When Innovation Disrupts Tradition and Leads to Success

Even though I have never personally had to wear prescription eyeglasses, I have heard many a story about friends and family frustrations with requiring eyewear. Stories such as: children mowing over their glasses (yes, it’s a thing and it happened this summer), forgetting where their glasses are.. until… a crunch is heard when sitting down in the car, or simply having friends who want multiple pairs of glasses for different moods or outfits! No matter the case, it seems like they should be telling me they have to get teeth pulled, the idea of going to Pearle Vision to drop more time and money on another set of glasses! This is where, in 2010, four classmates took this frustration and created Warby Parker– an online prescription glasses servies.

Innovate and Communicate

These peers noticed a need for an overhaul in the way they went about buying their eyeglasses. So, they started a conversation around how the entire industry could change, and why it should change:

Simply put, it seems to me that they were tired. Tired of being limited to the traditional ways: a brick and mortar showroom, a stock that was limited to the company and what they chose to keep on the floor (I mean, you’re in college and you want options!), keeping Vision insurance and saving enough for the process and all of this while trying to remember to schedule an appointment ahead of time! When I sit hear and think about factoring in what little time and money college students often have while attending school- I realize they had the best answer: Sell directly through a web site and promote on social media platforms!

So, how does social media technology aid Warby Parker’s innovative business model? Also, how are they promoting transactional communications?

According to marketer, Sorav Jain, as of 2010 we were noticing a rapid increase in social media usage; “…word of mouth is the popular option with 78% of customers trust peer recommendations on sites. While, only 14% trust advertisements.” To me, this speaks volumes to how intuitive these classmates were with their idea to jump the traiditional ship and board the direct to consumer band wagon.

Their business model concept completely cuts out the need for a showroom (or being shown among all the competitors offered in it) and moves to online distribution of eyeglasses and sunglasses. They design all of their frames in house, ship them directly to the customer which allows the company to price below their competition. Now, back in 2010- this wasn’t an easy task- we were not yet in the Amazon- One Day Shipping, Free Returns and Transparent Consumer Review- paradise that we live in today- so, the HAD to do something to gain customers!

This is where social media came into play- Warby Parker needed to spread the message that they were cheaper (not because of cheap quality) due to this in-house idea, and help potential customers move past the reluctence they be have buying such an important product from a computer screen. The company used platforms to communicate with customers directly (and create an open coversation with the public), learn what was working and what still caused hesitation for potential customers, pushed past these issues and eventually gained loyalty (and shipped over 500,000 pairs).

A quiz I took to see what type of frames I would get- and Choose 5 to try on!
My results were exactly what I would choose in a store!

The were able to create a program for customers to try on glasses at home, for free, choose what they want and send the rest back. This really seemed to help gain attention of customers, and the word- of- mouth grew within these communities, we even see customers posting photos in try-on glasses to ask opinions on how they look! The company wants public feedback, questions, and purchase decisions posted on all social media platforms- this makes it feel like you still have the complete retail experience, even though you never step foot into a show room. In turn, the company shares tons of information to help those just starting their purchase; videos are posted on Youtube, both by the company and by happy customers, that are focused on helping customers overcome common concerns when thinking of buying from Warby Parker. The consumers, for the most part, are the company’s main advertisers!

I actually found that they offer Blue Light glasses, and I have been considering a pair because of headaches from hours a day in front of a computer at work…. Over the past few months, I have constantly thought “when will i have time to go look into a pair?” Well, I found them HERE!

The innovative idea, at a time when we were not all totally on board with trusting company produced advertising, helped push a this young company ahead of any competition. Their use of customer focused social media posts proved to be just what glasses wearers everywhere needed to start purchasing online. It’s exciting to see what the power of consumer conversation and transparency can do for a new company and here are some reviews to see for yourself!