After success as an online retailer, OCO Glasses opens up shop in London. Learn how this sister-and-brother act are disrupting optical’s status quo

high-end designer eyewear online? That seems like a virtual reality. However, when Jennie Harris, O.D., and Adam Harris launched their online shop, OCO Glasses, two years ago, the sister-and-brother duo made that an actual reality.

The site offers a selection of frames from the likes of Oliver Peoples, Kirk Originals, and Paul Smith with prescription lenses from Varilux and Crizal. They didn’t stop there. The Harrises knew a key component was to also offer fast delivery and good customer service, which can be a challenge for online retailers.

“We created a custom-built system that connects everything and is a core feature of our business,” explains Dr. Harris. “For example, customer service tickets from the live chat online are then displayed against the contact in our system, ensuring visibility amongst all OCO staff, including the optometrist, to bring everyone up to date.”

Buoyed by their success as an online retailer, in May 2016 the Harrises opened a brick-and-mortar location in a trendy section of East London known as Shoreditch near Spitalfields Market. “Most of our online customers were London-based and Adam was already living in East London, so the timing and logistics were right,” notes Dr. Harris.

Below, the sibling duo offers us a snapshot of OCO and the challenges they faced melding their online business with their London boutique.

THE PHILOSOPHY

Jennie Harris: OCO Glasses is truly a multichanneled business—both our in-store and online service are deeply connected. We do things efficiently so that we can provide an amazing service, paired with great value.

THE CHALLENGES

Adam Harris: We both grew up around our parents’ optical practice and Jennie already had over 10 years of experience working in brick and mortar.

However, it was significantly more difficult than we had expected to combine the two channels and create a coherent experience for our customers.

Connecting the online and in-store service was a great challenge, from managing the optical side of the business to designing a fully bespoke software system. The two most difficult challenges we faced were in customer service and stock management.

Regarding stock management, we implemented a comprehensive warehousing bin system to help identify the specific frames being ordered online.

KEEPING IT COHESIVE

AH: We maintain the same products and prices between the two channels. We also created a custom-built system that connects everything and is an essential feature of our business. If an item of stock is sold online, then it will be almost instantly unavailable to sell in the store.

WHY SHOREDITCH?

JH: London, and specifically Shoreditch, is a microcosm with great diversity.

Having the brick-and-mortar store in London has allowed us to stay innovative within the industry, as many designers are now able to come in and introduce themselves and discuss new projects.

THE SHOP + THE SITE

JH: We have strived to combine high-end fashion with a clean, clinical, and minimalistic advantage. Both the website and the physical store embody elements of the clinical, optical side with an understated, industrial-inspired design.

We have a custom-built POS system to help the dispensing optician guide the customer through choosing their lenses and maintaining full visibility.

AH: The optometrist’s Rx recommendations are passed digitally from the test room to the shop floor point-of-sale to be discussed between the dispensing optician and customer. The pricing structure is simple and transparent to allow the dispensing optician to consider the customer’s budget.

THE EYEWEAR

AH: Jennie has worked in many optical practices around the world, as both an optometrist and a dispensing optician, ranging from a boutique in Sydney selling brands such as DITA to Vision Express and our parents’ shop. Jennie’s experience—combined with being in the up-and-coming area of Shoreditch—allowed us to find the extensive range of brands and styles stocked in OCO.

—Jackie Micucci