Recommerce, Retention, and ROAS: Fashion Eyewear’s Secret to eCommerce Scale with Steven Westwood (episode 552)
Steven Westwood is the Head of Sales and Marketing at Fashion Eyewear, sellers of designer prescription glasses and sunglasses, both new and preloved. Selling via Shopify stores in the UK and the USA, the business was founded in 2008 and now ship 10,000 orders a month.
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Dive in:
[05:32] “Prescription Glasses: An Untapped Market”
[09:42] Eyewear Buyback with TernEco App
[11:42] Innovative Glasses Buyback Program
[15:32] Eyewear Buyback Boosts Customer Retention
[17:32] Listen to Steven’s Top Tips!
Don’t Let Industry Norms Hold Back Innovation
Prescription eyewear has been slow to move online. Many still believe you have to buy glasses in-store and wait weeks. But Fashion Eyewear shows that even complex products can be sold easily online. With the right education and tools, you can shift consumer behavior. If your industry feels “too traditional,” that might actually be your biggest opportunity.
Recommerce Can Boost Both Sales and Loyalty
Their buyback scheme for pre-loved glasses doesn’t just reduce waste—it increases customer lifetime value. By giving credit for old frames, they bring customers back and keep their brand top-of-mind. Even better, it attracts new customers who are sitting on unused inventory. It’s a win-win for sustainability and business growth. Recommerce isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a revenue stream.
Simplify the Complex with Assisted Sales Flows
Prescription glasses are tricky to sell online. But Fashion Eyewear cracked it by building a guided, educational checkout process. They walk customers through each step to reduce confusion and hesitation. This approach turns complexity into confidence. If you sell anything customized or technical, think about where customers need hand-holding—and build that into your UX.
Multi-Purpose Shopping is on the Rise
More customers are now buying glasses for different tasks—one for reading, another for driving, maybe even a fashion pair. This mirrors trends in other industries, where consumers want products tailored to specific use cases. If you’re only selling your product as a “one-size-fits-all,” you might be missing repeat purchase opportunities. Think in collections, occasions, or “use moods.” This small shift in messaging can drive a big lift in AOV and frequency.
Customer Lifetime Value Should Guide Your Ad Strategy
Because of their strong repeat purchase rate, Fashion Eyewear can factor customer lifetime value into their ad spend planning. This gives them more freedom to invest in customer acquisition. It also helps them outbid competitors focused only on single-sale ROAS. If you’re not yet segmenting and optimizing based on CLV, you’re likely leaving profit on the table. Your paid media strategy should evolve with your retention efforts.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
- Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- Use your data to guide traffic decisions. Analyze traffic sources holistically to identify which channels truly drive results, so you can double down on what works.
Tool Top Tip
- Fittingbox virtual try-on tool
Carbon Top Tip
- Add a circularity program to reduce carbon and boost retention. Integrate a buyback or pre-loved scheme (like TernEco) to cut waste, attract eco-conscious shoppers, and keep your brand top of mind for repeat purchases.
Interview links
*Thank you to Zoe Rowswell of TernEco for the guest recommendation!
Related Episodes
- Exponential growth driven by a commitment to sustainability with Dan Dicker from Circular & Co (episode 310)
- Fashion and the Circular Economy with Zoe Rowswell, co-founder of Tern Eco (episode 435)
- Increasing Revenue from Six to Eight Figures through Bootstrapping with Ryan Alovis, LensDirect (episode 459)
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