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Warby Parker is ending its Home Try On program that helped build its reputation as it was founded in 2010, as a digital-only retailer.
The program, to cease at the year’s close, allows customers to pick five pairs of frames on Warby Parker’s website and try them at home for five days, for free. Returns are free, and there’s no obligation to make a purchase.
Consumers can get tailored suggestions after taking a quiz.
Warby Parker said in its 2021 IPO, “The Home Try-On program is very unique to our business. It is a viral brand awareness program that pays for itself as we maintain an exceptionally high conversion rate from Home Try-On purchases.”
The program was designed to overcome apprehensions around buying eyeglasses online.
Warby Parker's Home Try On Program May Have Become Less Relevant, co-CEO Suggests
On Warby Parker’s second-quarter analyst call, Neil Harris Blumenthal — co-founder, president, co-CEO, and co-chair — said Warby Parker was launched without stores at a time when less than 2.5% of glasses were sold online.
He said, “Our first-of-its-kind home try-on program offered a unique, convenient way for customers to try on 5 glasses for 5 days at home, completely free of charge. For many years, and especially during the pandemic, home try-on was a novel way to help customers shop for glasses online.”
However, he also said the offering has become less relevant as Warby Parker has opened stores to reach 300 locations. He noted that the vast majority of recent Home Try On customers live within 30 minutes of a Warby Parker store.
The retailer also, in 2019, introduced an “industry-leading first true-to-scale virtual try-on” via mobile app that’s increasingly being used to support online purchases.
“As we’ve scaled and home try-on has become a less meaningful driver of our e-commerce business, and as we have seen strong growth from customers directly purchasing glasses online and in our stores, we’ve decided to sunset the program at the end of this year,” said Blumenthal. “We’re confident we can serve customers effectively and efficiently through our stores, our leading digital experience, and by leveraging proprietary AI-powered technology.”
Home Try On Costs Could Be Reallocated to Other Marketing Efforts
Blumenthal also said that given home try-on costs are included in total marketing spend, those resources will be reallocated toward brand awareness and customer acquisition.
The Home Try On program could, in some ways, be compared to a practice called bracketing, where customers buy multiple versions of a product (e.g., different sizes or colors) with the intention of keeping only the item they prefer and returning the rest.
Consumers excessively using the practice are increasingly facing bans. The move comes as retailers are seeking to reduce the costs of returns by tightening return policies, including charging for mailed returns and reducing return windows.
Warby Parker's program would differ substantially inasmuch as its program was wholly endorsed and promoted by the brand, but potential cost layouts related to returns could be substantial regardless.