Warby Parker

Warby Parker didn't disrupt eyeglasses. It disintermediated them. Neil Blumenthal and his co-founders realized that luxury eyeglass frames cost three dollars to manufacture and sold for three hundred dollars. The markup funded middlemen, marketing, and retail rent. Warby Parker eliminated all three, designed frames in-house, manufactured them directly, and sold online for ninety five dollars. Most direct-to-consumer brands struggle because consumers can't touch products before buying. Warby Parker gave customers five frames to try at home for five days free. No commitment, no fee. If you wanted to buy, great. If not, return them. The company paid for logistics, not advertising. By the time customers decided, they'd already experienced the product and trusted the fit.