An Eyewear Company Who Truly Sees 20/20
If it’s one thing I can’t understand, it’s when people test how “bad” your vision is by making you count the number of fingers they have up. As if I can’t tell the difference between a peace sign and a high five 🥴… But I guess to someone with 20/20 vision their entire life, it’s hard to know what nearsightedness and farsightedness feel like. And it’s even harder to relate to spending another couple hundred on a new pair of glasses because your eyesight worsened, yet again. However, in most recent years, many companies have emphasized their convenient and budget-friendly options for anyone’s eye-correction needs.
One leader that founded their company based on this vision is Warby Parker, a New York City-based American retailer specializing in prescription glasses and sunglasses who primarily sells their products via their website and retail locations across the U.S. and Canada.
Warby’s Got Our Eyes (& marketing needs) Covered
Recently, I was looking to get a new pair of glasses since my eyesight worsened yet again (no surprise there since I’m even more glued to the screen now). I stopped by one of Warby’s retail stores in Brooklyn in hopes to switch out the lenses from an old frame I got from them 2 years ago. Unfortunately, the frames were no longer manufactured so they offered me a new pair at a discounted rate. However, none of the frames in-store caught my eye. So, I left and randomly recollected from the memory of their Home Try-On program. After browsing their website and picking out 5 frames, it felt like Christmas came early when the package arrived at my doorsteps in just 4 days.
Upon receiving and trying them, it felt like I was 5 years old again playing dress-up from my mom’s closet. The package also included a cute informational pamphlet that instructed the preceding steps in the process of finding the perfect glasses. One of which encouraged me to email/ text Warby and share my photos via social media with #warbyhometryon so Warby’s stylists, family, and friends can be part of the decision-making process.
Spec-tacular Strategies 🤓 👓
This marketing scheme is their clever strategy for creating user-generated content and a super clever call-to-action method. More than 56,000 user-generated videos were created from this and 50% of those who shared these kinds of content were more likely to go through with the purchase.
Additionally, Warby Parker seems to have a keen awareness of the enormous growth of digital and mobile strategy. Especially since they have also allowed customers to virtually try on their frames through augmented reality (AR).
Warby’s Visions (haha get it?)
Since the beginning, Warby has stayed consistent with its commitment to solving the problem that glasses are too expensive. But they play an even bigger role in impacting society positively through their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program, similar to the one that Tom’s was famously known for. These culminated efforts and strategies have resulted in over 8 million pairs of glasses distributed to those in need.
Warby Parker’s marketing strategy boils down to creating a well-rounded, seamless, and attentive customer experience. But also to inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style. As a loyal customer of theirs for 4+ years, I can testify that their caring consumer-centric dialogue is one of the best I’ve seen (pun intended).
Lookin’ Alright 👀
For a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand to stay relevant and relatable to its consumers, it needs to encourage a mutual dialogue and Warby Parker has undeniably done so in their user-generated content (UGC) strategies. It’s no wonder that they’ve been praised time and time again.
With the current market shift towards web3, AR, AI, and all things digital, their current tactics are sure to remain if they continue to be innovative and creative in their efforts. One of the biggest reinforcers for a mobile strategy lies in our current situation — an ongoing pandemic! Being indoors and sanitary precautions call for an even bigger mobile presence. This is why the Home Try-on program and virtual try-on are perfect right now and beyond because our lives are never the same from here on out (carrying around tiny hand sanitizers and washing hands is now second nature for most).
Moreover, about 70% of internet users shop via their devices as of date, a statistic that is sure to increase exponentially over the next few years. Having a solid mobile presence becomes foundational in any impactful mobile marketing strategy. And while many Warby Parker is heavily dependent on their social media and digital marketing strategies through interactive surveys, games, AR technology, and a list of personalized experiences, it will be interesting to see how they plan to tackle alien realms in the digital space to optimize their customer experience.
In the meantime, while I patiently wait for the day I can get LASIK, Warby Parker will remain one of my top contenders when it comes to choosing a pair of frames. Perhaps they are or will be yours too if your checkboxes count for affordability, trendy, conversational, and socially impactful.
