What does it take to deliver a consistent, exceptional customer experience across hundreds of stores? In our 2025 NRF Big Ideas session, Sasha Ludwig-Siegel shared how Warby Parker uses tools like Zipline to connect teams, scale operations, and stay ahead in retail.

Watch the full session, on-demand, right here.

Consistency in retail is hard to come by. But Warby Parker has nailed it, delivering a seamless customer experience across 270+ locations. 

Founded in 2010 by four friends frustrated by the high cost and hassle of buying glasses, the brand set out to create a better alternative: affordable, stylish eyewear sold directly to consumers, cutting out the middleman. Since then, Warby Parker has grown from a scrappy startup to an industry leader with hundreds of stores across the U.S. and Canada (and counting!), all while staying true to its mission of delivering high-quality vision care at accessible prices. 

With offerings that span from glasses and contacts to eye exams and cutting-edge technology, Warby Parker continues to redefine what it means to shop for eyewear, blending innovation with a deeply personal touch.

At NRF 2025, Sasha Ludwig-Siegel, Director of Retail & CX Communications and Training at Warby Parker, joined Zipline CEO Melissa Wong on stage to unpack exactly how the brand has managed to maintain an industry-leading seamless customer experience despite rapid growth. (Spoiler alert: It’s all about the power of good communication.)

If you’re leading a retail team, read on to learn from Warby’s approach — we’ve included the best bits of Mel’s on-stage conversation with Sascha, plus actionable tips you can take back to your business today.

One Frame of Mind: Warby’s ethos for consistency

“To help support our shared mission across online and stores, we have this internal motto: One Frame of Mind. And this is really what drives everything we do across retail and CX. Having this motto helps both those teams, even though they have different day to day roles, to stay focused on our end goal as a company: providing a consistent customer experience.”

Sasha began by sharing how Warby Parker’s internal motto, “One Frame of Mind,” guides their Retail and Customer Service (CX) teams toward the same goal: delivering exceptional experiences no matter how customers choose to interact with the brand.

This isn’t just a slogan; it’s a cultural North Star. Warby Parker makes it actionable by training retail advisors and optometrists to listen closely to customer needs and provide tailored solutions. On the CX side, team members are empowered to create standout moments during phone or chat interactions.

But there’s more to this success than good intentions. Warby Parker proactively centralizes all customer-facing resources and policies in Zipline, creating a single source of truth that ensures retail and CX teams stay aligned.

Takeaway: What’s your team’s equivalent of “One Frame of Mind?” Defining a shared goal that connects your employees’ daily tasks to your brand promise is a great place to start. Reinforce it through training, team meetings, and ongoing communication. And don’t just tell teams what to do, but make sure they understand why it matters, too.

Technology that enhances, not replaces, the human touch

Technology is often touted as a retail game-changer, but Warby Parker takes a refreshingly grounded approach: use it to enhance human interactions, not replace them. Sasha highlighted the company’s investment in tools that solve real customer problems, such as their award-winning Virtual Try-On tool.

“Virtual Try-n, which we call VTO, is a tool that customers can use to get a real lifelike vision of what glasses would look like on them in real life, but on their phone. And this past year, we added a feature called Glasses Eraser, which uses computer vision and generative AI to digitally erase the glasses you have on your face.”

This feature was designed with practicality in mind — it’s perfect for customers with strong prescriptions and who need their glasses to see the screen. 

In addition, Warby Parker also added a “virtual stylist” feature into their app. “It’s like having a stylist at your fingertips who makes recommendations, and helps to further that real personal shopping experience,” said Sasha.

Inside the four walls of their store, Warby Parker invests in cutting edge technology as well. Their eye exam rooms are home to technology that keeps the brand poised to deliver “the next phase of eye health.” Both these technology initiatives — online and in store — help to improve the experience for customers, making their shopping journey feel seamless and cohesive across all touch points.

Zipline plays an equally critical role behind the scenes, empowering employees to deliver this high-tech, high-touch service. Retail associates can access the app on the sales floor to check updates, reference resources, and stay aligned throughout their shifts.

Takeaway: When introducing new technology, ask yourself: Does this solve a problem for my customers or team? If the answer is “yes,” focus on usability and provide robust training to ensure adoption. And don’t stop at customer-facing tools—make sure your internal systems empower employees to perform their best.

Learn, grow, repeat: Piloting for smarter implementation

It should come as no surprise that a brand as deliberate as Warby Parker takes a strategic approach to technology deployment, too. Sasha explained how the company pilots new tools and processes before rolling them out widely, gathering feedback and making refinements along the way.

“We have a core value called Learn, Grow, Repeat — no matter if we’re launching a new feature in Zipline, a new tech process, or a new app — it gives us space to get feedback and think through: is it the right time for this? Should we pause? Should we pivot?”

When Warby Parker first adopted Zipline, they started with its core communication features, then gradually expanded to include engagement tools and task tracking. This method builds trust among employees, who know that new tools have been tested with their needs in mind.

Warby Parker has a self-described “pilot heavy culture.” That means technology rollouts might take a little longer. But it also builds an immense amount of trust in the Retail Operations team. “It helps make sure that they know that we’re looking out for them, and we’re thinking about their day to day roles and their workload and only wanting to roll out new tech that’s really going to help them and not impede them in any way,” said Sasha.

A strong pilot process also gives Sasha’s team the necessary time to build a “really robust comms plan.” As it turns out, PR isn’t just for customers. A pilot allows Sasha’s team to gather feedback from store teams and brand leaders, and to cascade that communication in a thoughtful way before new tech launches to the field.

“If we’re able to say to the team, “your peer used this, they really liked it, here’s what they said,” they’re going to trust that more than just me saying it. It makes a big difference in adoption,” said Sasha.

Takeaway: If you’re considering a new tool or process, start small. Pilot it with a few teams, collect feedback, and make adjustments before a larger rollout. And don’t forget to celebrate early wins—sharing success stories from pilot groups can help build excitement and buy-in.

Gatekeeping and guiding: Communication done right

Good communication isn’t about volume; it’s about clarity. Sasha’s team plays a dual role at Warby Parker: they gatekeep what gets sent to the field, ensuring messages are prioritized and timely, and they guide HQ partners to consider what information is truly necessary for retail and CX teams.

“We are a conduit. Sometimes we use the term ‘gatekeeper,’ but that feels like we’re keeping stuff away. It’s really more that we let everything flow through us, and then we also help bubble back up anything from the CX and Retail teams to Headquarters.”

This role requires both coordination and advocacy. Sasha’s team works closely with HQ partners to ensure they understand what’s happening in stores and on the CX side week to week. They host biweekly cross-functional meetings with stakeholders from nearly every department, creating space for updates to flow both ways.

“We share with them what’s coming up in the next two weeks – any new initiatives or policies – and give them the opportunity to share what’s on their roadmap. This helps us make communication super effective, so teams can act quickly on new training or policies.”

By bridging the gap between HQ and the field, Sasha’s team ensures that communication isn’t just clear — it’s actionable. Their deliberate process helps Warby Parker’s teams stay aligned, informed, and ready to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

Takeaway: Establish a central communication role or team to act as a conduit between HQ and the field. Host regular cross-functional meetings to align on priorities and feedback. Prioritize clear, actionable messages so teams stay focused and confident in execution.

Your next step: Learning from Warby Parker’s success

At the heart of Warby Parker’s retail success story is a commitment to simplicity: one shared ethos, one centralized platform (Zipline!), and a thoughtful approach to growth. Their success is a reminder that consistency isn’t just achievable—it’s scalable.

Sasha’s final advice to retailers who also want to scale successfully?

“Stay connected to your brand’s core values. “Learn, Grow, Repeat” – when we have that ethos in the back of our heads with everything that we do, it helps drive every initiative forward.”

Ready to take the next step in transforming your team’s communication and execution? Schedule a demo with Zipline today to see how our platform can help you scale success, just like Warby Parker.

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