last word

Erinn Morgan

Who Buys Eyewear Online… and Why?

A statistical profile of the who, what, when, where, and how of online purchasing. The statistics are courtesy of The Vision Council's 2011 Internet Influence Report.

16.8%… The percentage of consumers who used the Internet in any capacity (buying, searching, price comparisons) when purchasing their most recent pair of eyeglasses.

20.1%… The amount of consumers who actually purchased their eyeglasses via the Internet.

38.1%… The portion of consumers who didn't purchase their glasses over the Internet because they couldn't try them on.

63.5%… The segment of survey respondents who visited the website of an eyewear retailer that only has an online presence when making their eyeglass purchase.

90.4%… Those who rated their online eyewear purchase experience as either “Excellent” or “Good.”

9.6%… The percentage of people who rated their online purchasing experience as “Neutral,” “Poor,” or “Bad.”

78.8%… Those who expected the same quality when buying online that they expect when buying from an eye doctor or retailer.

26.1%… The amount of those surveyed who purchased the sunglasses they wanted directly over the Internet.

21.3%… Those who made their last sunglass purchase with a general online retailer that offers eyewear (Amazon.com, Overstock.com, etc.).

17%… Those who made their last sunglass purchase with a retailer that specializes in selling sunglasses (e.g., Solstice.com and Sunglasshut.com).

53%… The percentage of respondents who purchased their contacts online because “Online retailers charge less for contact lenses.” EB