Warby Parker's Store-First Strategy is Paying Off

Warby Parker's Investment in Brick & Mortar is Paying Off

Warby Parker is doubling down on brick-and-mortar. The company recently ended its Home-Try On program while expanding in-store eye exam offerings, further cementing the store as the center of the Warby Parker customer experience. And after opening a record 47 new stores in 2025, the company is planning 50 store openings this year as well as the continued roll out of its Target partnership.

These initiatives – and especially the aggressive store fleet expansion – have translated into skyrocketing traffic for the chain's owned stores. Visits increased 23.5% year over year (YoY) in Q2 2026, while same-store traffic returned to growth in May and June following a softer start to the year – suggesting that Warby Parker still has substantial runway for expansion.

Shifts in Visit Duration Point to Increased Engagement 

Visit duration trends also reflect deeper engagement among Warby Parker's in-store visitors. In Q2 2025, visits lasting 30 minutes or more accounted for 37.5% of all Warby Parker visits – but this share that increased to 39.3% in Q2 2026 thanks to the dramatic YoY increase in longer visits. This shift towards longer visits is likely partly due to visitors spending more time trying on frames in stores in the absence of the Home-Try On program and to the increased availability of eye exams across more locations. 

Multiple Drivers to Support Ongoing Growth

With plans to launch an AI-enabled eyewear collection this fall and a long-term goal of operating 900 stores, Warby Parker appears to have multiple levers to sustain traffic growth as it scales its physical footprint.

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