Eyeglasses have blown into the online consumer market. Those needing eyeglasses have an almost endless list of options available to them regarding where they can go in the virtual world for that perfect pair of specs. The problem with having such a wide variety of options, stemming from choice to price, conditions and more, is that customers simply don’t even know where to start and who to click to in order to begin the experience of buying eyeglasses online.
Luckily, there are a few simple criteria that render one online eyeglasses company better than another. These include the usability of the website, the level of customer service both on offer and readily available, as well as any extras which give back to the customers for their loyalty and/or to provide a better service for them.
Let’s look at some of these points separately and explain what you should be looking for when choosing an online eyeglasses company to make your purchase(s) through. How easy is the site to use? The usability very simply means the ease of use of the website. Does the site look clean and simple enough to use? Are all the options very clearly marked and easy to find?
Once these questions have been answered in the affirmative, then you should take a look at the ordering procedure and detect whether that too is simple and user-friendly. Is each step carefully explained? Are there only a few, very simple steps to the attainment of your eyeglass purchasing goal? Most of the time, the procedure, from beginning to end, should take you no more than five steps, often less.
Lastly, the whole process should be comfortable, convenient and stress-free. You should know that you can take as much time as you need to choose the perfect pair of eyeglasses frames and that there will never be any pressure.
The next point to watch out for is the level of customer service. Are the company’s representatives easy to get hold of? Do they seem to have a good reputation for their customer service? Take a look at some online reviews. Do they have a very descriptive and specific Q&A section to help you get better acquainted with the procedures and rules? Are the representatives responsive and friendly?
And then one must look at what the company openly gives back to its loyal customers and provides for a newcomer. Some examples include:
A refer-a-friend program: offering word-of-mouth advertising designed to allow current customers tell their friends and family members about the online retailer. In exchange, for each friend referred, the original customer would receive a discount, of some sort, on their next purchase. This type of part social media marketing and part viral marketing program allows for satisfied customers to tell others about their satisfaction with the online store, benefit from it, and allow their friends and family to benefit from their secondary use of the company.
A price guarantee: The online optical world is known to give its clients savings of up to 70% off as compared to those same types of offline purchases. If a company can offer a lowest price guarantee, while still keeping to manufacturing according to industry standards (or higher) and promising the highest quality eyeglasses, then they are a company you can trust.
Online gift certificates: This is an added bonus enabling people to buy eGift certificates for specific amounts, which can then be given to others as “the gift of sight.” Could there be a more worthwhile gift (not to mention affordable)? I think not.
A virtual mirror: As the customer can clearly not try on the eyeglasses frames in person, the online eyeglasses company should provide an online viewing option in the form of a virtual mirror, whereby the customer can upload a photograph and then virtually try on different frames – he/she can also send the options along to friends and family by email, for their opinions.
If the online eyeglasses store you’re looking to buy from meets most of these criteria, then all you need to do is grab a copy of your eyeglasses prescription and start searching for your perfect pair of eyeglass frames.
Hillary Glaser is a social networking specialist and expert in cross-media promotion, currently working on promoting prescription eyeglasses. She is the Director of Marketing and Special Projects for GlassesUSA – the easiest way to buy glasses online, which now offers free shipping on all US orders with the code FreeShip10.