1The challenge
Customers of an online optician often buy for more than one person, come back for a second pair and don’t always have their prescription to hand. Wink & See saw it go wrong in several places:
- Prescription and lens choices were lost when a customer went back or a payment failed.
- Customers re-entered the same values for every new pair.
- Customers without their prescription to hand couldn’t finish the order.
- Typing errors only came to light after the order.
Why the prescription belongs in the account
For an online optician, the prescription is the most personal and most reused piece of data. Storing it in the account, dated and editable, turns a repeat order into a few clicks and gives customer service the information they need in one place.
2Our approach
We extended the lens configurator and the customer account, so prescriptions are saved, reused and checked, for the customer and for the team.
Saved in the account
Several prescriptions per account, dated and editable, for example for a partner or a child. Saving is ticked by default when the customer is logged in.
Upload or send later
Customers can upload a prescription file, or choose to send it later and still complete the order.
Nothing lost
Prescription and lens choices are kept when the customer navigates away, goes back or a payment fails.
Summary before cart
A summary shows the entered values, so the customer confirms them before adding to cart. Orders can’t be placed without the mandatory data.
3The result
Repeat orders at Wink & See now take a few clicks instead of a full re-entry, and customers who don’t have their prescription to hand can still order. The summary step and validation catch mistakes before the order, and the team sees every prescription, uploaded or typed, in the customer account and in the order.
Next step: a reminder email when a customer forgets their pupillary distance, with the value added straight to the prescription.
?Frequently asked questions about customer accounts in Magento
Can Magento store custom customer data such as prescriptions?
Yes, with a custom module. The data is linked to the customer account and the order, and visible in the admin.
How is prescription data handled?
Prescriptions are stored with the customer account and the order, like other personal data, and fall under the webshop’s privacy policy and GDPR measures.
Can customers upload a file instead of typing?
Yes. Wink & See’s customers can upload their prescription; the team sees the file with the order and adds the values.
What if a payment fails halfway?
The prescription and lens choices are kept, so the customer can try again without starting over.


