![]() When the pandemic hit, Blenders was forced to close its physical store for three months. Though the brand has about 500 retail partners across the country - the biggest among them Zumiez, Tilly’sand Sheels - the company has never relied on third party online sellers like Amazonand eBay for e-commerce growth. Since 2012, Blenders has maintained steady growth fueled by its combination of Instagram-friendly branding, accessible price points, and e-commerce-first retail strategy, according to Fisher. How a commitment to e-commerce helped Blenders ride out the pandemic “Consumers nowadays are really feening for those smaller, intimate interactions, and with sunglasses being a really experiential product, people are able to come in and talk to us, try them on.”Ī Quick Guide to Marketing Your Business on Instagram Chase Fisher, founder and CEO, Blenders Eyewear. “The store really came from organic roots, just like everything else,” Fisher said. In 2018, Blenders opened its first retail store in its hometown of San Diego. However, he also knew that millennials were looking to connect with brands in a more one-on-one, experiential way. “As social media started to rise,” Fisher said, “that really opened the door to a whole new world of capabilities.” Blenders was an early advertiser on Instagram, and was quick to understand what a valuable tool the platform could be for building both brand identity and a wider audience, using audience data to tailor product and advertising to loyal consumers. However, it takes more than just disruption to win over consumers in 2020’s post-pandemic economy, and brands are taking new approaches to drive revenue and growth that combine the power of traditional retail channels with the lessons learned via direct sales.Īs a millennial himself, Fisher seems to have a knack for knowing what his consumer wants. Nearly every consumer category is teeming with its own disruptors, as multiple new, millennial- and Gen Z-focused brands jockey for mind and market share. These days, it seems like direct-to-consumer brands are a dime a dozen. It taught me so much.Ĭhase Fisher, founder and CEO, Blenders Eyewear Designing shades to stand out in a crowd of DTC competitors We started from one pair, one style, one customer at a time. ![]() I think starting literally from nothing teaches you so much about the fundamentals of business. Now with a recent acquisition by Italian eyewear giant Safilo Group and an expansion into prescription optical, Blenders is taking on legacy players as well as a pioneer of direct-to-consumer success, Warby Parker, for a bigger share of the eyewear pie. Not unlike Nike founder Phil Knight selling sneakers out of the trunk of his car, Fisher started by selling his product out of his backpack to other millennials on the beach, at pool parties, and at music festivals.įisher’s commitment has paid off: the company now boasts a $90 million valuation, is projected to reach $70 million in sales for 2020 and appeared on Inc.’s 2020 list of the fastest-growing private companies. With a $2,000 loan from his roommate, he produced the first pairs of Blenders and set up a website to get started. ![]() “And what better place to do it than San Diego? If it's not going to work here, it's not going to work anywhere.” ![]() “There was a real need in the market for it,” Fisher said. At the other end of the price spectrum, he found nothing but cheap options of dubious quality.įisher’s goal quickly became developing an affordably priced brand of stylish sunglasses that could also stand up to outdoor sports for surfers like him in Southern California. Since his days as a young sponsored athlete in his hometown of Santa Barbara, California, and then a surfing coach in San Diego, he noticed that almost everyone he saw was wearing one of three higher-end brands: Gucci, Oakley or Ray-Ban.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |