Sunglass Hut to Launch a China-friendly Website Driving O2O Strategy
Sunglass Hut
With more than 2,000 selling points worldwide, Sunglass Hut prevails as a top-notch sunglasses retailer owning a plethora of notable brands, namely Lens Crafter, Rayban, and Oakley. Penetrating the Chinese market, the brand enlisted the help of IT Consultis to digitally assimilate into the Chinese market.
In this case study, discover how we helped Sunglass Hut accelerate its digital transformation to promote the O2O strategy.
About the Client: Sunglass Hut
Sunglass Hut is a global leader in premium eyewear retail. Founded in Miami in 1971, the brand has built strong partnerships with top-tier names, including Ray-Ban, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Tiffany & Co., and Coach.
Over the past five decades, Sunglass Hut has expanded its presence across the world, including significant growth in the Asia Pacific region.
When Sunglass Hut set its sights on entering the Chinese market, challenges around localization and brand awareness quickly emerged. IT Consultis (ITC) and the retailer decided to collaborate to transform Sunglass Hut’s global website into a more China-friendly interface tailored to local needs and preferences.
Objectives
Although Sunglass Hut enjoys immense popularity in the US, it remains relatively unknown in China.
The primary goal was to build brand awareness by crafting an effective O2O (Online-to-Offline) strategy. This approach aimed to optimize omnichannel touchpoints and drive traffic from the eCommerce website to physical stores.
Additionally, Sunglass Hut established a standardized visual identity to reflect its partnerships with leading brands like Dior, Chanel, and Ray-Ban. While this standardization strategy achieved notable success globally, the brand faced challenges implementing it in the Chinese market.
To address these challenges, Sunglass Hut set out to localize its global website for China to boost conversion rates and ensure a seamless, market-relevant experience for Chinese consumers.
Solutions for Sunglass Hut
Adapting the User Interface (UI) to Fit Chinese Behaviors
Every aspect of the website — from the site map to social media integration — was carefully reviewed and adjusted to deliver an optimal user experience tailored to local preferences.
Although Sunglass Hut was new to the Chinese market, its extensive brand portfolio provided a strong foundation for building brand awareness.
Instead of simply displaying logos for brands like Armani, Burberry, or Miu Miu, dedicated pages were created for each partner brand. This made it easier for customers to explore and learn about the full range of offerings, enhancing engagement and supporting the brand’s introduction to the market.
Using Social Media to Foster Brand Awareness and Storytelling
Social media plays a vital role in launching and establishing a brand presence in China. To enhance brand awareness and support storytelling, the website features:
- A custom Weibo feed in the footer, encouraging users to follow the brand and stay updated with the latest news.
- A WeChat QR code in the menu sidebar, making it easy for visitors to connect with the brand on WeChat.
O2O Tools for Increased In-Store Traffic
With plans to open over 200 stores in China, Sunglass Hut launched its digital strategy as the first step in its market entry. Rather than focusing on online shopping, the brand prioritized driving traffic to physical stores via the website.
Instead of a “Buy” button, visitors are directed to a Store Locator. The locator leverages the Amap API for flexible design and high accessibility in China. Each store features photos, providing a visually engaging experience that encourages in-store visits.
On mobile devices, the Store Locator offers a tailored experience:
- A list of nearby stores based on the user’s location
- Clear directions for various types of transportation
The desktop version allows for filtered searches. This ensures an optimal conversion rate and a seamless journey from online discovery to in-store engagement.
Overall Optimization
To ensure overall optimization, the Sunglass Hut website was built on Drupal, integrating all essential scripts and plug-ins for a seamless, China-friendly experience.
For SEO, every webpage was incorporated into an improved sitemap. Enhancements to the sitemap structure and the addition of fresh content significantly boosted the website’s search visibility.
For a flawless user experience, the website was locally hosted and optimized with local APIs and lazy loading, ensuring fast performance.
Recognizing the importance of mobile and social platforms in China, WeChat integration was also prioritized, aligning with the habits of smartphone-driven consumers and the country’s most popular app.
Results
The project delivered a robust, China-optimized Sunglass Hut website with seamless O2O tool integration, achieving an optimal conversion rate — all within a tight timeline.
“I am thrilled to have worked with such a passionate team. IT Consultis was the ideal partner for our brand: They’re certainly not afraid of challenges and will always go the extra mile for their clients.
Our project was not the easiest one since the scope was managed by 3 different teams on three different continents. On top of that, we needed to go live ASAP. Still, IT Consultis took the challenge and outperformed.
They’ve always made themselves available to answer all questions with clear explanations and training about technical aspects such as Drupal web development. They’ve also been a great help in our digital decisions including our O2O strategy in China, two areas in which they’ve proven to be very knowledgeable.
I really appreciated their professionalism and hard work, but what I’ve really enjoyed the most was the excellent relationship we’ve established. Working with the team is more like working with a partner than a supplier.
For all these reasons, I would greatly recommend IT Consultis to anyone looking for a long-term digital partner in China, or anywhere in the world as a matter of fact.”
Stefano T. – Marketing Director
