They asked several friends to look at their site. The answer surprised them. Most people said they had the strong impression that John and Jesse sold vision care, not eyeglasses. You've tried to make your site sticky by giving a lot of eye-related facts and pictures on your home page. That leads people to the idea you are an optometrist who sells glasses, not an eyewear boutique.
People see what they expect to see based on their initial impressions.
You're creating the wrong first impression. By manipulating those variables, we can not only create the right impression of our store, but create the sort of upscale image we want. Jesse revised their site, focusing on their special frames, personalized service, and partnership with vision care professionals. And he used more pictures of happy customers wearing their frames, knowing that pictures can make a stronger impression than words. A person's initial perception of a Web site helps to color every other idea and impression they have.