EssilorLuxottica, the global owner of eyewear brands Ray-Ban and Oakley, has partnered with global commerce and digital performance agency, Pattern, to expand its business for these brands through online marketplaces in Australia.

The partnership is a first for EssilorLuxottica, which has traditionally engaged directly with Amazon in other markets. The collaboration aims to increase the visibility of Ray-Ban and Oakley products to consumers using Amazon as a search tool.

Pattern's end-to-end marketplace services will assist EssilorLuxottica in overcoming resourcing challenges in the Australian market. The services will help build brand awareness and acquire new customers on Amazon for Ray-Ban and Oakley, optimise listings, improve conversion and profitability, and identify unauthorised resellers.

"Given the growing influence of marketplaces in Australia, EssilorLuxottica recognised the importance of being present where our customers are shopping, which is increasingly on platforms like Amazon. Partnering with Pattern to officially launch on Amazon allows customers to buy our industry-leading eyewear products from a trusted marketplace source. It also supports sales for our wider wholesale partnership network, by providing visibility of Ray-Ban and Oakley products to increasing numbers of consumers using Amazon as a search tool," said Senior Key Account Manager at EssilorLuxottica, Brent Furniss.

Pattern's 'Marketplace Consumer Trends Report – 2024' revealed that 59% of Australian consumers now start their product searches on Amazon, and 60% have discovered and purchased products they'd never bought before. In Q4 2023, Ray-Ban products were searched every 1.8 minutes and Oakley products every 2.1 minutes on Amazon Australia.

"Direct engagement with Amazon in the Australian market presented significant resourcing challenges for EssilorLuxottica, requiring dedicated personnel we did not currently have on board. Pattern's end-to-end marketplace services offered us the solution we needed, ensuring we were positioned to quickly expand the visibility of our Ray-Ban and Oakley brands on Australia's leading marketplace," Furniss said.

Pattern's proprietary software, Predict, helps brands tackle the issue of unauthorised resellers by providing visibility and control. "Unauthorised resellers present a huge challenge for brands like EssilorLuxottica. They can damage brand value by listing incorrect product or brand information. This confuses and undermines the consumer's perception of a brand and can result in a poor customer experience,” said Managing Director of Pattern Australia, Merline McGregor.

"Unauthorised resellers have the potential to significantly impact brand reputation for EssilorLuxottica. Pattern's analytics and monitoring capabilities give us a deeper understanding of marketplace dynamics, helping to distinguish between suspected unauthorised resellers and authorised wholesalers operating globally. This strategic insight is essential for maintaining the brand reputation for Ray-Ban and Oakley and providing positive customer experiences that help to grow local sales," Furniss said.