For those of you that don’t know Warby Parker, they are a fairly new prescription glasses company that took the scene by storm. Founded in 2010, Warby Parker had to compete with giants such as Lenscrafters, VisionWorks, and Pearle Vision. These competitors have been around for over 4 decades. Today, I wanted to talk about Warby Parker because I believe they are a prime example of a market disruptor. Not only did they disrupt the market, but they did so using Web 2.0 masterfully. I’m going to talk about 3 things they did extremely well that made them stand out over their competitors. Hopefully, you can analyze some of these strategies and implement them into your own businesses!
Developing Innovative Solutions
If you were like me, there was really only one way to buy prescription glasses. You go to the optometrist who is usually conveniently located inside a vision center or next to one and sit through 10 minutes of excruciating anxiety. The doctor asks you which number do you like better, “1 or 2? 2 or 3? 1 or 3?” After struggling to come up with an answer, you mutter out “Ummm…can I see 1 again?….Ok I think 2”. In your head, you’re hoping that you didn’t answer incorrectly otherwise they’ll give you a pair of glasses you won’t be able to see with. Once all of that is over, you go examine the plethora of frames they have up on the wall and try on the few that seem to look good on you.
Afterwards, you disappointingly settle on a pair of frames that were the “best of the worst”. They take your measurements, and then after 2 weeks you come back and pick up your pair of glasses. Warby Parker knew there was a better way. With their innovative thinking, they came up with a “Home Try-On Campaign” where you can try on 5 pair of glasses out of hundreds available of styles online for free. The one’s you don’t like you ship back to them free of charge. This completely removed all of the risk from buying frames online. To put the cherry on top, Warby Parker started taking most insurance plans which can save up to $100 dollars on their already starting prices of $95 per frame! Now this is what you call innovation. With these strategies, Warby Parker has grown to a company of over 3000 employees and brings in over $500 million in revenue per year.
Social Media Utilization
Warby Parker currently has over 500,000 Instagram followers, 700,000 Facebook followers, and 75,000 X followers. Compare that to Pearle Vision who has been around for decades longer and only has a meager 5,000 Instagram followers. Warby Parker has been able to utilize social media to maximize their profits. They regularly have campaigns where they ask their followers to post pictures of themselves and their families and tag them. This generates free publicity for Warby Parker and increases their sales in two important ways. First, people are more likely to buy a product if its recommended by a trusted source versus an advertisement or even an expert in the field. Second, customers who post photos of themselves in frames are buying at twice the rate of those who don’t. Who would have thought?
Focus On Social Responsibility
The final reason why Warby Parker has been so successful is that they have embraced social responsibility and social good. For every pair of glasses that are bought, they give out one free pair of glasses to those in need. To date, they have given over 15 million pairs of glasses! People nowadays are extremely conscious when it comes to businesses doing good for the world and this is not likely to change anytime soon. Focusing on social responsibility is a recipe for success.
Conclusion
As you can see, Warby Parker came, Warby Parker saw, and Warby Parker conquered. They made themselves one of the top prescription glasses companies in the United States by focusing on three important strategies: developing innovative solutions, utilizing social media, and focusing on social responsibility. If you’re thinking about starting a company or already have one, consider following in Warby Parker’s footsteps and perhaps you’ll find yourself in the same shoes!
Great breakdown of Warby Parker’s strategy. What caught my attention was how they turned the typically stressful glasses-buying experience into a social moment. I’ve noticed that they don’t just use social media – they create reasons for people to want to share. The “Home Try-On” program is genius because it naturally makes people want opinions from friends and family online. And by making their social responsibility (donating glasses) a core part of their identity rather than just a marketing tactic, they give customers a meaningful reason to connect with the brand beyond just buying glasses.