Dakar opticians still sell glasses the old-school way — a customer picks in 12 minutes in-store, with no visibility over the full frame range. An online catalogue with virtual try-on triples comparison time, doubles the average ticket, and captures diaspora customers ordering for their Dakar family on annual visits.
TL;DR
- A Dakar optician with a catalogue site + AR try-on lifts average ticket from 42,000 to 85,000 FCFA (pricier frames + coated lenses + sun second pair).
- Europe/USA diaspora = 25-35% of revenue for Almadies/Plateau opticians — without a site, you miss them.
- Medical lenses (presbyopia, strong myopia) are a diagnostic consultation, not pure e-commerce — the site qualifies, it doesn't sell blind.
The customer behaviour we see
Mr Fall, 48, recent presbyopia, works at Plateau. He takes 15 min between two meetings to "go pick glasses". Today: he arrives at the optician, the assistant shows 20 frames in the display, he tries 4, picks the first that fits, pays 65,000 FCFA (frame) + 85,000 FCFA (progressive treated lenses), total 150,000 FCFA. Duration: 14 min.
If the optician has a catalogue site, Mr Fall acts differently:
- D-3: at home in the evening, he browses the site, tries 18 frames in AR on his smartphone
- D-2: he WhatsApps a link to his wife "these or those?"
- D-1: he has 3 favourites, books an online slot
- D-day: he comes, tries the 3 physically, picks, pays. In-store: 20 min (vs 14).
Result: he picks a more "statement" frame (had time to fall in love), often with blue-light coating (+15,000 FCFA) and a prescription sunglasses pair (+75,000 FCFA). Total ticket: 225,000 FCFA, i.e. +50% vs impulse buy.
What belongs on an optician site
Filterable catalogue
Frames by: brand (Ray-Ban, Oakley, Gucci, Tom Ford, Etnia, local like Kora Lunettes), style (sport, business, casual, luxury), shape (round, square, aviator, cat-eye), material (acetate, metal, wood, titanium), colour, price.
Virtual try-on (smartphone AR)
Tech available: Virtual Try-On SDK from Luxottica, Fittingbox, Ditto, or custom. Works on iOS 12+ and Android 10+ via front camera. The customer sees the frame on their face in real time.
Prescription-lens education page
Single vision / progressive / digressive. Coatings: anti-reflection, blue-light, photochromic, thinned. Brands: Essilor, Zeiss, Nikon. No prices on prescription lenses (diagnostic required), unlike frames which are priced.
Eye exam booking
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Online slot for exam by diploma-holding optician (or orthoptist if pathology suspected). 25-45 min. In-store payment (CMU covers 40% of medical lens price).
Diaspora module
"I live abroad, I pick for a relative in Senegal". Relative gets a link to do the eye exam with you, lenses are cut, relative collects. Payment via international card for the French/American/Italian customer.
What Kolonell delivers for an optician
Hybrid E-commerce Optician Pack: 50-200 frame catalogue + integrated try-on (Fittingbox SDK) + exam booking + diaspora module + customer area (frame tracking + 5-year archived prescriptions).
Delivered in 6 to 8 weeks, 940,000 to 1,420,000 FCFA. Maintenance 55,000 FCFA/month (includes AR try-on SDK licence).
"Italy and France diaspora = 40% of my revenue over the last 18 months. They pick online, I cut the lenses, they collect during summer/December vacations. Before Kolonell, these customers didn't exist for me."
— Independent optician, Almadies Dakar
FAQ
Can glasses be sold without a medical prescription in Senegal?
Frames alone + neutral lenses: yes. Prescription lenses: medical prescription required (ophthalmologist order or diploma-holding optician for renewal).
What payments to accept?
Wave, Orange Money, credit card via Wave Pay or international Stripe (for diaspora). Instalment payment offered on quotes > 200,000 FCFA via Wave Crédit.
---
You run an optician in Dakar and your catalogue is stuck in the shop window?
kolonell.com/en/devis-gratuit — WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Ba
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
