The Future of Eyewear Industry: E-commerce and High-Customized CX. The Case of Warby Parker

Abstract

In the last few years, technology has changed completely the rules of the game. Almost all industries are facing big shifts both in the way products and services are produced and in the way they are delivered. In manufacturing, Industry 4.0 is setting a path for the “factory of the future”. Moreover, digital transformation is remodelling everything, from financial institutions (FinTech) to consumer goods (Big data). This current revolution is changing how humans live their life, how they interact each other and also their daily routine. Even fashion industry has been deeply impacted and also a niche market like Eyewear is being transformed by today’s evolutions and innovations. Google Glass, Spectacles by Snap Inc, 3D printing, and wearable technology have improved what glasses can do, but the major challenges of the industry are represented by how glasses are distributed (e-commerce and new retail stores) and by how the customer experience can be transformed (high-customized CX). In the today scenario, marked by the establishment of new companies (i.e. Kering) and important partnerships (i.e. Luxottica-Essilor, LVMH-Marcolin), all the technological improvements have a very strong impact on the sector, but they also allow the emergence of new important players: Warby Parker. My study aims to investigate the new era of retail and the high-customized CX in the Eyewear industry, giving particular relevance particular attention to Warby Parker business case.