Warby Parker Launches Contact Lens Brand Scout With $5 Trials

Direct-to-consumer eyeglass retailer Warby Parker is correcting its myopic corporate vision. This week, the company expanded its portfolio with contact lenses.

“We’re really excited to be a one-stop shop,” Warby co-CEO Dave Gilboa told CNBC, noting that 40% of his customers wear both glasses and contacts. “We wanted to create a holistic offering.”

Warby will extend its at-home trial program to the contact program, enabling consumers to order a six-day trial for $5 before upgrading to a three-month supply for $110. The offering includes established brands like Acuvue, Alcon, CooperVision and Bausch + Lomb, as well as Warby’s own brand, Scout.

“We want to minimize any friction or pain points our customers have when it comes to their eye care,” Gilboa told Forbes. “We don’t want customers to have to visit different doctors and eyewear stores to fulfill all of their vision needs. Though we do hope people will ultimately want to convert to Scout.”

Shoppers can also be fitted for contacts in Warby’s 112 stores. Gilboa said the company is tripling the number of in-house optometrists this year.

The contacts venture reflects years of interest in the market and a year-and-a-half of Scout development.

“For the past few years, there’s been a lot of demand from our customers wanting contacts from us,” Gilboa told Forbes.

With a large U.S. market opportunity for contacts and subscription startups penetrating the space, Warby saw it as time to give people what they want. 

“Now, 9 1/2 years into our journey of scaling our business, we felt that we were prepared to introduce a new subbrand in an entirely new product category,” Gilboa told CNBC.

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