Brand while you build, w/Warby Parker’s Neil Blumenthal & Dave Gilboa

Class Trips

Warby Parker's innovative 'class trips' provided invaluable insights into customer preferences and market potential. Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa discovered that customers appreciated physical spaces to interact with their products, which informed their decision to open more brick-and-mortar stores 1. These trips also revealed which cities and neighborhoods were ideal for expansion, allowing them to strategically plan store locations. Blumenthal noted, "We learned so much from those face-to-face interactions around which frames customers were buying, the feedback that they had about frames, requests around products that we weren't offering" 1.

   

Purposeful Scaling

Warby Parker's expansion into physical stores was driven by customer demand for more comprehensive services, such as contact lenses and eye exams. This approach allowed them to maintain a strong connection with their customers, ensuring their brand values aligned with customer needs 2. Dave Gilboa emphasized the importance of creating an organization that employees were excited to work for, which helped attract and retain top talent. He stated, "The number one reason that people want to work for Warby Parker is that we're helping people" 2.