces via live camera. Based on augmented reality, this technology is said to help increase purchase conversion rates and reduce exchange/return rates, ultimately contributing to revenue growth.

AR-based try-on features are already available for eyewear chains like South Korea’s Davich Optical and the Philippines’ EO Executive Optical—providing activewear brands with a blueprint for allowing customers to try on products like jackets, compression wear, and sweatpants virtually.

Strategic digital marketing to reach target audiences

Lastly, sports apparel and activewear brands planning to capitalize on e-commerce must remember to complement it with a well-thought-out digital marketing strategy. For example, Pair Eyewear used short-form TikTok videos to highlight its unique selling proposition (USP) of customizable frames.

Through viral clips that positioned Pair Eyewear’s frames as an affordable way to accessorize, the brand was able to convert TikTok users into customers and raise $75 million worth of funding. Businesses in the sports apparel industry must hence determine their USP and use various social media content like articles, videos, and graphics to reach target audiences and direct them toward their e-commerce websites.

In essence, using e-commerce to expand customer reach and generate more sales requires a thorough understanding of not just this distribution channel's benefits. More importantly, active fashion brands must address potential pain points in the customer journey through continuous innovation.

In Conclusion:

Activewear brands can learn valuable lessons from the success of eyewear e-commerce. By implementing user-friendly interfaces, offering virtual try-on solutions, and leveraging strategic digital marketing, sports apparel companies can enhance customer experience and increase conversions. Embracing these strategies, along with continuous innovation in the e-commerce space, will allow activewear brands to stay competitive, expand their customer base, and thrive in the digital landscape.

About FittDesign

FittDesign is a full-service design and production company specializing in the sportswear and activewear industry. We provide comprehensive solutions, including innovative design, detailed technical packs, e-commerce website design, logo design and high-quality manufacturing. Our expertise supports brands in creating functional and durable sportswear that meets the demands of a competitive market.

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