This Case Study can be found in the textbook:

Strategic Social Media: From Marketing To Social Change, Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2017), page 18

An Innovative Way to Buy Glasses

Buying glasses can be difficult with high prices, booking appointments, and traveling to try-on glasses. Students at the University of Pennsylvania found a solution by launching Warby Parker to change the way glasses are sold.

Warby Parker sells directly to customers online to cut costs, but it’s a different way to buy than what customers were used to, making customers hesitate before trying Warby Parker. 

For me, I like to try my glasses on in the store, the thought of buying without trying them on scares me. I will use this purchase everyday, making it a high risk purchase. According to Bhasin in 10 Factors Influencing High Involvement Purchases, high-risk purchases are considered expensive products that need a lot of thought before buying. The product must satisfy all the consumers wants/needs before buying. Bhasin discusses, the consumer doesn’t want to risk spending a lot of money if the product doesn’t have what they’re looking for. To minimize the risk, Warby Parker took advantage of Social Media to engage with customers, answer their questions, and increase loyalty. 

Social Media Technology vs. Traditional Media Environment

Customers are used to the traditional buying processes and media environments. Many customers don’t like change/adjusting to new processes. The new process has to be easy and risk free.

Social Media Technology creates a simple way to find information, hear about products, ask questions, share with friends, and more! The consumer can comment or message any questions to speak directly with the brand. 

Not all customers may take the time to comment questions. Warby Parker uses Social Media to inform customers about glasses and answer questions before they’re asked. YouTube videos can discuss the challenges of buying glasses, finding the right pair, and what types of glasses Warby Parker provides. 

I use Blue Light to protect my eyes while using computers, phones, etc. My question would be, does Warby Parker sell Blue Light Glasses? Before I ask, there should be a post, article, video, about their Blue Light Glasses. This advantage of Social Media can show me exactly what I need without having to do the information search process myself.

Traditional Media increases exposure of a product/brand, but gives limited information and can’t answer your questions.

Media Communication

As consumers, we see traditional methods every day and one would have to remember the brand/product name to find additional information on their own. You can’t ask a billboard advertisement a question; you would look insane! However, if you’re scrolling through Instagram and see a sponsored ad for Warby Parker, you can go in the comments and ask any questions you have. You can also click on their profile to search for more information. The information is easy to find and you can actually talk to the advertisement/brand without looking insane. This communication creates a personalized experience that can’t be done through Traditional Media and minimizes any risk the consumer might have.

Reduce Risk

Warby Parker can share information on Social Media, answer questions in the comments, make a video of how their process works, etc to reduce risk. Consumers, like myself, have many questions that make us hesitate from purchasing glasses online. 

Will they look good on me? 

Why should I buy online when I could buy in-person? 

Buying from Warby Parker online is cheaper in price, not quality, than buying from a store. By selling directly to the consumer and cutting out the middlemen that stores use, Warby Parker is able to cut costs.

Why have my glasses shipped when I can pick them up in-stores?

Warby Parker offers free-shipping!

User-Generated Content

Customers can share their glasses on Social Media and Warby Parker can share this content

The “Home Try-On Campaign” encourages customers to share their try-on experience through social media. If I were to take part, I would do a live video try on and a poll to have my followers vote on which I should buy.

By encouraging the consumer to share their glasses online, their friends will be less skeptical about buying from this brand knowing their friend had a great experience. 

If the brand told you that their glasses are amazing, you wouldn’t trust them as much as you would trust a friend’s opinion. Obviously the brand is going to say their glasses are great, which is why self-promotion isn’t always best. Getting consumers to promote for you is definitely the better option.

Warby Parker reaches a wider audience by customers sharing their own content. Plus, customers that take part on social media will have a better connection with the brand. 

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