13. iframes

Revenue: Over $2 million
Growth: 130.38%
Founders: Edward Lakman, 35
Head Office: Victoria
Year Founded: 2010
Employees: 7
Industry: Retail trade
Website: www.iframes.com.au

It was Edward Lakman’s own search to buy a pair of sunglasses online from an Australian business that led him to establish iframes, a pure-play online store dedicated to selling quality glasses at affordable prices.

“I found it very difficult to find a pair of sunglasses or optical glasses from a local online retailer,” Lakman told SmartCompany.

“When I did, and they had a .com.au domain address, and I ordered the sunglasses, it was actually being shipped from overseas and the invoice was from an overseas company.”

“The market was dominated by overseas retailers and my principal was, if I could offer the same competitive prices, with free, quick shipping, we could compete with the much larger overseas retailers,” he says.

It’s a bet that has paid off for the 35-year-old entrepreneur, whose company has grown by more than 130% since it was launched in 2010 and now turns over more than $2 million annually. A large part of the retailer’s success has been due to its willingness to innovate, especially when it comes to how customers interact with the online store.

Iframes was crowned best e-commerce site in SmartCompany’s 2013 Web Awards for its feature that allows shoppers to virtually try on glasses by uploading their photo and for its fast delivery and returns processes.

The retailer is now focusing on content marketing, producing tailored articles that appeal to its different audience segments. It’s specialised content, says Lakman, who says a recent article about four different styles of Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses was a hit.

“We’ve got quite a detailed strategy based on understanding our audience and where they live,” says Lakman.

“Someone runs that strategy in-house but our copywriters are outsourced.”

The content differs depending on whether iframes is trying to target brand-conscious consumers or those who are after the best quality frames. The articles are shared through email marketing, social media, on the iframes website and through third party publishers.

Lakman has big plans for the next 12 months—expanding to the US and Asian markets is firmly on the agenda, as is tripling the volume of frames the stores has on offer to its existing customers.

“We want to continue to double the size of the business for the next five years, as we have over the past three years,” he says.