Warby Parker made a name for itself largely by disrupting the eyewear market with an effective online channel to sell its in-house designed eyeglasses. But it also had expanded its reach over its short and profitable history, branching out into physical locations to support its continued online sales. In early 2020, it had about 135 showrooms—all of which were forced to shutter their doors when COVID-19 hit. In the first few weeks of the pandemic, buying more glasses was not a priority for nervous consumers, such that sales dipped both online and offline. Then as Zoom meetings became a constant presence, people returned to online purchases, using Warby Parker’s unique augmented reality app to see how new frames might give them the professional, distinctive look they hoped to achieve during their virtual meetings with colleagues. Thus, whereas last year was the worst in the company’s history, in terms of revenues and profits, its recent turnaround has been strong enough that it has announced plans to open 35 new brick-and-mortar locations. The company also offered replacement jobs to all its COVID-furloughed workers (though some chose not to return). The company has determined that sales in online and offline channels are about evenly split, but the vast majority of customers who visit stores start their search online. Thus, even as it opens new stores and showrooms to allow consumers to get the actual feel of the glasses on their faces, it continues to rely primarily on the online channel as its main mode of interaction with shoppers.

Source: Charity L. Scott, “Warby Parker Founders Explain Why They Are Adding 35 Stores After Pandemic,” The Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2021