Marketing Report VIU

Habermacher, Lisa Kraan, Stefanie Bumbacher, Yehia Abouzaid

In this report, our group is analysing the marketing activities of the brand VIU Eyewear. The analysis is based in the core book of the Marketing course: Principles of Marketing for a Digital Age by Tracy L. Tuten. Due to the given time-frame for creating this marketing plan, our group decided to lay the focus on the B2C business and marketing activities of VIU and their physical shops in Switzerland only.

Designed in Switzerland. Handcrafted. For real characters.

Executive Summary

VIU`s mission is to create prescription lenses and sunglasses that combine timeless aesthetics with innovative technology. With the result of frames that suit every style and personality at a fair price point and a transparent production process. Their glasses are designed in Switzerland, handcrafted in Italy and Japan, and made for real characters (VIU, 2021).

VIU’s values are: clean, pure, honest, transparency, crafted to perfection, and distinctiveness. The company try to incorporate their values in everything they do and design (Christen, 2019).

VIU Eyewear is a Swiss eyewear brand that was founded in Switzerland in 2013 by five young entrepreneurs (IKM-Blog, 2018). Their goal was to combine modern aesthetics with innovative technology which they achieved (Katharina, 2020)

Since their introduction to the market, the brand has revolutionized the eyewear industry in Switzerland after the Swiss eyewear market had long been dominated by expensive but often mediocre products. VIU offers high-quality frames handcrafted out of durable materials and Swiss design for a much lower price then their traditional competitors in the eyewear industry (IKM-Blog, 2018). Eight years after the foundation the successful eyewear company has opened over 50 stores in Europe, 21 of them in Switzerland, and employs over 400 employees (VIU, 2021)

The innovative eyewear brand currently holds three product lines: sunglasses, prescribed glasses, and blue light glasses. They have a broad range of different frame designes their customer can choose from. Additionally to their physical product, VIU also provides the service of eye testing in their stores - for free (VIU, 2021).

The eyewear market in Switzerland is rapidly growing. Approximately 67.7% of the population wear corrective glasses. When looking at sunglasses, the market is even bigger since almost everyone owns them, so around 8.5 million people. (Statista, 2021) According to VIU, they sell around 100’000 frames per year (VIU, 2021)

VIU sells their high-quality products at a moderate price point. The company remains up to date with current technologies and trends and is flexible due to their business running on digital core and their in-house design and manufacturing. They are present online and offline to meet the growing needs of the digital society.The company does not only focus on optician expertise but also on sales and branding to attract new customers.

Marketing Environment

Internal Environment

How does marketing support VIU’s mission, strategic intent, objectives and growth strategies?

VIU avoids high purchase prices and cost-intensive distribution via branches, because both design and distribution remain firmly in the hands of the company. The company’s sales concept also includes positioning eyewear as a fashion statement. This starts with a campaign featuring local celebrities instead of anonymous models and continues with limited edition designs (Ramsenthaler, 2016). Instead of ordering from the optician, you order from the VIU online store. Up to four of the frames are shipped free of shipping costs for the customer to try at home. If the customer does not want to miss out on the shopping experience on site, showrooms are available, where the glasses can then also be ordered (VIU, 2021)

Mission

“Creating frames that suit every personality and style. We are committed to fair prices and a transparent production process” (VIU, 2021). The company’s mission is to create prescription lenses and sunglasses that combine timeless aesthetics with innovative technology. With the result of frames that suit every style and personality at a fair price point and a transparent production process

(VIU, 2021)

Strategic intent

In order to change the competitive landscape, VIU attaches great value to high quality eyewear at a reasonable price point. Furthermore, each pair of VIU glasses is designed in Switzerland and handcrafted by an Italian and Japanese family business. The origin and manufacture of each pair of glasses is traceable, which gives VIU an advantage over other manufacturers in this regard. A clever combination of online and offline sales is the key to their success. The Zurich-based company is well-known both online and in person, with flagship stores in all of Switzerland’s, Germany’s, and Austria’s major cities (Ramsenthaler, 2016)

Objective

VIU’s objective is to offer handmade high-quality glasses featuring stylish designs at unbeatable prices (Startup.ch)

Growth strategies

Out of the three strategies market penetration is the one the company follows the least.

Market development - In 2020 Credit Suisse Entrepreneur Capital invested 3 million CHF in VIU Ventures. The company will use the investment to fund its growth strategy with a particular focus on strengthening the further expansion of its European distribution network (Credit Suisse, 2020)

Market penetration - VIU seeks to increase revenues from sales of its present products in its existing markets by attracting new customers with low prices, especially in comparison to its competitors.

Product development - The company increases revenues by developing products in their portfolio while targeting the existing market. For example, VIU developed a limited pair of glasses with an unconventional frame, in collaboration with “Armes”. The frame is inspired by a classic industrial visor shape (VIU, 2021).

What is the corporate culture and how does it influence marketing activities?

The corporate culture of VIU is Market oriented. Its primary focus is on competition and growth. A corporate culture which is market oriented prioritizes profitability and stresses the importance of getting results 1. This can be difficult for employees, since every decision is tied to a number they are not able to meaningfully engage with their work and live out their professional purpose. This is also shown in the feedback by the employees (Kununu, 2021)

What has VIU done in the past with its: target markets, products, pricing, promotion, supply chain, people, process, and presence?

VIU has expanded its business from Switzerland to five other countries in Europe. Since the beginning, the company sells corrective glasses and sunglasses and has recently added blue light glasses to their product portfolio. Next to their physical products, they also offer the service of eye testing in their stores. For their designs, they sometimes collaborate with designers to create limited frame designs (Optometry Today, 2019).

VIU, 2021: VIU EYEWEAR® Online Shop FRAMING CHARACTERS. (2021). VIU. https://shopviu.com/en_int

1: Tuten, T. L. (2020). Principles of Marketing for a Digital Age (1st ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.

The company has always had relatively low prices because they believe that quality eyewear does not have to be expensive. Kilian Wagner, founder of VIU, states that every second purchase is through recommendations. They promote their products online on their website and social media as well as offline. He also mentions that half of their customers begin their customer journey online and the process is then either all online by making use of the try-at-home service or continues offline by purchasing in-store.

Their omnichannel distribution approach provides a seamless online and offline product purchase. Regarding presence, their stores have a coherent style and ambience, however, they design them in a way that every store has its own special look and materials (NOAHConference, 2019). The supply chain is controlled by the firm. The design is developed in Switzerland, production countries are Italy and Japan. After the manufacturing, the products get distributed to the different European stores (UBS Schweiz, 2019). Their omnichannel distribution approach provides a seamless online and offline product purchase, although only 5% of them are online in the eyewear industry still.

Regarding presence, all of their stores have a coherent style and ambience, however, they design them in a way that every store has its own special look and materials (NOAHConference, 2019). The supply chain is controlled by the firm, from design to manufacturing and retail. The design is developed in Switzerland, production countries are Italy and Japan. After the manufacturing, the products get distributed to the different European stores (UBS Schweiz, 2019).

What resources does VIU have that make them unique?

The business is running on an online core that gives them the ability to quickly open up a popup store compared to classical retailers that are much slower (NOAHConference, 2019). It is a Swiss based brand which provides high-quality products for an affordable price because they can cut out the middle men (Optometry Today, 2019). Furthermore, the company positions itself as a fashion brand rather than an eyewear brand. They want to shape the future of eyewear through innovation and using the newest technologies. For that, VIU has a small team that focuses on technology and the digitalization of faces. The innovative company is one of the first that uses 3D technology to customize their frames (Torcasso, 2018).

How has the company added value through its offerings in the past?

In the past, VIU has added value through its pricing, design, range of products, job-to-be-done, quality, and service:

. Pricing: Affordable products that are high quality and fashionable

. Design: Trendy and fashionable frame designs that is timeless

. Range of products: Big range of lenses and frames, colors and styles

. Job-to-be-done: Eye testing for free (as a way to attract customers)

. Quality: Handcrafted products

. Service: Online try-at-home service that is free, return service that allows customers to return ordered sunglasses in 30 days for free (shows flexibility and simplicity)

External Environment

How big is the global eyewear market?

The size of the global eyewear market is valued at USD 147.60 billion in 2020 (Grand view research, 2021) and is expected to grow annually by 4.95% in 2021-2025 (Statista, 2020).

How big is the domestic market? Who buys VIU’s product?

So when looking at VIU’s market in Switzerland, it includes the people who suffer from visual impairment and the people who want to protect their eyes from the sun. Furthermore, there are the people wanting to protect their eyes from blue rays. It was hard to find numbers on people owning blue light glasses but we found out that approximately 67.7% of the population wear corrective glasses. This would be around 5.8 million people. And when looking at sunglasses, the market is even bigger since almost everyone owns them, so around 8.5 million people (Statista, 2021). According to VIU, they sell around 100’000 frames per year (VIU, 2021).

Who are VIU’s competitors? What are their marketing strategies?

We split the direct competitors into two categories. First, competition regarding brand design and second, regarding company size and amount of stores in Switzerland.

Competitors according to brand design

. Ace & Tate: They refer to themselves as a brand that offers “Lovingly designed glasses” for a at a great price.

. Götti: Very high quality Swiss design glasses with no prices on website.

. MYKITA: Contemporary, modern glasses, prices very hard to find on website.

. Nirvana Javan: Very fashionable eyewear brand, also no prices on website.

. Bonocler: Sustainable and affordable eyewear brand.

Competitors according to size of company and amount of stores (in Switzerland): Visilab: They have around 75 stores in Switzerland and their marketing strategy is all about discounts. They are known for their “your age is your discount” promotions and for giving out promo codes.

Fielmann: They has around 40 stores in Switzerland and they follow a dominant market strategy since they offer high quality for a low price.

Kochoptik: They have around 26 stores in Switzerland and on they are more high end, there’s no prices visible at first sight on their website and they focus on high quality.

McOptic: They have around 62 stores in Switzerland and are known for big sales like “Get your second pair of glasses for only 1.-”, they also make sure that the first thing the customer sees when visiting their websites is their (affordable) prices. Positioning

Future trends

Nirvan Javan Bonocler

Fielmann

Götti Visilab koch Optik

PESTEL Political Taxation Policy:

The federal Swiss corporate tax rate is a flat 8.5%, but cantonal tax rates vary. The maximum corporate tax rate is between 11.9% and 21.6%. VAT is usually charged at 7.7% on most commercial exchanges of goods and services (Meyer, 2021).

Government Stability:

Switzerland has one of the most stable governments in the world. For 60 years, the socalled magic formula has applied to the composition of the Federal Council: The three strongest parties each have two seats in the Federal Council, and the fourth strongest party has one seat (Zehnder, 2019)

Foreign Trade Regulations:

As Switzerland is not a part of the European Union, their economic and trade relations are mainly governed through a series of bilateral agreements. Switzerland has agreed to take over certain aspects of EU legislation in exchange for accessing part of the EU’s single market. The European Union is Switzerland’s main trading partner. Swiss merchandise exports to the EU are concentrated on a few sectors, particularly chemicals/pharma and medical products, machinery, instruments and watches. Tariffs on Swiss manufactures are generally low (European Commission, 2021).

Economic

General state of economy:

In 2020, Switzerland’s economy shrank 2.9% as a result of Covid-19. Official figures show that the economy was growing 7.6% in the third quarter of 2020 (July-September) before slowing to +0.3% in the last three months of the year (Swissinfo, 2021).

Consumer confidence:

Figures for January 21 show that the sentiment remains gloomy among Swiss households. People still feel the effects of the crisis and are hesitant when it comes to spending their money (Seco, 2021).

Unemployment rate:

In January 2021, the unemployment rate in Switzerland rose again to 169,753 people, reaching 3.7%. Compared to January 2020, unemployment has risen by 40.3% according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Swissinfo, 2021).

Disposable income:

In 2019, 10% of people living in Switzerland had an equivalised disposable income that was less than CHF 25,868 per year. 10% of people living in Switzerland had an equivalised disposable income that was greater than CHF 91,271 per year. The median shows that half of people living in Switzerland had an equivalised disposable income that was less than CHF 50,075 per year (bfs, 2021).

Interest rates:

The Swiss National Bank SNB key interest rate is stated as -0.75% at the moment (snb,2021).

Exchange rates March 25th

Social

In Switzerland two thirds of the population is dependent on visual aids (Dynoptik, 2019) People are spending more time on their computer or mobile screen. The number of near-sighted people increases among people between 15 and 39 years due to an intensive screen contact under poor conditions (BFS, 2017). Swiss people are into minimal and modern design. That can also be seen in the current eyewear trends: Windsor glasses, geometric frames, soft brown tones, animal print, transparent plastic glasses, bold acetate, and slow fashion (Brillenstyling, 2021). Slow fashion goes hand in hand with the emerging trend of more and more people caring for the environment. Especially younger people are aware of climate change and its threats and participate in climate strikes and other such events. In social media, people are more engaging with influencers who practise simplicity as a lifestyle and sharing this renewed enjoyment of simple offline pleasures with communities of like-minded others (Oxford, 2020).

Technology

There are several technological factors that influence the eyewear market in Switzerland: . Customization: The power of 3D printing technology. People can order custom 3D printed frames fully tailored to fit their face or desired style.

. Augmented reality technology: Smart glasses with AR functions provide visual experience in front of customers’ eyes, by connecting their glasses with a digital device (mafo, 2021).

. Online counseling: Eyewear brands put their effort into improving the online shopping experience by offering online counseling to their clients to help them choose the best and suitable choice (VIU, 2021).

. New material for frames and lenses technology eyewear: New materials that are more sustainable and cost-effective like biodegradables or biobased plastic are being used to reduce carbon footprint in glasses production (e.g. Castor bean) (Neubau, 2021). Furthermore, Technology enables the combination of blue light technology with regular correction glasses.

Ecological

There are ten environmental problems that can be identified currently. These are climate change, water scarcity, air pollution, soil erosion, overpopulation, deforestation, species extinction, world hunger, overfishing, and plastic waste in the environment (Schulz, 2019). The greatest challenges for Switzerland are the growing consumption of soil, the overfertilization of ecosystems, the large quantities of waste, and climate change. These pressures have a negative impact on the health and well-being of the population as well as on natural habitats and biodiversity.

With its consumption and production behaviour, Switzerland exceeds the environmentally compatible level by more than three times (Wermelinger, 2018).

Legal

These regulations are from the Association of Opticians and Optometrists Switzerland. If you do not comply with these regulations as a business owner, you will lose your license and will not be allowed to operate an eyewear business. As far as our research goes, the company has no violations with laws or regulations (Verband für Optometrie und Optik, 2020).

Each canton in Switzerland has its own regulations for opticians and optometry. However, the following restriction apply nationwide:

. In order to work independently as an optician with the authorization to advise, fit and sell visual aids on the prescription of an authorized specialist, the applicant must have a federal certificate of proficiency or a federal certificate of proficiency or a training qualification recognized as equivalent.

SWOT analysis

Strengths

. Timeless, modern, individual and fashionable Design

. Moderate price point

. High Quality because of hand-crafting (made in Italy)

. Flexibility in terms of expansion due to the digital core of the business and in-house manufacturing

. Up to date with the current technologies and trends

. Store locations are furnished in a characteristically and stylish way

. Being present online and offline to meet the needs of the digital society

Opportunities

. Using new technology for digital try-ons and face scanning

. New materials for 3D printing (e.g. biodegradable materials)

. Digital consultancy can be promoted

. Expand collaborations with other brands and important personalities to gain attention and brand recognition

WSWeaknesses

. Dissatisfaction of employees due to the market oriented corporate culture

. Brand recognition is small since they don’t have a very visible logo on their products

TOThreats

. Increasing number of direct competitors with the same mission

. Increasing demand for sustainable and “clean” products, trend away from fast fashion

. Due to corona the revenues from the stores declined, chances are high that the restrictions will remain for a long time

Marketing Toolbox

Market Segmentation and Targeting

Demographic

Age: Between 20-65

Gender: Both male and female

Income: Enough to afford VIU glasses and not go to McOptic or Fielmann, approximately between 12’000.- (students) to 500’000.- per year.

Occupation: Ex. Marketing Manager or HR-trainee, something where they make enough money but not in the highest paid league. Also students, since VIU wants to be an affordable brand (VIU, 2021).

Marital status: Could be both married or single

Family life cycle: could be everything: independent young adult, single mid-aged person, newly married couple, parents raising-children, or person in retirement.

Education: Low, medium to well educated

Socio-economic status: Most likely in aspirational class since they want to have a great high-quality product but not willing or able to pay too much.

Geographic

Country: Germany, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Austria but we focus on Switzerland only.

Region: Mostly people who live in or near a city since that’s where VIU stores are located but also possible that people from the countryside come to the city to buy glasses or order them online.

Market size: Approx. 67.7% of the Swiss population wears glasses (approx. 5.8 million) whereas the sunglasses market might be around 8.5 Million (Statista, 2021).

Language: Although their stores are only in the German and French parts of Switzerland, VIU might also have Italian- or English-speaking customers.

Psychographic

Motives: Higher design, quality and in-store experience expectations than in a regular “Fielman” store. If shopping on-site, a good consultancy, similar to a high fashion store are expected.

Personality traits:

. A person with character (VIU puts a big emphasis on this)

. Style and appearance are important to them

. Youthful and hip, yet classy and chic

Timeless aesthetics and innovative technology appeals to them → glasses have names like “the glamorous”, “the lucid” or “the posh” (VIU, 2021).

Values: They care about where their products come from or are produced (do not want to support translucent methods of the old established brands anymore).

Attitudes: VIU customers mostly follow a modern view of the world and lifestyle. When looking at Forrester’s empowered customer segmentation framework1, The following observations can be made:

. Willingness to experiment: probably on the higher end but not necessarily. Self-efficacy and information savviness: on the higher end since they might use the internet to inform themselves about alternatives post-purchase.

. Device usage: We assume that the majority of the customers use their phone quite often and are therefore more likely to respond to mobile ads than to posters.

Interests: Design, technology, fashion

Behavioral

Role: Mostly likely savvy seekers or convenience conformers since they are comfortable with digital payment methods(there’s no cashier in VIU stores, you can only pay by card) (Bellevue NZZ, 2021).

Purchase occasions: The majority sees the glasses more as of accessories and therefore buy a new pair on average every three years (Foreyes, 2020).

Usage rate: They wear their regular glasses almost every day, sunglasses occasionally.

Shopping patterns: Webrooming1 since they check their products online before they go to a store and since glasses are more of a high involvement purchase, customers plan their shopping, it’s usually not a spontaneous buy (Handelszeitung, 2021).

52 years old. She is single, works as a creative director, loves her job and her two cats. Her annual income is about 100’000.- a year. She lives in a nicely decorated apartment in downtown Zurich. Aesthetics are important to her and she is passionate about fashion. She loves modern and timeless brands like COS and GANNI. Since she has a lot of clothes and therefore likes to have multiple, matching glasses. Linda has a blog where she shares her favorite cooking recipes. The other day, while browsing the web, she stumbled upon the contemporary brand VIU which she is planning to check out in store very soon. 65 %

Paul,

27 years old. Paul just finished his Engineering Master at ETH. He doesn’t have a job yet but since sustainability as well as Human rights are very dear to his heart, he built a big fanbase on instagram where he talks about these topics. He spends quite a big amount of time on instagram each day and every now and then he checks out twitter to learn about recent topics. Paul is in a relationship and also lives together with his girlfriend in the old town of Solothurn. In his freetime he likes skateboarding, books and hiking. Paul likes brands like Veja and Patagonia. He is new to the eyewear market.

85

Customer Journey VIU

Persona

Research & Planning Product Discovery Purchase Use Loyalty

Paul needs new glasses, since his old ones are broken. He does some research online and asks his friends and family for recommendations. Paul is not financially stable at the moment, since he just graduated from uni. However, it is very important to him to look presentable and modern. Paul came across the brand VIU. He does some further research on their products. He compares prices and reads Google-reviews about the brand.

Paul visits the store in order to try out the glasses he looked at online. He is very happy with the professional consultation. Not only does the optician help him with finding the right eyeglass strength, but he gets advice on which pair of glasses looks best him. However, Paul isn‘t quiet sure about which glasses he wants to purchase. That‘s why he decides to visit the store again in a few days.

Paul re-visits the VIU store and decides on a model of glasses he wants to purchase. Paul is a bit upset, because the store is quite packed, which means he has to wait a while before an employee comes to help him. However, he is very happy to finally be able to talk to the same employee as he did when he first visited the store. After he made his definite decisions he walks to the checkout together with the employee. His mood lifts even more when he receives a goodie to go with the glasses he bought.

Paul wears his new glasses everyday, since he purchased it. He his very impressed by the high quality, since the price wasn‘t that high. He also receives a lot of compliments on his new glasses saying his glasses are very trendy.

Paul is very happy with his purchase at VIU and decides to write a positive Google review. Futhermore, Paul tells all his friends and family about his positive experience at VIU. Paul was so happy with his purchase that he decided to buy a pair of sunglasses.

Positioning

Brands that offer substitutional products in Switzerland to VIU are: Ace & tate, Götti, Nirvan Javan, Bonocler, Fielmann, Visilab, and Kochoptik. The latter three and Götti are more traditional brands with optician stores and a big product portfolio, some of them also sell glasses from other brands like Prada and Boss. Ace & tate, Nirvan Javan, and Bonocler are more contemporary and future-driven brands that have a great online presence and web shops to distribute their products.

Points of differentiation

. Price/Quality: affordability, value for money (handcrafted designs)

. Transformational: fashion brand, fancy and luxurious feeling in-store

Aesthetics/design: attractive, trendy, cool, fashionable, modern

. Technology: high tech, online, additive manufacturing

Country of origin: Swiss founded and based eyewear brand

. Emotion: confidence

. Brand story: handmade quality eyewear, cultural branding

Points of parity

. Price

. Problem solution: functional, primary job-to-be-done

. Usage moment: everyday use

Reliability: durable products, warranty

Positioning statement of VIU:

To the modern men and women who value good design and quality but don’t want to compensate in aesthetics, VIU is the affordable fashion and eyewear brand that provides the best price-to-value products. That’s because VIU designs all their products in Switzerland to provide the timeless and trendy designs that are handmade in Italy and Japan with attention to quality and care.

Targeting approach

VIU’s targeting approach is a differentiated, multi-segmented one. This is the case since they have multiple product lines and also different products within each product line that should cater to the different tastes of different segments.

Strategic Opportunity

We could identify VIU’s current strategic opportunity as market penetration. Their goal is to increase sales of its present products in its existing markets to increase margins, build market share, and attract new customers.

There seems to be an underserved market of mostly young people wanting to express themselves through fashion and want modern as well as stylish eyewear that doesn’t crash the bank. This underserved market is also recognizable since the market is not saturated at all and competitors were not so easy to identify in our research 1 .

VIU focuses on building secondary demand. They try to persuade people to purchase their products and not competitors rather than generating demand for the product category in general. (Kokemuller, 2017) They want prospective buyers to know the benefits of their brand. Their message is showing their positioning in the market, believing to be better than alternative brands.

Business Model Canvas

Cost Centers

Key Partners

. Manufacturers in Italy and Japan

. Suppliers of raw material

. Investment partners (like Credit Suisse)

. Ambassadors and influencers

. In-house partners: Designers, Employees, Store employees, Marketing team etc.

Key Activities

Design glasses in-house in Switzerland, collaborate with manufacturers in Italy and Japan Offer customers good customer service as well as free eye testing (to attract customers)

Running company based on digital core to remain flexibility.

. Enable the tracibility of origin and manufacture of each pair of glasses

. Viu attaches great value to high quality eyewear at a reasonable price point.

. Direct-to-consumer

. e-commerce or multi-channel distribution

Value Propositions

They offer handmade high-quality glasses featuring stylish designs at unbeatable prices. In order create a value for the customer, they also offer the services of eye-testing or at home try ons (VIU, 2021).

Profit Centers

Customer Relationships

Via website

. Social media

. Direct contact (phone calls, emails etc.)

. Via campaigns with local celebrities

. Via flagship stores

Via their ambassador programm (recommend a friend emails including 10% coupon code)

Customer Segments

. Modern, style and design conscious women and men between 17-75 years old, aspirational class, mostly urban that are attracted to transparent brands, contemporary brands that work with innovative technology.

Key Resources

. Materials for production

. Human ressources (Every person working at VIU etc.)

. Platforms (Stores & website)

. Infrastructre Capital

* Cost structure and revenue stream are not being considered

Channels

A clever combination of online and offline sales is the key to their success

. Strong online presence (website, social media etc.)

Flagship stores in all major cities

. Partner opticians

. Partner stores

Marketing Mix

Product

VIU has three product lines: sunglasses, corrective glasses, and blue light glasses. All of them have an extensive line length since the different lenses can be used with almost all of the frames they sell. The products are not labelled very visibly. The placement of the logo is on the inside of the temple stem and is not visible when wearing the glasses. The packaging of the product is in the nature of the brand’s identity with contemporary, classy and minimalistic designs.

How can attention to service quality enhance VIU’s success?

Better service means that more people trust the brand and feel comfortable and secure in their purchasing decision. Glasses are a shopping product since prospect buyers make comparisons among competing brands first as well as an extended decision journey. The customer will be wearing them everyday and if the service is not good, the customer most likely won’t take the risk to continue their customer journey with the brand but leave for the competition.

Product Levels and Layers of Value Product

Pricing

VIU’s prices range from the lowest of 175 CHF to the highest of 675 CHF for a pair of glasses with special progressive lenses. For each product line they offer four different options of lenses that vary in price (VIU, 2021).

Based on what we could find out about the brand’s products, prices and marketing activities, VIU’s pricing orientation is a combination of competition-based pricing and customer value-based pricing. They establish themselves as a low price leader while providing the same quality as the high price competitors and additionally they consider the value perception of customers that think that traditional eyewear is too expensive1.

It can be assumed that VIU’s pricing objectives are to maximize sales growth and maximize revenue. They can achieve these objectives by setting the right pricing strategy and pricing tactics such as value pricing, cost-plus pricing and freemium.

The pricing strategy VIU most likely is using is optional product pricing (Sathish AR) by offering a base price and different prices for different lens options for the same frame and product line. Furthermore, it seems like they apply cost-plus pricing to their eyewear products. To determine their affordable prices, they add a certain percentage of cost as profit margin to the value of the manufactured products.

Firstly, we take a look at how it is possible for VIU to produce such affordable glasses. When buying glasses traditionally, the customer pays 4 to 20 times more than the manufacturing price of the product. This is because the optical industry is controlled by large corporations like Luxottica that produce and sell glasses in the name of luxury houses. When doing so, they determine the high prices, which are not caused by complicated manufacturing techniques or high material costs, as the industry likes to argue. Apart from that, there are the optician’s expenses which drive the costs up. VIU combines intermediate steps under one roof to keep the costs of their products down (Braun, 2016).

Place

VIU eyewear brand has set out a shortcut in the supply chain at the eyewear industry with their direct-to-consumer business model. Due to cutting out the middleman (retailers and wholesalers) and designing a channel length zero level and one level. VIU glasses are designed in the house of VIU in Zürich and hand crafted in Dolomites, Italy and Honshu island in Japan. VIU has a successful omnichannel distribution strategy to meet customer preferences. The omnichannel distribution approach provides a seamless online and offline product purchase. The business model of no intermediary traders, own designs, and selling directly to the end customer, was the core idea to supply high-quality glasses with an affordable price.

Omnichannel

Promotion

To promote their products and services, VIU uses typical MARCOM modes such as advertising, branded content, PR, social media marketing, events and experiences, direct marketing, and sales promotion:

. Advertising: They use mobile and online ads as well as search advertising and posters.

. Branded Content: Here their website is the main media.

. Public Relations: Their founders do speeches and interviews to promote their brand and marketing strategy, they also use influencer outreach as promotion

. Social Media Marketing: The brand is present on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube,where they share photos, videos and other content

. Events, Experiences, Sponsorships: VIU sometimes plans events to promote their store openings, like collection launches that are accessible for everyone. They also provide their store locations for seminars of different kinds

. Direct Marketing: Customers can sign up to a newsletter of the brand to get frequent notifications and information about the brand

. Sales Promotion: VIU uses rebates of their ambassador program to affect buyer behaviour

VIU uses all four communication segments from the PESO model; paid, earned, shared and owned media for promotional purposes. Next to desktop and mobile Internet, they also make use of other media vehicles like place-based media and magazines.

Consumer Marketing Channels B2C

As a company focusing on digitalization, VIU takes advantage of different forms of digital advertising and targeting to reach their target audience. They use search ads on browser sites, expandable ads on websites and native ads on social media feeds and focus on behavioural targeting and retargeting to make sure their advertising reaches the users of their target segment. This makes sense since they target young people that are most likely influenced by something they see on their social media feeds or websites.

VIU has been identified using brand image and positioning approaches for their creative strategy They want to reinforce their position in the competitive landscape and promote their benefits of being trendy, fashionable and affordable. For their message they use a mix of informational and transformational strategies. They want to focus on customers’ practical needs for visual aid and emphasize on the benefits for using Viu as a brand. At the same time they also focus on the social needs of the customers that lead them to purchase their products because wearing modern and fashionable eyewear makes them feel a certain way.

VIU wants their customers to buy their products out of reasons of social approval, vanity and egoism, and profit. People should want their glasses because they want to belong or earn approval, to reinforce pride in one’s appearance, or to save money. For that, their advertisements show common real-life scenarios of people wearing glasses, they illustrate how consumers live and implies that with the purchase of their glasses the consumer can attain this certain lifestyle 1 .

People

VIU’s team consists of 400 VIUans spread all over Europe. When looking at the VIU stores, the front-stage employees are very important. “We want to offer our customers a unique experience” as they state on their website (VIU, 2021). The employees in the stores are sales associates and opticians, both in high-contact with the customers and therefore service providers. They welcome customers, consult them, answer questions, help to find a fitting pair and accompany the customers through the payment process.

When looking at a typical profile of a VIU store associate, a sense of fashion and design is specifically asked for as well as a constant drive for improvement. This shows again that VIU is a very innovative brand that clearly differentiates themselves from other “regular” eyewear brands and proves itself to be true according to our field-research (see blog) (VIU, 2021)

Presence

Since this report mainly focuses on the physical stores of VIU, this element of the marketing mix will discuss the servicescape as a tangible cue in the physical environment of the customer that influences its perception of the company 1 .

VIU selects the materials for each store individually since the company wants to create a local reference in every store they own. If possible, the creative team incorporates elements from the building stock of the spaces in each VIU store. For example at the store in Basel, Switzerland, the dominant material is untreated wood, as it is a rather rural area (Hahn, 2019). The local reference of each store is very important, as it also reflects the mission of the brand. As previously discussed the company sets the focus on transparency regarding the Swiss origin and Italian and Japanese manufacturing process of each pair of glasses. The emphasis on origin and culture is therefore reflected in the local features of each store.

However, what all the stores have in common is the clear design language, which includes clean lines and a natural color palette. But also the lighting in the store plays a huge role. Lamps are required to be unobtrusive but deliver high-quality lighting at the same time. In order to achieve that, VIU installed the so-called ONICO spotlights in their stores. These spotlights provide a glare-free and wide light distribution to illuminate the shelves. This not only makes the overall ambiance in the store more friendly but allows every pair of glasses to be presented in the same lighting (Zumtobel).

The system wall illuminated by ONICO spotlights, the centerpiece of every VIU store Basel store, with its elements of untreated wood

Process Service blueprint

In order to visualize the processes important to a customer inside a VIU store, a possible service blueprint was created. Possible sources of friction are also highlighted in the blueprint. Since there’s no information of possible backstage actions, the map was simplified and reduced to frontstage actions only.

Furniture, smell and ambience in store

Employee and name tag

Different kinds of glasses

Different kinds of glasses

Register, small machine for credit card

Customer enters store

Customer is being welcomed & asked about needs or wishes

Customer describes that he is looking for corrective glasses

Customer receives advice on how to proceed

Customer gets his eyes tested

Customer gets advice on fitting pair of glasses

Customer tries on multiple pairs and choses favorite

Customer returns to store to pick up glasses

He is being guided to register to pay and pays

Employee receives glasses and gets accompanied to door

Customer leaves

If the store is too crowded

Greets customer

No welcome Listens attentively to needs of customer and observes his outfit and behavior

Consults customer about conducting an eye testing

Conducts eye test

If there is no employee to consult customer Consults customer on fitting pair of glasses.

Painful or unprofessional testing

Consults customer on fitting pair of glasses.

If there’s no pair of glasses the customer likes

If the glasses production is delayed

Welcomes customer Hands glasses to customer and guides him through payment process

Machines for eye testing

If the glasses production is delayed

If the checkout is conducted in a rush

If no employee says goodbye or thank you

Thanks customer, hands glasses over and brings customer to door

Says goodbye and thank you again, closes door behind customer

Payment technology

Set Marketing Objectives

Increase brand awareness

In order to increase brand awareness, VIU focuses on marketing glasses as a fashion statement instead of just a visual aid. To reach that objective the company collaborates with influencers as models for their campaigns, creates a modern store concept, and issues limited editions of glasses created by local artists. The company has its identity and message under tight control, which ultimately allowed them to build a strong brand in just a few years (Creative Supply, 2021).

Revenue and growth

It is always crucial for a younger brand to focus on its revenue and growth. Ways to achieve this objective would for example be to make sure the prices promote an increase in profit margin. The in-house production of their products allows the company not only to cut costs on shipping but on delivering as well (Gaille, 2020). This gives VIU the option to maintain the current low prices of their products so that more revenue can be achieved. Furthermore, VIU grows through its focus on market development. Within a very short amount of time, the company expanded in large parts of Europe. This was possible through starting out as an online business and various investments by companies such as Credit Suisse (Creative Supply, 2021).

Develop brand loyalty

When you purchase glasses from VIU you know exactly what you are getting; High quality and stylish glasses at a fair price. Consistency is very important when developing a loyal clientele. Furthermore, VIU is transparent with the manufacturing process of its glasses. As discussed before, VIU cooperates with influencers to promote their brand. This not only increases brand awareness but brand loyalty since followers trust their opinions. VIU chooses their collaboration partners carefully so that they represent the brand authentically (VIU, 2021)

SDG’s and Recommendations

While doing our research on the company, we stumbled across some things that VIU could improve as a brand. Firstly, we think since they attach great value to transparency, they should follow through with that. The company tells us where and how they manufacture their glasses, however, they don’t disclose information about where and how they source their materials or their channel partners.

Another aspect we consider to be important is the incorporation of SDG’s into their business and marketing activities. Until now, they have not positioned themselves as being a sustainable brand or mentioned their contribution to the 17 SDG’s. Yet during our research we saw that they touch on some of the goals with their production process. Ensuring that their products are handmade and high-quality, they contribute to the goals 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). We believe that VIU can incorporate these and other goals more into their business strategy and show responsibility. One thing we like about VIU is that they are future-driven and innovative. Their 3D printing technologies enable customization and will be appealing to customers. However, we think that this aspect of the brand is not very apparent in their promotion and we would advise VIU to advertise this service and benefit to a wider audience.

Lastly, we came to the conclusion that the Swiss population is not as aware of the brand as it should be. For that reason, we think the company should focus more on building brand awareness in Switzerland and focus less on expanding rapidly to other markets.

On the hunt for the VIU customer experience:

We realized that VIU’s customer satisfaction is very dear to the brand’s heart and they are very proud of their customer experience (VIU, 2021). Since we all have not been in close contact with the brand yet, we wanted to test it out ourselves:

Is VIU’s customer experience really that good? And is it the case on all of their platforms? We split up our team, one person would visit a VIU store, one would write an email, another one would give their customer hotline a call and someone would contact the brand on social media – all concerning the same issue– the topic of blue light glasses:

We would state interest in acquiring blue light glasses and therefore have some questions:

- What are the benefits?

- Can the glasses be integrated in all of VIU’s frames?

- Why should I pay so much when I get can them for much cheaper somewhere else?

Criteria of evaluation:

Points from 1-10

1. Detail and accuracy of information

2. Availability

3. Friendliness of employees

4. Expertise of employees

5. Transparency

Blog: VIU Eyeware Group: Deborah, Lisa, Stefanie, Yehia Document: 1050 words

1. Detail and accuracy of information: 5 points

The employee did not tell me anything about the blue light glasses, I had to ask. She pretty much repeated what the sign says (see image). Also, she didn’t mention to me when exactly I should wear them.

2. Availability: 10 points

There were not many people in there, the VIUans greeted me from afar and a friendly lady came closer directly. After a short introduction, she gave me time to look at the glasses.

3. Friendliness of employees: 10 points

I was surprised that she talked to me in an informal ‘du’ form, it almost reminded me of a friend. I felt welcomed and in good hands.

4. Expertise of employees: 8 points

She seemed to know what she was talking about but when I asked about how blue light glasses work she didn’t give me a detailed answer. I could have gotten more information from their website (see image). Otherwise I was very happy with the consultation. She recommended me a pair I really liked before I even asked for it (see image), she based it on my face shape and matched the color to the outfit I was wearing. Furthermore, she replied professionally and competent to my questions about the glasses (VIU, 2021).

5. Transparency: 6 points

First, she said that I could chose every model with blue light glasses but then I referred to a specific pair, she told me that this specific model was not available with blue light glasses which was not very transparent and disappointing. When I asked about why VIU glasses are more expensive than competitors, she mentioned the design in Zurich, production in Italy, 2 years guarantee and that most VIU glasses could get repolished when scratched.

Phone call:

1. Detail and accuracy of information: 5 Points

The employee on the phone told us that we can purchase any pair of glasses with blue light lenses. But the employee at the store said it is not possible to do so. Therefore, one of them is not right and there is no unity within the consultations, which causes confusion.

2. Availability: 10 Points

When we called customer service we were in the waiting loop for not even 10 seconds, before an employee took off the phone. This is very fast when you compare to other customer care centers.

3. Friendliness of employees: 10 Points

When we called VIU a nice lady answered the phone. Her voice was bright and welcoming. She was easy to understand, gave detailed answers to all of our questions, and was patient if something wasn’t clear to us.

4. Expertise of employees: 9 Points

The lady on the phone was able to answer all of our questions without hesitation. She even provided us with detailed numbers on the reflection rate of the glasses. The employee gave us an explanation of how the glasses are build up and how they work. Even when we asked a follow-up question, she was able to give us a competent response.

5. Transparency: 6 Points

Although the information she provided was very detailed, the employee did not mention that there are two options of blue light glasses and one of them being significantly cheaper. It can be assumed that we do not want to spend a lot of money on the glasses since we specifically asked how the high price is justified.

Email Customer Service:

1. Detail and accuracy of information: 6 Points

In their response email, they give a good amount of information about the product but not how they work. Also, the information about it being possible to buy every frame with the lenses does not match with the previous received information.

2. Availability: 9 Points

We sent the email on the weekend and got the response on Monday at 11 am. They were not available on the weekend, which is normal for businesses and they answered fast on Monday.

3. Friendliness of employees: 10 Points

It is harder to come across nice via email, but the response sounds friendly and honest. This made us feel understood and cared for, which we appreciate a lot.

4. Expertise of employees: 8 Points

It seems like the employee knows what they talk about regarding the blue light glasses. The reply is easy to understand and answered all my questions except where I asked how the glasses work.

5. Transparency: 9 Points

The information they gave is detailed and the employee explains the benefits of their premium filter and why it might be more expensive. They also tell us that there is another blue light filter option that is cheaper which shows their transparency.

Social media:

Lastly, we reached out to the brand on Instagram direct message with the same questions. Unfortunately, we did not get a response from them in two days and therefore we can’t really rate the experience.

Conclusion

Overall the customer experience was satisfying. The employees are friendly and we felt well taken care of. However, they are not fully transparent when it comes to the different price levels of the glasses. None of the employees told us that there are lenses which are significantly cheaper than the ones they talked about, which is disappointing since VIU stands for fair prices.

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People. (n.d.). Unsplash. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://unsplash.com/s/photos/people

Peter Ramsenthaler, P. R. (2016, May 10). AUS DEM RAHMEN: DER SCHWEIZER BRILLENHERSTELLER VIU SORGT FÜR AUFSEHEN. Marmind. https://www.marmind.com/de/ aus-dem-rahmen-der-schweizer-brillenhersteller-viu-sorgt-fur-aufsehen/

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Rina. (2020, December 11). Eure neue Brille von VIU Eyewear. Journelles. https://www.jour nelles.de/brille-viu-eyewear-journelles-gift-special-11/

Sathish AR. (n.d.). 15 Different Pricing Strategies You Must Know for Your Business. Quick books. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://quickbooks.intuit.com/in/resources/market ing-a-business-marketing-a-business/different-pricing-strategies/

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Smart-up: Trefft mit uns. . . Peter Käser, Co-Founder von VIU Eyewear. (2018, April 28). Hoch schule Luzern. https://hub.hslu.ch/ikm/2018/04/28/smart-up-trefft-mit-uns-peter-kaeser-cofounder-von-viu-eyewear/

Spring fever. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from https://shopviu.com/en_de

Statista. (2021, February 2). People who wear spectacles in Europe 2020. https://www.statista. com/statistics/711514/individuals-who-wear-spectacles-in-selected-european-countries/

Stefanie Wermelinger. Retrieved March 18, 2021, Umweltbericht: Verschieben der Umweltprob leme ins Ausland. Naturschutz. https://naturschutz.ch/news/gesellschaft/umweltbericht-ver schieben-der-umweltprobleme-ins-ausland/131364

Styleguide. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://shopviu.com/de_de/styleguide

Sustainable Development Goals. (2021). SDGs. https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

Swiss Franc exchange rates. (n.d.). X-Rates. Retrieved 21–03-25, from https://www.x-rates. com/table/?from=CHF&amount=1

Switzerland experiences highest unemployment rate in a decade. (21–02-08). Swiss Info. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/switzerland-experiences-highest-unemployment-rate-in-a-decade/46353162

Switzerland trade picture. (n.d.). European Commission. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https:// ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/switzerland/

This is us. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://shopviu.com/en_de/this-is-viu

Try on at home. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved 21–03-20, from https://shopviu.com/de_ch/tryathome

Tuten, T. L. (2020). Principles of Marketing for a Digital Age (1st ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.

UBS Schweiz. (19–03-05). UBS Private Investor Circle. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1DJz5Dt-icY

VIU flagship stores. (n.d.). Zumtobel. Retrieved 21–03-20, from https://zumtobel.us/inspiration/ viu-flagship-stores_70/

VIU Ventures. (n.d.). Sales Associate (m/w/d). VIU Recruiterbox. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mgqVkQvzWib8inzZ3THxsRWzIphH_J0lHrXg ZKWCtj4/edit#

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Neubau. (2021). Neubau. https://neubau-eyewear.com/about/materials

NOAHConference. (19–06-25). VIU - NOAH19 Berlin. Youtube. https://www.kununu.com/de/ viu-eyewear/kommentare

Optometry Today. (19–09-10). Swiss eyewear brand VIU comes to the UK. Youtube. https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4m0GJKM-jo

People. (n.d.). Unsplash. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://unsplash.com/s/photos/people

Peter Ramsenthaler, P. R. (2016, May 10). AUS DEM RAHMEN: DER SCHWEIZER BRIL LENHERSTELLER VIU SORGT FÜR AUFSEHEN. Marmind. https://www.marmind.com/de/ aus-dem-rahmen-der-schweizer-brillenhersteller-viu-sorgt-fur-aufsehen/

Rebekka Christen, R. C. (2019, April 29). Wir hatten schon hohe Ambitionen. L’Officiel. https:// www.lofficiel.ch/people/wir-hatten-schon-hohe-ambitionen-e06ad5db-ed40-454b-9d3d23e391febae2

Rina. (2020, December 11). Eure neue Brille von VIU Eyewear. Journelles. https://www.jour nelles.de/brille-viu-eyewear-journelles-gift-special-11/

Sathish AR. (n.d.). 15 Different Pricing Strategies You Must Know for Your Business Quick books. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://quickbooks.intuit.com/in/resources/market ing-a-business-marketing-a-business/different-pricing-strategies/

Share of individuals who wear spectacles in selected European countries in 2020. (2020, October 1). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/711514/individuals-who-wear-spec tacles-in-selected-european-countries/

Smart-up: Trefft mit uns. . . Peter Käser, Co-Founder von VIU Eyewear. (2018, April 28). Hoch schule Luzern. https://hub.hslu.ch/ikm/2018/04/28/smart-up-trefft-mit-uns-peter-kaeser-cofounder-von-viu-eyewear/

Spring fever. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from https://shopviu.com/en_de

Statista. (2021, February 2). People who wear spectacles in Europe 2020. https://www.statista. com/statistics/711514/individuals-who-wear-spectacles-in-selected-european-countries/

Stefanie Wermelinger. Retrieved March 18, 2021, Umweltbericht: Verschieben der Umweltprob leme ins Ausland. Naturschutz https://naturschutz.ch/news/gesellschaft/umweltbericht-ver schieben-der-umweltprobleme-ins-ausland/131364

Styleguide. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://shopviu.com/de_de/styleguide

Sustainable Development Goals. (2021). SDGs. https://sdgs.un.org/goals.

Swiss Franc exchange rates. (n.d.). X-Rates. Retrieved 21–03-25, from https://www.x-rates. com/table/?from=CHF&amount=1

Switzerland experiences highest unemployment rate in a decade. (21–02-08). Swiss Info. https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/switzerland-experiences-highest-unemployment-rate-in-a-dec ade/46353162

Switzerland trade picture. (n.d.). European Commission. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https:// ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/switzerland/

This is us. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved March 28, 2021, from https://shopviu.com/en_de/this-is-viu

Try on at home. (n.d.). VIU. Retrieved 21–03-20, from https://shopviu.com/de_ch/tryathome

Tuten, T. L. (2020). Principles of Marketing for a Digital Age (1st ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.

UBS Schweiz. (19–03-05). UBS Private Investor Circle. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1DJz5Dt-icY

VIU flagship stores (n.d.). Zumtobel. Retrieved 21–03-20, from https://zumtobel.us/inspiration/ viu-flagship-stores_70/

VIU Ventures. (n.d.). Sales Associate (m/w/d). VIU Recruiterbox. Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mgqVkQvzWib8inzZ3THxsRWzIphH_J0lHrXg

ZKWCtj4/edit#

Appendix 2

MARKETING GROUP WORK DECLARATION

VIU Eyewear

We hereby declare that all group members listed below contributed equally to the term project.