ALLEVIATING THE PROBLEM OF IMPAIRED VISION
Warby Parker’s founders set out to disrupt Italian company Luxottica’s dominance of the eyewear industry, which had meant high prices for consumers who had no other options. They created Warby Parker as that alternative. They believe that buying glasses should be “easy and fun” and leave you “happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket”.
Given that “alleviating the problem of impaired vision is at the heart of what we do”, from day one, “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” has been an integral part of the business. It helps address the problem of the 2.5 billion people around the world who need glasses but don’t have access to them, 624 million of whom cannot “effectively learn or work due to the severity of their visual impairment."
They invite customers to get engaged, promising that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need… because “everyone has the right to see”.
This is done in two ways:
Empowering adult men and women with training opportunities to administer basic eye exams and sell glasses for ultra-affordable prices
Directly giving vision care and glasses to school-age children in their classrooms.
To date they’ve reached kids and adults in need in 50+ countries, donating more than 2m pairs of glasses. The business has grown exponentially since its launch in 2010 and now has 44 stores in the US. It is valued at over $1.2BN.
LEARNING
Use your Purpose to create buzz around your business.
Activate your Purpose in ways that are visible to your customer, and with which they can get involved – even if that’s just by buying your product.
