Warby Parker
An Answer to a Question I Never Thought to Ask
By: Dawn Sharee McCutchen
Looking at people with glasses, I’ve never really given it much thought as to what it is like having something resting on your face every day. Seeing the edge of the frame, every day. Depending on an inanimate object to such a degree that it can be debilitating. As someone who has never had to wear glasses, the thought of what extent someone has to go through to get a pair of glasses never crossed my mind. Eyeglass shopping endeavors and stress must be overwhelming. As I said, I never thought about it until… I had to.
Glasses can come in all shapes and sizes. Glasses have heavy frames, light frames, large frames and even frame-less. To get the perfect glasses, a person would need to venture out to an optometrist for an eye exam, to a store that carried frames and lenses, and go through the horrible ordeal of trying on all these different types of frames. For the average person taking a day to shop for glasses is a hard thing, but imagine people with anxiety or people who are without transportation. Warby Parker has come to the rescue for people who can’t stand the idea of other people watching them try on glasses, those who can not make it to a store that sells glasses, or those of us who are just too lazy to spend a day lens and frame shopping.
Warby Parker A Needed Change
Warby Parker started as an answer to a problem. Dave Gilboa found himself needing glasses and couldn’t afford new ones he and three of his college classmates decided that the prescription eyeglass industry needed a change. People were tired of spending too much money on an item that had become almost disposable. The craftmanship was down; the price was up and a change was needed. For Warby Parker, it was not going to be a business plan like others. They were going to focus on distributing the product through online orders instead of the common sticks and bricks showrooms. Warby Parker sells directly to the customer and they do not use big-name wholesalers. Instead, Warby Parker makes their glasses in-house. By making the glasses themselves this can save the customer money, time, and the social anxiety that comes from trying on glasses in front of people.
Warby Parker Social Media Marketing
It was a small business with big dreams and they decided to take their venture to social media to gain momentum. Warby Parker was going to need clients who could find them on the internet because that is where all of there orders were going to come from, so Warby Parker turned to social media. Warby Parker uses Facebook as a way to interact and connect with their customers. With 755,145 people following and 762,145 people who have liked Warby Parker, the social media Facebook campaign has been a success. They also use Twitter to allow customers to connect with other customers as well as with the company. There are over 86,000 followers on Twitter. Warby Parker encourages people to post a picture showing off their latest Warby Parker purchase. You can get answers to questions and you can even get help with information on orders.
Why Social Media and How It Helped Warby Parker
Warby Parker knew that their idea was different and that they were up against well-known wholesalers and big chains. This did not discourage them. They decided to add not only great prices but the “Get a Pair Give a Pair” campaign. Through social media, it spread that Warby Parker was giving a pair of glasses to a less fortunate person every time a person bought a pair of their glasses. People love to help others but when it does not cost them more and they get to help others it is a win-win. Warby Parker encourages people to post on the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages pictures and comments about the glasses. Now the fun comes in when using the sample frames. A person can use a picture of themselves and post it to Warby’s Facebook page or Twitter and get advice on which glasses look best by using #warbyhometryon. People are looking for a community in social media and Warby Parker builds relationships and this leads to more business. Customers want to know about a company and how they feel about their customers. Businesses can earn more from a long term customer than from people who make a single purchase. A company that has a relationship with a customer will have a more loyal customer. The social media community that Warby Parker has created succeed in building a business and bringing people together.
Writing for Edutainment 