I have been a customer of Warby Parker since 2020. The differentiating factor for me was the Home Try-On.

I loved selecting frames, getting them in the mail, trying them on and sending them back. It was fun. There was no pressure. And it worked - I bought 9 pairs of glasses from Warby Parker in 5 years. That’s about 2 pairs a year, or 7 more than I needed. I often recommended Warby Parker to others, especially those who chose cheap online eye glass stores, because of this unique experience.

I did attempt the in-app try-on experience, but there was often major differences in how frames fit in-person vs. in-app.

Over the past few years it has been more and more difficult to find frames for Home Try-On. So many were consistently “out of stock.”

Today, unceremoniously and quietly, Warby Parker emailed me to say that they were doing away with their unique idea of Home Try-On.

Perhaps it will save some postage and perhaps it’s best for the company.

But it’s silly to think that giving up a Unique Selling Proposition, a differentiator, and a competitive advantage is a good idea.

I have never visited Warby Parker stores in person and likely never will - they are far away. And I can’t recommend them anymore for the same reason.