EZContacts has become one of the most popular online retailers for buying discount contact lenses and eyeglasses. But with prices so low, many wonder – how does EZContacts offer such cheap prices?
Here’s a comprehensive look at the reasons why EZContacts manages to keep their prices so affordable.
Reasons for EZContacts Being So Cheap
Here is a list of those reasons:
- They Sell Generic Brands
- Direct to Consumer Business Model
- Focus on High Volume over Profits
- Minimum Advertising Costs
- Lean Operation
- Loyalty Rewards Program
- Automatic Replenishment Plans
- Third Party Partnerships
- Focus on Online Experience
- Large Selection and Inventory
- Excellent Customer Service
- No Brick-and-Mortar Locations
Let’s talk about these problems in detail.
- They Sell Generic Brands
One of the biggest factors in EZContacts’ cheap prices is that they sell a lot of generic, unbranded contact lenses and eyeglasses. While you can find big brand names like Acuvue, Air Optix, and Ray-Ban on their site, a huge portion of their inventory is made up of their own generic EZContacts brand.
These off-brand products are much cheaper to produce since they don’t have the same brand recognition and marketing costs.
EZContacts can pass these savings directly to the consumer, often pricing their generics 40-60% less than the name brand equivalent. So if you don’t mind using a generic version, you can save big.
- Direct to Consumer Business Model
Another key to EZContacts’ affordability is their direct to consumer business model. As an online retailer, EZContacts sells directly to customers through their website. This allows them to cut out the middleman and overhead costs of a brick-and-mortar store.
Without having to maintain a physical retail space, hire optometrists, and stock inventory on site, EZContacts has much lower operating costs.
These savings mean they can price their contact lenses and eyeglasses much lower than traditional retailers and eye doctors’ offices. Going direct to consumer translates to cheaper prices for their customers.
- Focus on High Volume over Profits
EZContacts is clearly focused more on sales volume and growth rather than profit margins. Their model seems optimized to sell as many units as possible, even if it means slightly slimmer profits per order.
This priority on volume over profits is evident in their pricing strategy. EZContacts consistently undercuts competitors on price to attract customers in bulk. While they may be making less per sale, they make up for it with the sheer quantity of orders.
- Minimum Advertising Costs
You also won’t find EZContacts shelling out big bucks for TV commercials and magazine ads. They invest minimally in advertising and marketing compared to leading eye care brands.
Instead, EZContacts relies heavily on word of mouth, search engine optimization, and social media to attract customers organically. This saves a ton on advertising costs that they would otherwise have to pass on to the consumer through higher prices.
- Lean Operation
EZContacts runs a lean, efficient operation that keeps costs down. As an online retailer, they don’t have to staff and maintain brick-and-mortar stores. Their central warehouse model allows them to keep inventory and overhead costs low.
They also don’t employ optometrists or have on-site eye exams like traditional eye care retailers. This saves tremendously on labor costs and professional fees that would get built into their pricing.
Their focus is solely on distributing lenses and glasses efficiently at scale.
- Loyalty Rewards Program
One way EZContacts incentivizes repeat business is through their loyalty rewards program. Customers earn points on every order that can be redeemed for discounts on future purchases.
This customer loyalty program provides a win-win. Customers save even more money with rewards cash back, while EZContacts benefits from repeat business. The program costs them very little to operate but pays off with consistent sales volume.
- Automatic Replenishment Plans
EZContacts also encourages customers to enroll in their automatic replenishment plans for contacts and cleaning solution. Users select a delivery frequency so new orders are automatically shipped out right when they need them.
This auto-delivery model means EZContacts can reliably forecast sales and reduce churn. The steady stream of recurring revenue allows them to operate more efficiently and with less waste. These savings get funnelled back to customers through lower prices.
- Third Party Partnerships
To control costs, EZContacts partners extensively with third party providers.
Their lenses are manufactured by a network of wholesale labs and suppliers.
Working with independent labs means EZContacts benefits from wholesale pricing they can pass on to their customers.
They also partner with vision insurance companies like EyeMed, VSP, and Humana. This allows EZContacts to offer discounted pricing to members insured through these providers. Partnering with third parties gives EZContacts buying power they can leverage to reduce pricing.
- Focus on Online Experience
While customers don’t get the personalized attention of an optometrist office, they benefit from EZContacts’ seamlessly easy online shopping experience. Customers can conveniently order contacts anytime with just a current prescription.
This focus on online convenience over in-person expertise also reduces operating costs. Automated order processing is much more affordable than in-office eye exams and consultations. These backend efficiencies translate to lower prices upfront for customers.
- Large Selection and Inventory
With a huge product catalog spanning all major brands, EZContacts can offer low prices through economies of scale. Their enormous selection and high inventory volume means they get better wholesale rates from manufacturers.
The savings realized from bulk ordering is then passed down to consumers. So the massive product selection that makes EZContacts convenient also contributes to their affordable pricing.
- Excellent Customer Service
While service may not seem related to pricing, EZContacts’ stellar customer support actually helps keep costs down in a couple key ways.
First, great service minimizes returns and unhappy customers who tie up resources. Efficiently resolving issues makes operations more streamlined.
Second, good experiences encourage customer loyalty and retention. This recurring business is extremely valuable for any company’s bottom line.
By proactively investing in customer satisfaction, EZContacts reduces expenses and churn that would drive their prices up.
- No Brick-and-Mortar Locations
Unlike national optical retail chains, EZContacts does not operate any physical store locations. This saves tremendously on real estate costs, property taxes, utilities, store personnel, and maintenance fees that traditional retailers have to account for.
With a lean online-only operation, EZContacts has much lower fixed overhead costs they can save on to offer cheaper prices.
Brick-and-mortar optical stores pass on all the expenses of running retail outlets to customers through pricing. EZContacts avoids these costs by being 100% e-commerce. Without the overhead of retail spaces, they can price competitively low.
This makes EZContacts ideal for bargain shoppers who just want to order online and save.
- Special Discounts and Coupons
EZContacts routinely offers sitewide discounts, coupons and seasonal sales to lower prices even further for their customers. Practically each week they are running a new promotion whether it’s free shipping, % off or dollars off.
For example, first-time customers frequently get 10-15% off their initial order or free shipping. Limited time coupons can take 5-10% off purchases over a holiday weekend. EZContacts is constantly incentivizing customers with discounts to encourage higher sales volumes.
These recurring promos demonstrate EZContacts values affordable pricing to attract customers. Savvy shoppers can almost always find a coupon code or active sale to maximize their savings on an already low-cost retailer.
- High Sales Volumes
As one of the largest online contact lens retailers, EZContacts ships over a million orders per year. Their high sales volumes give them economies of scale that smaller retailers can’t match.
The enormous order quantities allow EZContacts to get the lowest wholesale rates directly from manufacturers.
High unit sales also means they can negotiate bulk discounts with shipping partners to reduce logistics costs. All these volume-based savings get passed directly to the consumer through lower pricing.
EZContacts’ sheer size and scale provides cost efficiencies tiny retailers can’t compete with on price. Big sales numbers translate to big savings for their customers.
Also Read: Reasons For OptiContacts Being So Inexpensive.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, EZContacts is a legitimate, reputable online retailer operating since 2004. They sell genuine brand name and generic contact lenses, eyeglasses, and vision products. EZContacts is an accredited Better Business Bureau member with an A+ rating and overwhelmingly positive customer reviews. They follow industry regulations and require customers submit a valid prescription from their eye doctor when ordering prescription products.
Yes, EZContacts is an authorized retailer of genuine Ray Ban sunglasses. All Ray Ban eyewear sold on their site is 100% authentic, new, and comes with the Ray Ban manufacturer warranty. Their prescription sunglasses are cut and fitted with prescription lenses on demand upon ordering. Customers can verify a product’s authenticity by looking for the Ray Ban logo etched on the lens.
EZContacts sells genuine, brand new Oakley sunglasses and eyeglasses. They are an authorized Oakley dealer, so all products come with the official Oakley warranty. Their Oakleys, including prescription sunglasses, are guaranteed authentic. Customers can look for the Oakley logo on the temples to confirm they are receiving real Oakley frames.
No, EZContacts is not an authorized retailer of authentic Gucci eyewear. The Gucci glasses and sunglasses sold on their site are designer imposters and replicas. They legally cannot claim to sell real Gucci products since they are not affiliated with Gucci. Customers looking for authentic Gucci glasses should purchase directly from Gucci or an authorized retail partner.
Final Thoughts
EZContacts clearly values low pricing as a key advantage to attract customers in a competitive industry. From their direct to consumer model to partnerships that control costs, they are structured to offer discounts that beat the competition.
For bargain hunters, EZContacts provides a welcome option for affordable contacts and prescription eyewear. Consumers can feel confident they are getting a great deal and saving money over alternatives.
So while users may sacrifice some of the personalized service from an eye doctor, they benefit from prices that can be 50% less. For anyone looking for discount prescription lenses and eyewear online, EZContacts makes it easy to save big.
