SINGAPORE: Japanese eyewear brand OWNDAYS is offering a gift for Singaporeans this year: S$20 off over 200 designs.
For all other designs, it retained old prices. This means that while the Goods & Services Tax increase went from 8 to 9 per cent when 2024 started, this did not affect OWNDAYS Singapore customers.
The brand’s General Manager, Trevor Hwong, told Retail Asia in an exclusive interview that the S$20 price reduction will be permanent to ensure that eyewear from OWNDAYS stays affordable.
“We took this initiative permanently to reduce $20. Hopefully, by this, we are able to relax the stress level of inflation for Singaporeans,” Mr Hwong said.
Recognizing that higher living costs have beset many, he said, “The entire world is facing a global crisis… We aim to make our spectacles accessible and affordable so customers would not need to compromise their opportunity to enjoy good vision and proper eye care due to price concerns,”
The brands covered by the price reduction are John Dillinger, Lillybell, Junni (kids range), OWNDAYS Metal, and OWNDAYS Plastic.
Moreover, prices remain the same online and in OWNDAYS’ 33 stores across Singapore—with three additional brick-and-mortar shops in the pipeline.
OWNDAYS also intends to broaden its offerings, especially for children, the elderly, and people who use contact lenses.
This should be particularly good news to parents, given that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has predicted that a considerable 65 per cent of Singapore’s children will develop myopia by the time they are age 12.
Mr Hwong added: “As such, we see the importance of advocating better eyecare and offering myopia management products to the customers. Similarly to the elderly consumers, there needs to be specialised products to cater for their needs.”
OWNDAYS, which has 500 stores worldwide and a production volume of more than 3.5 million units per year, uses a direct-to-consumer (D2C) business model in Singapore. This allows the company to eliminate all middlemen and achieve cost efficiency.
Mr Hwong also said that OWNDAYS Singapore’s customers have much to look forward to this year. “We are working closely with our merchandise team in Japan to redesign our collection, incorporating translucent frames and the Snap Series.”
The brand’s Snap Series, which features sunglasses that clip onto prescription frames, is especially useful in Singapore’s sunny weather. /TISG
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