“Hey, have you heard of the company that’s just like Zappos, except it’s for eyeglasses?” The inquiry came from a co-worker and the idea was intriguing.
We often use Zappos as an example of an organization that is relentlessly focused on customer experience. They have taken a highly personal and experiential sale, purchasing shoes, and moved it out of the shopping malls to the internet. Order multiple pairs of shoes, try them on, and keep only the ones you like. Zappos pays for shipping both ways. They have taken the risk and angst out of buying shoes online – high tech with high touch. Couple that with world-class customer service and a second-to-none product selection and you have a company that is changing the way people think about buying shoes. No small accomplishment.
So, I was naturally interested in a company, in a different industry, who was imitating Zappos. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Warby Parker wants to do for eyeglasses what Zappos has done for shoes – with a twist. Not only does Warby Parker pay for the shipping (both ways) of up to five pairs of frames for you try on at home for up to seven days, they also design all the frames, use the highest quality materials possible, and promise you a finished product for $95. That is a game changer.
They also know their sweet-spot customer. With only 27 limited-run styles that are, as they describe, “vintage-inspired with a fashion forward twist” – these won’t be for everyone.
Like Zappos before them, Warby Parker has taken a more than century-old transactional experience and made it different. They took what had always been a face-to-face, high-touch purchase and moved it to what has traditionally been an impersonal medium – the internet.
Competitive difference does not have to be one-of-a-kind. Perhaps it is just different for your industry. Regardless, everyone in your organization must be focused and passionately deliver your difference.
Sometimes it’s not a bad thing being just like another organization.
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