[slg]

Those numbers say nothing about the interaction between retail and online sales. There is no question the Warby Parker retail stores cannibalize the online sales. The only reason I went to the store was because it was quicker than a home try on. The brand is what attracted me as a potential customer and not the store itself. It is a mistake to only credit the store with the potential sale.

[hn_throwaway_99]

True, but that is how you report in-store sales, and the exact same dynamic applies to Apple sales.

In terms of "There is no question the Warby Parker retail stores cannibalize the online sales", I wouldn't call in "cannibalization", I'd call it (excuse the business buzzword) synergy. I did the exact same thing, but both parts of the experience enhanced each other for me. That is, I liked being able to browse and search online, and then get a real feel and fitting in-store. I'm sure they expanded into brick-and-mortar retail because they know a large number of folks aren't going to want to go through the mail-order-try-on-five-pairs thing.