As more and more industries become digitized and customers look for better, less expensive options to deal with everyday problems, one game changer, Zenni Optical, celebrates its 16th birthday and as the company says, “it’s 15th year of disrupting the eyewear industry-controlled pricing.”
The online eyewear retailer allows for customers to purchase frames with no frills, some frills, all the frills or the bare bones for reasonable prices with hundreds of quality frame options to choose from. Each pair comes with a free case and cloth, and customers can e-try-on their frames before purchasing.
The retailer, which offers prescription frames at prices starting as low as $6.95, gives customers options to optimize their eyewear to their specifications without the up-sales and gimmicks. “Zenni continues to see strong growth year-over-year and in 2018 alone, the online retailer sold more than five million pairs of glasses,” the company wrote in a press release. “Since its founding in 2003, the company’s mission has focused on providing the highest quality prescription eyewear at a fraction of the cost of traditional retailers and delivers solely direct to consumer via its online store. With a complete prescription pair starting at just $6.95, and averaging just over $40, the company has brought massive price disruption to the traditional retail model.”
In just 2018, Zenni optical grossed $214 million in revenue, to which the company attributes to its sales of UV blocking protective lenses called Blokz, expanded marketing efforts and product campaigns.
“Blokz sales specifically increased 50 percent year-over-year from 2017 to 2018, due in large part to a starting price point of $16.95,” Zenni Optical wrote in a release.
“Due to the recent popularity of blue light-blocking technology, Zenni has expanded Blokz to include a photochromic option which darkens in sunlight, as well as Blokz sunglass lens arriving in April.”
Tibor Laczay, co-founder and CEO of Zenni Optical, said the brand continues to grow because of its ability to provide high quality lenses at a fraction of the cost.
“We’ve worked diligently through the years to create a vertically integrated business that can very successfully drive profitable margins without overpricing the product,” Laczay said. “When you buy glasses from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer, you’re not just paying for the frame and lenses; you’re also paying big money to cover the retailer’s hefty outsourcing costs, which usually include manufacturing, licensing fees, warehousing, and more. Zenni has its own state-of-the-art production facility with advanced prescription and edging labs. We cut out the middlemen and pass huge savings on to the consumer instead.”
