How to open an online glasses store: step by step
From what to sell to the first order: supplier, pricing, a catalog with a link, camera try-on, payment, delivery and promotion of your online glasses shop.
Key takeaways
- First decide what you will sell: frames, sunglasses or prescription glasses, which have their own rules.
- Choose the supplier and work out the price before building the store.
- Your online store can start as a catalog with a link, camera try-on and WhatsApp, with no website of your own.
- Settle payment, delivery and returns before the first sale, and share the link every day.
Before you start: what an online glasses store is
An online glasses store is a place on the internet where customers see your frames and prices and can buy or place an order. It can be a website with a cart, a store on an e-commerce platform or, at the start, a catalog with a link that takes the conversation to your WhatsApp. What matters is that customers find the model, see how it looks on their face and can reach you.
This step-by-step guide is for people starting from scratch and for optical stores that want to sell online too.
1. Decide what you will sell
These are three products with different paths:
- Frames (no lenses). The customer takes the frame and gets lenses wherever they like. It is the simplest start.
- Sunglasses. They sell well online. Keep the UV protection information for each model in writing: it is the customer's first question.
- Prescription glasses. They depend on a prescription and on measurements checked by whoever fits the lenses, and the requirements vary by country and region. Check the rules where you sell before offering prescription lenses.
2. Register the business
Having a registered business makes it easier to issue invoices, sign up for payment providers and buy from suppliers. The right format depends on what you sell and how much: talk to an accountant before deciding.
3. Choose the supplier and work out the price
Ask for an invoice, the defect return policy and the size of each model (the numbers on the temple, such as 54□16-142). Then set the price from cost, fees and margin, not a guess. The step by step, with the formula, is in the guide to wholesale glasses to resell.
Start with a few models, varied in shape and color, and restock the ones that sell.
4. Build the shop window: a catalog with a link
Online customers cannot hold the frame, so the shop window has to show everything: a good photo, price, size and an easy way to order. An online catalog solves this at a single address, with your logo, your colors and a button that opens a WhatsApp chat with you about the chosen model.
A phone is enough for the photos: see how to photograph glasses to sell online. In Previaly, the AI Studio also turns a counter photo of the frame into a catalog photo with a clean background.
5. Let customers try frames on with the camera
The biggest doubt when buying glasses online is "will it look good on me?". A virtual try-on answers it: the customer opens the link on the phone, allows the camera and the frame appears on their face, following their movement, in the browser and with no app to download. See how a virtual try-on for glasses works.
Enter the frame size: it is what makes the try-on show the frame at roughly its real size, and it helps customers compare with the glasses they already wear. See what the numbers on a frame mean.
6. Settle payment, delivery and returns
Before the first sale, have your answers ready:
- Payment: instant transfer, payment link or card. The fee of each one goes into your price.
- Delivery: post, courier, local delivery or pickup. Pack it well, with a case.
- Returns and defects: write down your policy and send it with each order.
If you already have a store on Shopify, Nuvemshop, WooCommerce or another platform, you can put the try-on next to the Buy button: see how to add glasses try-on to your website.
7. Share the link every day
With no store on the street, nobody walks past your window by chance. The link goes in your Instagram bio, your WhatsApp status and every conversation. For day-to-day promotion, see social media for optical stores and how to sell glasses on WhatsApp. In Previaly, the Marketing Studio builds story videos, posts and posters with your frames.
And keep an eye on what happens: the report of the most tried-on frames shows what customers want to see, and it becomes the list for your next order.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open an online glasses store?
Decide what you will sell, register the business, choose the supplier and work out the price, build a catalog with photos and prices, let customers try frames on with the camera, settle payment, delivery and returns, and share the link.
Do I need a website to sell glasses online?
Not at the start. A catalog with a link, a try-on and a WhatsApp button already works as a store. If you later open a store on an e-commerce platform, the try-on can go there too.
Can I sell prescription glasses online?
Prescription glasses depend on a prescription and on measurements checked by whoever fits the lenses, and the rules vary by country and region. Check the rules where you sell before offering prescription lenses.
How do customers know if the glasses suit them without visiting a store?
With a virtual try-on: they open the link on the phone, allow the camera and see the frame on their face in real time, as many times as they like.
How much do I need to start an online glasses store?
It depends on how many models you buy, the supplier and the tools you use. Start with a few models and a calculated price, and restock what sells.
The Previaly team
We build the virtual try-on, the online storefront and the AI Studio that optical stores use to sell from the customer's phone. These guides come from what we see every day in the product and in our work with stores.
