An American family and two Chinese men walked into an eyewear shop in Seoul's Myeong-dong district one after another on the 20th. The American family selected English at a kiosk installed at the entrance, choosing from English, Chinese and Japanese, and an optician who could communicate in English came out to greet them.
Inside, a group of foreign tourists was already picking out glasses and sunglasses and placing them in baskets. Nearby, another foreign customer posed for a commemorative photo with an optician. An American woman in her 20s met at the shop said glasses are far cheaper than in the United States, that fixed pricing makes the stores trustworthy, and that being able to have glasses made in an hour and take them home immediately is a major advantage. She said she stops by an eyewear shop every time she visits Korea.
Eyewear shops are emerging as a new shopping destination among foreign visitors to Korea. Word has spread, mainly among tourists who have visited the country several times, that Korea's eyewear production system is both cheap and fast. Demand for glasses as a K-fashion item has added to the trend, putting eyewear shops alongside Olive Young, Daiso, pharmacies and convenience stores as major places to experience Korean lifestyle.
Card spending by foreigners at eyewear shops rose 55.1% from a year earlier through August, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. That outpaced the 48.5% increase in total foreign card spending across the tourism sector over the same period. The growth rate in foreign spending at eyewear shops climbed from 49.6% in January to 69.7% in August, indicating demand is building.
Chinese demand has risen especially sharply. Spending by Chinese visitors at eyewear shops surged 183.2% from a year earlier through July. Thailand followed at 56.9%, Taiwan at 50.7% and the United States at 36.0%. By region, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, a popular destination for Chinese visitors, posted the largest increase at 138.6%, followed by Busan at 99.7% and Seoul at 53.3%.
Individual eyewear companies also see foreign tourists as a key customer group. According to Lookoptics, which operates the Lookoptical chain, foreign purchases are rising at stores near Gangnam Station, at Lotte World Mall, at the Lotte Outlet East Busan store and at major department stores. Foreign sales at the Lookoptical Gangnam Station store jumped 207.1% in June from a year earlier and roughly doubled in both July and August. The company said American customers account for about 70% at the Lotte World Mall store and ethnic Chinese customers about 90% at the East Busan store, while purchases by Southeast Asian customers are increasing at the AK Suwon and Lotte Department Store Ansan locations.
The industry points to the simplicity, speed and low cost of Korea's eyewear production system. In the United States, apart from some shops that employ optometrists, customers generally have their eyes examined at an eye clinic and bring a prescription to have glasses made, a process that takes days to weeks. An industry official said that while China and Southeast Asia do not require a clinical eye exam, Korea is often cheaper.
Demand for Korean eyewear as part of K-fashion is also strong. An official at Lookoptics said offering the same design in a range of sizes — small, medium, large and extra large — so customers can choose based on face shape and fit preference is another differentiating factor.
Creatrip, an inbound travel platform for foreign visitors to Korea, has registered branches of eyewear chains including Manomos, Eyegentry, Davich Optical, Optic Life and Lookoptics as visit products. An industry official said that considering the process, prices and trends, the experience of visiting a Korean eyewear shop is establishing itself as travel content in its own right for foreign tourists.