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Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)

thinkhard-ly.com

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Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)

#4

Does anyone know how big they are in terms of sales? I considered interviewing them for Mixergy because I hear they're doing well, but the only metric I see for their success is valuation.

Gigaom estimates sales at $10m for 2011, based on their annual report claim of distributing 100,000 frames.

http://gigaom.com/2012/03/26/at-warby-parker-the-power-of-br...

http://www.warbyparker.com/annual-report-2011

Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)

#7
Reads a bit too much like ad copy for my tastes. Or rather I read it with the intent to understand more about the content in the parentheses, not Warby Parker. :)

That being said they are situated in a vertical that has efficiency players (Zenni Optical, Coastal Contacts) but haven't mastered the design/marketing/CS game yet. Going Zappos-style is their entrenchment mechanism, as well as the in-house designers.

Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)

#8
When I have more time, I'd like to look into just how WB grew so fast. What's really impressive is the logistical and operations side (the marketing and publicity are awesome too, but less impressive than coming out of nowhere to ship so much physical product)

Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)

#9

I've been using Zenni Optical, which I guess is disrupting the broken system of Warby Parker by undercutting their prices by yet another factor of 5, just like Warby Parker did to brick and mortar stores.

How is the product quality? Those are pretty low prices.

I'm not sure it's a great comparison as WP is delivering on several other levels beyond price. The Zenni buying experience is decidedly inferior.

Re: Warby Parker (or, Finding Broken Systems That Are Full of Money)

#10
post #9

I've been using Zenni Optical, which I guess is disrupting the broken system of Warby Parker by undercutting their prices by yet another factor of 5, just like Warby Parker did to brick and mortar stores.

How is the product quality? Those are pretty low prices. I'm not sure it's a great comparison as WP is delivering on several other levels beyond price. The Zenni buying experience is decidedly inferior.

Zenni is pretty cheap. I've broken several pairs, but at $8 you can kind of afford to throw them away. The frames are usually midgrade plastic. I usually order 3 or 4 pairs at a time, assuming I'm going to lose or break at least 2 pairs.

But despite the quality, theres some pretty stylish options that are perfect for people with no optical insurance :D

Also worth noting, the shipping time on Zenni takes forever. Forever being at least a couple weeks in my experience, but in fairness I haven't ordered recently.

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