As we have seen throughout the
semester, innovation often comes at times and in places where it couldn’t be
expected less. Because in all honesty, the vast majority of people on Earth
never look at mundane objects or businesses and not only have a desire to
improve them but have the skill and ingenuity to create a better way of doing
things. One of these seemingly set in stone business was the world of
eyeglasses. This innovation came when two men, Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa,
started their business Warby Parker, to completely flip the concept of glasses
shopping on its head. Warby Parker allows customers to shop for affordable and
on trend eyeglasses and sunglasses, as well as contributing in a pair-for-pair
exchange in impoverished countries, all from the comfort of their own homes.
Admittedly,
as a lifelong glasses-wearer, I have more of a vested interest in this idea
than the average person, but truly anyone can see the ingenuity and deep
thought behind Warby Parker. The idea for the business came while the two were
grad students at the Wharton School of Business at the University of
Pennsylvania. Gilboa, previously a bioengineering student, lost a pair of $700
glasses on a plane just before starting school. Irritably complaining to those
around, he found kindred spirits in Blumenthal and the other two co-founders,
Jeff Raider and Andy Hunt. The idea of creating a way to bypass the hassle of
glasses shopping and the huge price tag began to form amongst them all. It
wasn’t until Blumenthal came forward with the concept of making and selling
glasses online that the company really began to take form. Blumenthal came up
with the idea based on is past working with a nonprofit providing training in
eye exams to women in the developing world.
The formation of the company is a
perfect example of how the collaboration between the Blumenthal and Gilboa
continues to work to this day. Sharing the unusual title of co-CEO, each brings
a viewpoint entirely their own the company, shaped by their separate pasts and
skill sets. This allows the company to continually grow and expand upon itself.
It’s their collaboration that takes the company to the next level, and further
took the company off the ground in the first place. One of them alone could
never have been able to create the small innovations that set Warby Parker
apart. This small idea has grown to not only include their hugely profitable
online shop, but over 50 stores around the country and over 1,000 employees.
Today, Blumenthal oversees the stores and marketing, while Gilboa handles
customer service and technology, yet both are incredibly involved in the work
the other is doing. They greatly emphasize the importance to always work
alongside each other as equals, so that not only will their business continue
to flourish, but more importantly so will their friendship.
The concept behind the company
Warby Parker is truly revolutionary in its field. While online shopping has
been around for years, and the vast majority of the world is extremely familiar
with it already, there was no such thing even conceived of it for eyeglasses.
Blumenthal and Gilboa carefully plotted out their company to best serve the
need they saw in the market as well as fill their desire to serve the world in
a big way. They came up with solutions to every need they could think up. A
huge emphasis is place on providing outstanding customer service, but perhaps
their biggest innovation was the home try on. Because it may seem a little too
risky to purchase glasses online, Blumenthal and Gilboa before beginning
anything else, started the home try on, where customers get a free shipment of
five pairs to try on at their leisure.
The pure innovation and ingenuity
of Warby Parker and its co-founders Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa lets it
stand alone in today’s business world. The innovation of a model of business that
had hardly changed since its beginning most definitely places them among the
most creative minds in business.
This is a great idea! As a fellow glasses wearer, I understand the struggle of going to the eye doctor and picking out glasses. I'm also a huge fan of online shopping so this seems like a great combination for me! I've really noticed how a lot of the blogs being posted, including this one, have talked about collaboration. I definitely think collaboration is a bigger key to being creative than I thought before this class!
ReplyDeleteI just bought a pair of glasses at Warby Parker myself, as they have opened up one of their first stores in Lincoln Park. The store still ships everything if you'd like it to and is very minimal and tech savvy. Warby Parker is a really creative product because these men were able to incorporate philanthropy into eye sales, something very unusual and new. They also have a large field of consumers making the glasses very affordable and providing more styles than anywhere else. The creatives that made Warby Parker truly succeeded through their collaboration and having an outside look into the eye glass industry, instead of coming from the view of a company or optometrist. They took consumer observations on their end and changed the field to make it better for everyone including themselves.
ReplyDeleteGod, the idea of losing a $700 pair of glasses makes me hurt in ways I didn't know possible. As someone that's broken two pairs of glasses in the past three years, I definitely agree that shopping for glasses is a pain. I like that they saw the problem with online glasses companies -- that you can't try them on -- and found a creative, applicable solution. I haven't bought any glasses from Warby Parker, but I've wasted so much time looking at glasses on their website. I definitely agree that they revolutionized the world of online glasses shopping!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great business plan. The ability for the free try on at home is definitely a game changer. Being able to see a pair at home and have a little test run is certainly a new idea and has not been offered before Warby Parker.
ReplyDelete