¶ … marketing challenges facing Warby Parker in the future and what advice would you give the company on how to face them?
In 2010, Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa had started a company called Warby Parker that sold prescription glasses. It was a successful company that had gone from selling 20,000 eyeglasses to over 100,000 per year. The founders too integrated their mission with a social mission: to increase access to prescription eyewear around the world.
In the beginning, in 2010, the founders had come across problems. Now once again, the founders were prepared for change. Change involved the following factors:
the team size was growing
The company was planning to move from a word-of-mouth marketing strategy to a virtual one that would be more intentional
the company was also planning to increase the company's manufacturing partner base
The question was how they were going to accomplish these changes whilst retaining their ethos.
The two primary competitors of Warby Parker were Luxottica Group Spa (LUX) and Essilor International SA (EI). To cut prices and offer cheaper glasses, Blumenthal and Gilboa decided to sell their glasses online. Others had also already one online or were intending to penetrate it, but Warbury Parker's niche was offering branded, high quality and low-priced eyewear.
Another one of their goals was to be a "social responsible "business. They promised to give one pair of free glasses to anyone one who needed it with every pair of glasses bought.
Warbury Parker also employed excellent customer service:
They combined customer friendly policies, like free shipping and a 30-day "no questions asked" free return policy, with creative ways for customers to "try-on" glasses. They licensed the best virtual try-on technology in the market and devised a home try-on program. When ordering, customers would have the option to select up to five frames that would be shipped to them for free, allowing them to try on pairs in the comfort of their own home. They would be able to keep the glasses for one week before sending them back to Warby Parker (at no cost), with the subsequent opportunity to make a purchase.
Early on, the founders had long decided that the brand would epitomize classic, American heritage design, exceptional value, amazing customer service and social good. The founders too decided to develop their brand around the following four criteria: aesthetic, excellent customer service, sustainability / social mission, and price.
The company also created a culture that was built on fun and transparency. Employees described the company as having a "social atmosphere" where "people are not just coworkers, but friends." At the same time, the founders insisted that the twin rules of "always presuming positive intent" and "embracing honest but difficult conversations"
Later the two founders expanded into four: Gilboa and Raider focused on operations, including customer service, order fulfillment, and legal and finance. Blumenthal and Hunt worked on marketing, branding, eyewear design, website user experience and the social mission. In order to remain objective despite their friendship, they would ask advice of their one of their earliest advisors, Wharton Marketing Professor David Bell who would cast the deciding vote. They also conducted monthly 360-review sessions together to provide constructive feedback and to prevent possible problems.
Warby Parker grew quickly. Marketing was primarily word-of-mouth. In January 2012 Warby Parker had 50 employees. The company planned to hire about 50 more throughout the year in order to keep up with growth projections other areas of the company, such as the technology division, too began to significantly expand during that same year. Warby Parker also sought experienced candidates to lead the areas of finance, technology, marketing, and supply chain management
As the company grew they also saw that they had to change their learning approach and the company introduced training workshops for employees. The company too opened a division to support their social changes. The extra pair of glasses given away for free supported projects ranging from the fight against breast cancer to the restoration of communities affected by armed conflict in central Africa
In January, 2012, however, Warby Parker's Social Innovation division faced challenges. Firstly, they had to get customers interested in their social projects; many of their customers were unaware of these activities. At the same time, Warby Parkers was concerned that publicizing their activities and actively involving their customers, would seem intrusive to many other customers
The second challenge was rallying their employees around their social activities. They...
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