MELBOURNE, 7 October 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The global leader in eyewear design, manufacturing and retail, Essilor Luxottica has engaged e-commerce and marketplace accelerator, Patternto expand business for its Ray-Ban and Oakley brands through online marketplaces in Australia.
Ray-Ban
“Given the growing influence of marketplaces on AustraliaEssilorLuxottica recognized the importance of being present where our customers shop, which is increasingly happening on platforms such as Amazon. Partnering with Pattern to officially launch on Amazon allows customers to purchase our industry-leading eyewear products from a trusted marketplace source. It also supports sales to our wider wholesale partnership network by providing visibility of Ray-Ban and Oakley products to an increasing number of consumers using Amazon as a search tool,” said Brent FurnissSenior Key Account Manager at EssilorLuxottica.
The collaboration with Pattern to sell Ray-Ban and Oakley eyewear products on Amazon is a global first for EssilorLuxottica, which has traditionally been in direct contact with Amazon in other markets.
“Direct engagement with Amazon in the Australian market presented significant resource challenges for EssilorLuxottica, requiring dedicated staff that we do not currently have on board. Pattern’s end-to-end marketplace services offered us the solution we needed and ensured that we were positioned to quickly expand the visibility of our Ray-Ban and Oakley brands on Australia’s leading marketplace,” added Furniss.
Working with EssilorLuxottica, Pattern will build brand awareness and acquire new customers on Amazon for Ray-Ban and Oakley; optimizing listings, conversion and profitability, as well as identifying unauthorized sellers and cross-docking inventory to Amazon.
Extend reach and improve brand discovery
Launching on Amazon Australia has enabled EssilorLuxottica to connect with a wider, previously unreached customer base.
“EssilorLuxottica operates on a global scale and maintains a diverse network of partnerships worldwide. As such, it was critical for us to avoid diverting customers from our existing wholesale partners. Instead, our goal was to tap into a fresh pool of consumers who could buy directly from the Amazon platform, or who might search on Amazon and then buy through our various other sales channels,” Furniss said.
The growing role Amazon is playing in product discovery was highlighted in Pattern’s latest ‘Marketplace Consumer Trends Report – 2024,‘ which revealed that 59% of Australian consumers now start their product searches on Amazon and 60% have discovered and bought products they had never bought before.
The strong role product search plays in customer growth for EssilorLuxottica on Amazon Australia was demonstrated in the last quarter of 2023, when Ray-Ban products were searched every 1.8 minutes and Oakley products were searched every 2.1 minutes.
“Leveraging Pattern’s deep expertise in navigating the marketplace has allowed us to expand our customer outreach reach and position Amazon Australia as an extension of our sales strategy rather than competition,” Furniss added. “Not only have we gained a foothold in an important marketplace, but we have also enriched our understanding of consumers’ online shopping behavior.”
Navigating the Marketplace Challenge: Unauthorized Dealers
Prior to working with Pattern, Ray-Ban and Oakley products were already present in Australian marketplaces. However, these listings were not under the direct management of EssilorLuxottica and could potentially come from unauthorized dealers.
“Unauthorized dealers pose a huge challenge to brands like EssilorLuxottica. They can damage brand equity by providing incorrect product or brand information. This confuses and undermines the consumer’s perception of a brand and can result in a poor customer experience,” it commented. Merlin McGregorchief executive of Pattern Australia. “Pattern has developed proprietary software, Predict, which gives brands the visibility and control needed to tackle this issue. Predict has already made a tangible impact, tracking an estimated AUD$2.5 million in potential unauthorized sales for a global footwear brand in the Australian market.”
Since working with Pattern, EssilorLuxottica has been able to identify and better manage unauthorized dealers and monitor marketplace activities effectively. This has enabled Ray-Ban to improve its Buy Box from 66% at launch to 85% in September 2024.
“Unauthorized dealers have the potential to significantly impact the brand reputation of EssilorLuxottica. Pattern’s analytics and monitoring capabilities give us a deeper understanding of marketplace dynamics that help distinguish between suspected unauthorized dealers and authorized wholesalers operating globally. This strategic insight is critical to maintaining the brand reputation of Ray-Ban and Oakley and providing positive customer experiences that help increase local sales,” Furniss concluded.
About Pattern Inc
Pattern is the category leader in global e-commerce and marketplace acceleration. Since 2013, Pattern has profitably grown to more than 1,400 employees operating from 24 global locations – including Melbourne, Sydney and that The Gold Coast – helping leading brands achieve accelerated growth on D2C sites and global e-commerce marketplaces. In addition to being one of the largest Amazon sellers in the world, we are also present on Tmall, JD.com, eBay and other e-commerce marketplaces. We act as the authorized Amazon seller for more than 200 brands globally, buying their stock to sell on the marketplace and taking care of all aspects of their Amazon presence. For more information, visit https://au.pattern.com/