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Martine Breton www.bretoncommunications.com
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Publisher

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER
Martine Breton
martine@bretoncom.com
hen Warby Parker launched in 2010, it got a lot of attention
SENIOR EDITOR
for its plan to sell direct to consumers exclusively through JoAnne Sommers
Tel. 250 469-4350
its e-commerce platform. Retail experts said that business joannesommers2@gmail.com
model was a sign of the pending demise of brick-and-mortar.
W So it’s interesting to discover that the company now has FEATURES WRITER
Evra Taylor
Tel. 416 458-4409
more than 200 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada and plans to add hundreds evrataylor@yahoo.com
more over the next few years.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Evra Taylor’s feature story in this issue talks about the surge in online sales of Shirley Ha, B. Sc (Hons), O.D.
eyeglasses in recent years, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. That SPECIAL ADVISOR, CONTACT LENSES
well-documented growth is due in part to the development of new tools, such as Joshua Josephson, B. Sc, OD, FAAO, FACLP
virtual try-on technology, as well as the convenience of shopping from home. At MEDIA COORDINATOR / COPY EDITOR /
RESEARCHER
Omar Chraïbi
the same time, the online-only model has its limitations. One of these is the lack of editorial@bretoncom.com
in-store engagement with customers.
WEB COORDINATOR
Marc Vaskelis
Warby Parker co-founder and Co-CEO Neil Blumenthal says customer surveys marcv@miromedia.ca
showed the biggest barriers to purchasing from Warby Parker included not having a
store nearby, not being able to get an eye exam, and not being viewed as a place that SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
envision@bretoncom.com
serves all their vision care needs. GRAPHIC DESIGN
Marco Gagnon
The company’s solution was not to choose between online e-commerce and in-store design@bretoncom.com
retailing; instead, they integrated the two, becoming an omnichannel retailer. Warby ADVERTISING
Parker said its e-commerce business accounted for 60 per cent of net revenue in Martine Breton
2020. Stores made up the remaining 40 per cent. martine@bretoncom.com
1 888 462-2112
Tel.: 450 629-6005
Omnichannel retailing offers the best of both worlds, allowing customers to decide Fax: 514 360-6523
when, where and how they will interact with a retail brand. They can get an eye exam CIRCULATION / CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
Omar Chraïbi
in one store, find the model they like and purchase them in the store; alternately, they editorial@bretoncom.com
can buy them online, have them delivered or pick them up from another store. Once PRINTING
their prescription is on record, customers can buy online and pick up their eyewear Miromedia
at the nearest store. Or, if they buy online but decide the glasses aren’t what they Published six times a year
wanted, they can return them to a store. Legal deposit
National Library of Canada
With an omnichannel infrastructure in place, stores can focus more on providing ISSN 1925-8801 (Print) | ISSN 1925-881X (Online)
good customer service across all channels, enabling them to further boost their Canadian Publication Mail Product
competitive advantage. Convention NO 40021196
Postage Paid in Quebec
There’s more to pique your interest in this issue, including Shirley Ha’s look at smart Any reproduction, in whole or in part, of the herein
contact lenses for glaucoma, Evra’s profile of the Opticians Association of Canada publication, is strictly forbidden, without the written
and her story about Arianne Jonkergouw, the “accidental optical designer” behind authorization of the publisher.
Dutz Eyewear. Enjoy! n Printed in Canada
E
Please recycle

6 / JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2023 / www.ENVISIONMAGAZINE.ca /