When design shapes choice: how CooperVision rethought optical retail spaces

The Russian optical retail market had long followed a purely functional model: store environments were built around eyeglasses, while the contact lens category remained secondary and largely overlooked. Most optical stores relied on standard POS materials that neither attracted attention nor influenced customer behavior at the moment of choice. Consumers themselves often perceived optical stores simply as places to buy glasses or undergo eye examinations, rather than as spaces to discover modern vision correction solutions.

The situation was further complicated by the growth of marketplaces. Repeat lens purchases increasingly shifted online, where competition was driven primarily by price, while offline optical stores were losing their value as a point of interaction with the category. At the same time, awareness of eye health was becoming increasingly important. According to the WHO, myopia is expected to affect half of the world’s population by 2050, yet most parents still do not know that solutions exist to slow its progression in children.

Against this background, CooperVision, the world’s second-largest player in contact lens correction after Johnson & Johnson, set out to rethink the role of retail space and transform optical stores into full-scale communication environments that could engage consumers directly at the moment of decision-making.

The primary audience was adult contact lens users, predominantly women with previous lens-wearing experience who regularly purchase lenses. For them, comfort, safety, ease of choice, and trust in specialist recommendations are especially important. At the same time, many consumers still perceive contact lens correction as a complex category and have limited awareness of solutions for astigmatism, presbyopia, and everyday vision correction.

Another key audience was parents of children aged 7–17 with myopia — the core audience for MiSight. Most of them visit optical stores for glasses or eye examinations and are unaware that contact lenses exist that can help slow myopia progression. Even when specialists recommend such solutions, parents often hesitate because of concerns about safety and whether their children can use lenses independently.

An additional audience included ophthalmologists and optical consultants who directly influence customer decisions in-store. They explain the differences between vision correction solutions and help shift customers’ attention from the familiar scenario of buying glasses toward modern contact lens solutions.

Problem

The challenge was not the product itself, but the invisibility of the category within optical retail spaces. Despite CooperVision’s strong market position, contact lenses remained visually secondary to eyeglasses and were rarely part of the customer journey inside the store. Standard POS materials failed to attract attention or influence behavior at the moment of choice.

Consumers typically entered optical stores with a predefined purpose: to buy glasses, have their vision tested, or purchase the products they were already familiar with. In this environment, contact lenses — especially specialized solutions for myopia control, astigmatism, presbyopia, and everyday vision correction — required additional explanation and rarely entered the customer’s consideration.

An additional challenge was the private label model: CooperVision products were sold under different store-owned brands across partner optical chains. Without a distinct visual identity within the retail space, it was difficult to build loyalty to a specific optical chain and encourage customers to return for the same lens brand.

The challenge was even greater for MiSight. Parents often did not know that myopia progression in children could be slowed, viewed glasses as a sufficient solution, and had concerns about whether their children could use contact lenses. At the same time, the optical store environment did little to initiate this conversation.

CooperVision needed a communication solution that would work directly within the physical retail environment: capturing attention, helping customers navigate the category, and turning the optical store itself into a branded communication experience.

Solution

We started from the insight that customers in optical stores rarely notice the space around them: they come for glasses, eye examinations, or their usual lenses and follow a familiar in-store scenario. At the same time, many visitors are not aware of modern contact lens solutions — including myopia control, astigmatism, presbyopia, and everyday vision correction — while the optical retail environment itself does little to encourage these conversations.

That is why the key idea was not to add another advertising message, but to integrate brand communication directly into the physical retail environment. This led to the creation of CooperVision branded zones — spaces designed to act as visual triggers inside the store. Instead of direct advertising, the brand used design, navigation, lighting, and product displays to draw attention to the contact lens category and integrate it into the customer decision-making process.

The main goal of the project was to increase sales of CooperVision contact lenses in offline optical retail by rethinking the optical store environment as a brand communication tool.

The project addressed several objectives:
– transform optical retail spaces into full-scale communication environments that attract attention to the contact lens category directly at the moment of choice;
– increase the visibility and recognition of CooperVision private label lines inside optical stores, strengthening customer loyalty and encouraging repeat purchases of the same lens brand;
– draw attention to modern vision correction solutions for adults and children, including myopia control, astigmatism, presbyopia, and everyday vision correction, while raising awareness of MiSight;
– enhance the expertise of ophthalmologists and optical consultants through training programs, improving the quality of recommendations and their influence on customer choice.

The solution was to transform the optical retail environment into a full-scale brand communication medium. CooperVision branded zones were integrated into the customer journey inside optical stores, attracting attention to the contact lens category directly at the moment of choice.

A unique visual system was developed for each partner optical chain based on its CooperVision private label lines. The spaces included navigation elements, lighting and visual accents, branded structures, product display areas, and communication materials integrated into the store interior. This made the private label brands more visible within the retail environment and strengthened their association with each specific optical chain.

A separate focus was placed on MiSight zones for parents and children. These spaces created a more comfortable and approachable environment, helping reduce anxiety around contact lenses and initiate conversations about myopia control. The visual environment itself became the first communication trigger, even before a consultation with a specialist.

The project was also supported by an educational program for ophthalmologists and optical consultants. A total of 13 training events were held in 12 Russian cities, with more than 1,300 specialists from partner optical networks taking part. The training focused on CooperVision products, myopia control solutions, and the categories of astigmatism, presbyopia, and everyday contact lens correction.

The key media channel was the optical retail space itself. The brand interacted with consumers directly at the moment of decision-making: branded zones captured attention, helped customers navigate vision correction solutions, and encouraged deeper engagement with specialist consultations and purchase decisions.

Results

– Sales of CooperVision contact lenses in branded optical stores grew by +50% compared to the same period before the project launch.

– The share of CooperVision private label lines in the contact lens sales mix increased by +12%.

– Customer repeat purchase rate increased: conversion to a second purchase grew from 29% to 54%.

– The average transaction value of the contact lens category increased by +5%.

– 98 branded retail spaces were implemented across partner optical chains throughout Russia.

– 13 educational events were held in 12 Russian cities, with more than 1,300 ophthalmologists and optical consultants from partner chains taking part.

– MiSight zones helped increase parents’ awareness of progressive myopia and the available options for its control.