Case study · Paid Performance Media
Selling glasses online in a market that said no.
An eyewear retailer in health and lifestyle e-commerce, selling contact lenses and prescription glasses online across Scandinavia.
The situation
The retailer wanted to grow its online eyewear business, particularly prescription glasses, in a region where buying them online was still rare. Shoppers were used to trying frames on in person and getting face-to-face advice from an optician, and a lingering perception said online glasses meant gambling on accuracy, fit and quality.
Against that stood entrenched brick-and-mortar chains with strong local reputations, loyal customers and a store on every high street. The brand needed more than traffic: it needed to be seen as a trustworthy, convenient alternative for a product people consider personal and essential.
The assumption
The category numbers seemed to settle it: online penetration for prescription glasses was low, so the demand must not be there. Glasses were an in-store product, online was for contact lens refills, and the incumbents' store networks were the moat that made it permanent.
What the evidence showed
Search and audience data read differently. People across the region were actively researching eyewear online, comparing prices and looking for alternatives; they simply stopped short of purchase. Low penetration was measuring hesitation, not appetite. The barrier was confidence, and confidence is a marketing problem, not a market condition.
What we did
- i.Built paid social campaigns on Facebook and Instagram that educated before they sold: video, carousels and statics showing how online prescription purchases work and where the price advantage sits.
- ii.Captured active demand through search and display, positioning online purchase as a credible alternative at the exact moment people compared options, supported by incentives such as discounts and free trials.
- iii.Kept the message consistent across YouTube, Google Shopping and Performance Max so the same reassurance followed the shopper through the journey.
- iv.Borrowed trust the brand did not yet have: influencer collaborations and podcast sponsorships put the proposition in voices the audience already believed.
Results
Online sales
vs the prior year
Online sales of prescription glasses grew 37% against the prior year, in a market where the accepted wisdom said the product could not sell online. The growth came from changed behaviour, not discount-driven spikes: a coordinated funnel that educated, reassured and then converted. The engagement continued beyond the initial campaign period.
The lesson
Low online penetration is not low demand. Sometimes the market is waiting for someone to make buying feel safe.