Coastal
Is This Your Business?4.0
Coastal was a pioneer in online shopping launching its first site to sell prescription contact lenses online in 2000. Driven by a passion to bring prescription eyewear to people with a variety of price points, the company expanded to also selling prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses online. Coastal has a myriad of designs to choose from including well-recognized brands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Tori Burch, and Emporio Armani to its own exclusive brands that bring its own unique esthetic, signature details, and functional design. With frames starting at $9 and close to 700 designs for women, over 500 designs for men, and kids’ glasses, Coastal has eyeglasses that balance fit, style, and function for any customer.
Top Ranked Companies
The Good
- Variety of Lens Options Available
- Price Match Guarantee Available for Contact Lenses
- 30-Day and 60-Day Return Policy
- Free Shipping on Orders over $50
- Virtual Try On
- Impact-Oriented Business
Variety of Lens Options Available
Coastal aims to provide quality lenses with its frames that fit customers’ usage and comfort needs. The standard air lenses are complimentary while each following lens option is an upgrade requiring additional costs. Lenses can also be made to include blue light blocking capabilities. The lens options include the following:
- Standard air lenses — Coastal’s complimentary standard lenses promise lightweight and clear vision, ideal for lower prescriptions and all full-rimmed glasses. The lenses feature scratch resistant coating and anti-reflective coating. Other online eyeglasses competitors do not include these coatings in its complimentary lens offering.
- Durable air lenses — With Coastal’s durable air lenses, customers get the best of both worlds with lightweight lenses that have added durability ideal for everyday use, children’s glasses, and physical activity. In addition to scratch resistant coating and anti-reflective coating, the lenses are impact resistant and have UV protection.
- Thin air lenses — Coastal’s popular thin air lenses are stylish and comfortable ideal for reading and driving. The lenses feature anti-reflective coating, scratch resistant coating, and UV protection.
- Advance thin air lenses — These lenses are flatter, thinner, and lighter than the standard lenses offering crisp vision and lightweight comfort suitable for all occasions requiring lightweight comfort. In addition to anti-reflective coating, scratch resistant coating, and UV protection, the lenses feature reduced edge thickness.
- Super thin air lenses — Containing all of the features in the Advance Thin Air Lenses, these lenses are premium.
Price Match Guarantee Available for Contact Lenses
Coastal will match the price of contact lenses of authorized online retailers. The total price includes the final amount at checkout, for the same number of boxes, containing the same number of lenses, along with any additional fees, such as shipping, charged by the competitor. The company will match up to a maximum discount of $100 each year.
30-Day and 60-Day Return Policy
What sets Coastal apart from other online eyeglasses competitors is its full refund policy. If a customer is not completely satisfied with their glasses, they can exchange or receive a full refund for glasses that are unworn and returned in the complimentary cases. The return window has been extended to 60 days due to current challenges surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Coastal accepts returns of sealed, unopened, and unmarked boxes of contact lenses within 30 days of delivery.
Free Shipping on Orders over $50
Coastal offers free, fast shipping on orders over $50. Shipping prices vary across online eyeglasses competitors. Other competitors may offer free shipping on all orders, while others offer free shipping for orders over $100.
Virtual Try On
When shopping with Coastal, customers are able to virtually try on glasses through the company's Virtual Try On glasses tool. Customers simply need to select the try on option on a given frame and enable their webcam. Other competitors show pictures of various face shapes with the selected frames or do not offer it at all. This may additionally help customers select the frames that are right for them.
Impact-Oriented Business
When customers purchase eyeglasses through Coastal, they are also purchasing a pair for someone in need. According to Coastal, many people around the world face barriers that prevent them from accessing resources for clear vision. Costal’s mission is to ensure everyone has access to the eyecare and eyewear they need. To fulfill this mission, the company has 100 projects worldwide, has impacted 42 countries, and has committed over 450,000 glasses worldwide. Additionally, Coastal partners with Vision for Life ESSILOR and the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. To donate, customers simply need to select, “Yes, I would like to donate a pair,” upon checkout.
The Bad
- Unable to Use FSA and HSA Funds
Unable to Use FSA and HSA Funds
Some online eyeglasses competitors allow customers to use FSA and HSA funds to purchase their eyeglasses. It is not clear if customers are able to use FSA and HSA funds when purchasing eyeglasses through Coastal because it is undisclosed on the company's website.
The Bottom Line
With over 20 years in business, Coastal is a leading industry expert in online eyeglasses shopping. The company offers options for any customer from affordable to well-recognized brands and high quality lenses to ensure the right balance of fit, comfort, function, and style. While the starting price point may be slightly more expensive than other online eyeglasses competitors, Coastal offers complimentary high quality standard lenses with features that are additional upgrades on other sites.
Coastal offers a much more lenient return policy than other competitors with a full refund within 60 days of delivery date. Other online eyeglasses sites will only offer 50 percent refunds on returned glasses. Through Coastal’s refund policy and virtual try on tool, customers don’t lose the benefits of trying on frames from shopping at a brick and mortar eyeglasses store with the ease of online shopping. If customers require being able to use FSA or HSA funds to purchase their glasses, we recommend reaching out to customer service to see if this is a possibility as it is not disclosed on its website.
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J Salt Lake City, UT
4 years ago
