Warby Parker vs. Zenni Optical

Warby Parker produce fashionable frames for men and women, starting at $95. As well as selling online, they have a number of different retail locations in the US and two in Toronto, Canada. Their “Home Try On” service means that you can choose five pairs of glasses to be shipped out to you free of charge; then simply try them on and keep the pair(s) you like.

Zenni offer stylish eyeglasses and sunglasses for men, women and kids. As well as providing a wide range of frames to suit every budget and style, they even have an innovative personalisation service. Shopping with the company online is extremely straightforward thanks to their numerous helpful guides and resources. Furthermore, international shipping only costs $9.95, no matter where you’re located in the world.

The only country that Warby Parker ships to internationally is Canada. Their shipping times vary from 5 to 12 business days depending on the complexity of your order. Furthermore, the website doesn’t allow you to browse by price or filter their collections according to price, popularity, or the newest styles.

Most online eyewear retailers provide free domestic shipping, but it will cost you $4.95 with Zenni and your order might take a rather long time to get to you! Plus, customers are expected to pay the shipping costs if they wish to return an item for any reason. Even though there are a variety of glasses to choose from, none of the styles are named and just given a general description, like “aviator eyeglasses.” This can make them difficult to refer to.

Warby Parker provide stylish yet affordable glasses through their varied collections inspired by vintage fashions. Their website makes shopping for frames easy and straightforward, especially with their extensive resources and “Home Try On” service. However, it needs a bit of work in terms of being able to shop via price and filter different options. The company’s free shipping and returns policy for the US and Canada is a big bonus, but it’s a shame that they don’t ship elsewhere.

Zenni deliver a simplistic online shopping experience due to their array of informative resources. As well as providing a virtual try-on service, you can easily browse their vast collection of glasses using different filter and sorting options. With frames starting at $6.95, the company is currently one of the most affordable eyewear retailers on the market and offer plenty of choice to suit every budget. Their customisation service is also rather unique. It’s a shame that Zenni charges for domestic shipping, unlike their competitors, but international shipping costs are kept nice and low to compensate. However, the fact that customers have to pay for shipping to return an item seems a little unfair.