Omnichannel eyewear retailer in India, Lenskart, aims to create
micro-entrepreneurs through its Home-Try-On (HTO) business.
The HTO business had witnessed 200% growth since early 2020. During the period, the company created 300 super-star executives, offered over 8 lakh eyeglasses and conducted 10 lakh eye tests across 10 cities every month.
The company is now planning to expand the HTO business model further by incorporating micro-entrepreneurs. The HTO model received wide acceptance with the global pandemic when the convenience of getting things done in the safety and comfort of homes proved to be even more critical.
With this, the larger idea here is to build an ecosystem of on-demand services for eyewear similar to the on-demand cab service providers in India and globally. Adopting the omnichannel strategy early on and pioneering the Home-Try-On (HTO) services in India, Lenskart has taken consumers to the next level by offering an end-to-end service that includes eye check-ups, product selection, customization, and last-mile delivery.
Peyush Bansal, CEO, and Co-Founder at Lenskart said, “Growing from being a startup to a unicorn, we are driven by the purpose of transforming the vision of the world by creating an entrepreneurial environment.”
“For our HTO executives, it’s also about the dignity of labour – this model provides them a respected space where they are recognized as skilled professionals and trusted by our customers. The highly lucrative incentive model has also helped many of them achieve their dreams – from buying a bike, getting a higher education to paying off their home loans and single-
handedly supporting their families – all while working with the HTO program,” he added.
HTO is a strong customer service-based model based on Lenskart’s DNA of customer obsession. Each Lenskart executive, for instance, carries a wide selection of 150 top-selling frames on their home visits enabling customers to choose from a pool of designs at their comfort.
Moreover, for recurring customers of HTO, for instance, Lenskart tries to ensure the same executive becomes a relationship manager and provides solutions on priority based on previous visits and purchases.
Home-Try-On team has also been servicing premium customers, a few of the regulars are – Virender Sehwag, Raj Kumar Hirani, Vijay Shekhar Sharma to name a few, and this has driven Lenskart to launch HTO Premium to serve customers who would like to access more premium eyewear options as well.
Virender Sehwag, the Former Indian Cricketer, said, “Lenskart’s Home Try-On service is especially great for families. I have booked this home service multiple times where the executives have visited my house to do eye check-ups for me, my wife, and my parents. We also ended up buying multiple frames from their wide selection.”
With the current valuation of $2.5 billion and total funding of $315 million (US) received in 2021, Lenskart’s vision is to grow exponentially in the coming 3-4 years. Being the largest service provider for eyewear in India, it currently sells over 7 million+ eyeglasses annually through its omnichannel shopping experience, including 750+ stores in 175 cities across the country.
