As an industry disruptor since its beginning in 2010, Warby Parker continues to revolutionize the optical industry by using artificial intelligence and augmented reality to enhance the customer experience. Whether operating online or off-line in brick-and-mortar stores, Warby Parker uses the insights gleaned from AI algorithms to give its customers what they want and how they want it.

1. The Fascinating Ways
Uses AI and AR
Warby Parker
To Change Retail

2. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
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IntroductionIntroduction
Since its launch in 2010, Warby Parker, a registered B-corp, has always had lofty
objectives. From offering designer eyewear at accessible prices to distributing a
pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair of glasses sold, the company
has been a disruptor and is now valued at more than a billion dollars. To stay
ahead of the competition, it uses the latest artificial intelligence and augmented
reality technology to provide customers with an extraordinary experience.
The Fascinating Ways Warby Parker
Uses AI And AR To Change Retail

3. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
From Home Try-On to High-Tech
One way that Warby Parker revolutionized the optical industry was through its Home Try-On
Program where customers select several frames online to be shipped to them so they could
try them on at home for five days. Their new solution for trying on frames leverages the
camera capabilities of the iPhone X.
Warby Parker introduced Virtual Try-On that allows you to try on virtual frames through
augmented reality, a technology that overlays computer-generated images (frames) onto real-
world images (your face). While trying on frames virtually was possible through the app
before the iPhone X launch, the app uses Apple’s Face ID that uses 30,000 invisible dots and
an infrared image to create a map of a customer’s face. With the specific details of your face
tracked, the tool can recommend frames best suited for your face. This enhances the
experience of the previous digital try-on system because it gives a 3-D preview of your faces
and uses augmented reality to place the frames.

4. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Artificial Intelligence Supports
Warby Parker’s Customer Journey
Another way Warby Parker utilizes artificial intelligence to exceed customer expectations is in
the way they nurture client relationships and communicate with customers who visit their
website.
The company uses some of the latest marketing techniques to engage with customers who
browsed their site and then left without purchasing. By using personalization to address
communications that are specific to each customer’s interests and where they’re at in the
customer journey, Warby Parker is making it easier for customers to find what they want.
With language that conveys the company’s personality, every communication is a chance for
Warby Parker to further engage the customer. In order to achieve the level of personalization
and scale required for Warby Parker’s business communications, AI algorithms are relied
upon.

5. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
AI Helps Retailers Respond to
Changing Customer Needs
Customers are demanding something different from retailers. Artificial intelligence can help
deliver what they want. So, while there has been much discussion about the demise of retail
and specifically brick-and-mortar stores, some particularly prescience companies such as
Amazon and Warby Parker are opening brick-and-mortar locations to complement their
online services and products.
Rest assured that these two industry disruptors aren’t opening traditional storefronts, but
have modernized the shopping experience with the help of artificial intelligence. As a
complement to the store’s employees, artificial intelligence can provide answers to customer
queries when the store’s employees don’t have the answer. This reduces any wait time for
store personnel to connect to company headquarters and minimizes frustration by being told:
“I don’t know.”

6. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
AI Helps Retailers Respond to
Changing Customer Needs
Personalization is also a valuable service AI can provide for the in-store experience.
Recommendations and options powered by artificial intelligence can be geared toward
specific locations and can even connect the customer's online and in-store experience. The
result is an extraordinary customer experience that makes customers a raving fan of the
brand. The more retailers can use artificial intelligence to arm their employees with
information, the better they are equipped to give the customer who demands convenience
and instant gratification what they want.
Warby Parker opened its first store in New York in 2013, and by the end of 2018, they had
more than 85 stores open across the United States. Rather than an either/or scenario, Warby
Parker is testing how best to approach retail expansion as an intersection between online and
offline. They have tested stores on wheels, pop-up shops and more to find the sweet spot to
reach customers. Since companies such as Warby Parker are digitally native, they understand
their supply chain and sell their own goods. Ultimately, they want to get the products into the
hands of consumers when they want it and how they want it. As retail continues to evolve,
expect that Warby Parker will continue to be on the leading edge of innovation.

7. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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