Yonsei News

Innovating the Uncomfortable Eyeglasses with IT

For those with poor vision, prescription glasses are necessary to make everyday life convenient. But at the same time, they can become a daily source of discomfort. From the weight that crushes the nose, the distortion that arises from unbalance in height which results in glasses sliding down the nose bridge, to the hassle of finding the eyeglass in the right size, we have been forced to fit ourselves into the glasses with standardized sizes rather than having glasses that fit us.

By paying attention to these issues and using innovative technologies such as 3D printing and big data analysis, a Yonsei University alumnus Hyung Jin Park provides personalized solutions and a wide variety of options to those who wear glasses by pioneering the customized prescription glasses market in South Korea. With a slightly different perspective, the company is creating a new market by understanding and improving the areas of inconvenience that customers previously took for granted.


Days on Campus where He Achieved His Dream for the Wider World

Park entered Yonsei when there was a general trend of internationalization throughout society. Park recalls that Yonsei was already a leading institution in Korea, pioneering the movement of internationalization, with the number of students going on exchange programs abroad in Yonsei comparable to the sum of students going for overseas exchange programs from all the universities in Korea combined. On top of that, there were also many international students on the Yonsei campus due to the Yonsei University Korean Language Institute. This made his life on campus ever more joyful and exciting. He had an intense yearning to experience life abroad, to the extent where the dream of going on a backpacking trip overseas was the motivation that allowed him to endure the arduous life in middle and high schools. However, unlike what he had hoped, there were few opportunities available to interact with international students, which eventually led him to seize the opportunity himself by making an official window of interaction.

"As I became a sophomore, I founded a club called the "IYC," International Yonsei Community, along with some of my friends who shared a similar idea. We hosted language exchange programs by matching international students with Korean students and also provided support for host family programs. IYC was a window of communication where various opportunities for interaction were made. It grew in popularity to eventually have approximately 200 students, including exchange students, to go MTs (group retreats) at one point and received a lot of attention, so we even got interviewed by a TV show."

After completing his military service, Park also had the chance to broaden his experience by going on an outbound exchange program.

"It was the period when the European Union was launched. I had the opportunity to learn many things through the European Community Law program at a university renowned for international law in the Netherlands. Integrating European countries into a single institution is indeed a huge challenge because each country's culture and existing system are different. And it was the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) that mediates the ongoing conflicts among the nations' governments. I thought that it would be interesting to study such cases that have been accumulated for decades, and it was fascinating indeed. I had to often study till dawn during the semester, but it was fruitful to see their principle of conflict control."

While the experiences at an international club and the overseas exchange program gave Park a global sense and perspective, the YMCG (Yonsei Management Consulting Group), a business consulting club, served as a foundation that allowed him to have in-depth learning of his major while equipping him with the mind and competence as a businessman. Even until now, Park serves his role as a mentor to his juniors and still interacts with fellow alumni as they share information.


Paying Attention to the Eyewear Market as a Marketer

Park's global vision developed from his experiences at Yonsei and his excellent business competence led him to join the multinational corporation P&G. He was shortlisted to be employed as a marketer among 2,500 applicants. It was a great opportunity and a steppingstone that served as a trigger to take his ability to the next level. On the other hand, Park was also subjected to enduring the weight of autonomy and responsibility despite being completely new in the field. In the literal sense, Park had to learn to work "from scratch."

"It was tough. I remember a close friend telling me, "You feel it's tough because the company keeps pointing out your weaknesses." Although I was good at work related to sales and hospitality, I was weak in numbers and logic. It was a critical weakness since the company would not hear any opinion unless there were clear grounds. Just like how they say that what you learn at the beginning of your career becomes a lifelong asset, the things that I have learned at P&G back then still serve as the biggest help in the operation of my current businesses."

Since then, Park moved to a musical agency where he worked as the marketing team leader for the Disney musical "Beauty and the Beast" and moved again to Walt Disney Korea, where he built a career as a development manager for the Disneyland Seoul project. As the project for Disneyland slowed down over time, he decided to start his own business after much contemplation. What was his business theme? It was "eyewear" which left a deep impression on him during his trip to Japan. Despite many concerns from those around him, it was an adventure that Park always wanted to challenge himself.

"I think I just had some "groundless confidence." I believed that "Since I am a marketer, I have a strong market understanding. With my ample experiences with foreign brands, it would be possible to conquer the market where the self-employed business owners are concentrated." Initially, it was about importing the brands of eyewear that left deep impressions, but I realized that eyewear was an item subjected to different preferences for each country. The facial contours of consumers differ, and there are countless different preferred images. That eventually led to the establishment of my own brand, "ALO.""

The First Business: Intersection of Success with Frustration

Though Park mentioned that his business started from a "groundless confidence," he clearly saw the pre-existing problems with the eyewear market that could become an opportunity. He saw that "bargain" was a norm when a customer stepped into an optical store for a pair of glasses. The fact that customers had to pay a hefty sum for a pair of glasses unless they engaged in fierce bargaining to cut down the prices made him feel bitter, especially since he had experiences of comfortably shopping for glasses at fixed and reasonable prices without the need to bargain in Japan in the past. His business thus started from the question, "why can't we do that in South Korea?" A neat-looking store with club music playing in the background where customers could freely choose and try the eyewear of their choice: Park's store received wide attention and experienced rapid growth. However, he left the business after handing over the brand due to various conflicts. This experience still gives him a lot of guidance up to this date while keeping him constantly on edge as he runs his business.

Having experienced such frustration, he moved on to challenge himself in the restaurant business. He received recognition for his project that planned the concept, operation, menu selection, and promotion of a hotel's rooftop bar. Though successfully establishing himself as a "big shot" in the field, Park decided to turn once again to the eyewear market; there was a potential that he could never dismiss.

"I was sick and tired of glasses. But then I saw an eyewear brand with the concept of fashion come into the spotlight at that time, and looking at its success made me think that the dreams I had were too good to go to waste. Soon, I was back to thinking about "how should I do it this time." I did not want to go back to the conventional method of selling glasses. I was firm in the belief that if I were to return to this market, I should make a comeback with the idea of "changing the industry and the future.""


Nevertheless, Re-Challenging the Glasses Market

What made him confirm his decision to enter the eyewear market once again was a meeting with the current co-founder. With one of the acquaintances of Park's junior wanting to start a business with 3D printed eyewear, it was a meeting where he initially intended to dissuade him from entering the market based on his previous experience. However, upon listening to the plan, he gradually grew the conviction that with the 3D printing technology, he could do an eyewear business that could break the order of the existing market. With the 3D printing technology enabling the production of eyewear to be simple and quick, contrary to the conventional system in the market that requires manufacturing of eyewear in hundreds of units with restricted designs and the extensive time needed for production, he saw the potential of the business: customized eyewear could be the optimal solution to pioneer a new market. Another co-founder soon joined the company with vast work experience and manufacturing know-how in the eyewear industry and various experts who could meet customers' needs in a wide range of areas.

"For the first year, we used to meet every week to have a study meeting. No matter how good the technology is, there is a challenge for it to be commercialized. It was a good preparation period for the commercialization strategies to be established and the technology to be more complete. The synergy was amazing when our know-how from various fields combined. Though the preparation was expected to take at least two to three years, the quality of the prototype managed to improve to the point of commercialization after a year. It was then when I officially established "Breezm" to start the business."

Though in charge of marking strategy by analyzing the market and promoting the brand, Park did not insist on opening a physical store from the start. Using the lessons from his past trials and errors, he examined the market response by operating a pop-up store by renting a space in a shared office for the first ten months of business. Park realized the market potential of customized eyewear. He saw customers having uncomfortable experiences with eyewear that did not fit them well visiting the store from places like Jeonju and even Hong Kong. While operating the pop-up store, the brand managed to further refine and improve its shortcomings by conscientiously making an effort to reflect the feedback from over 250 customers who visited the store.

Finally, in December 2018, the brand officially launched its first official offline store at Yeoksam metro station in Gangnam, Seoul, targeting male office workers in their 30s and 40s as their primary customers. Park would spend another year refining the entire procedures from manufacturing to customer experience based on the practical feedback received from customers who visit the offline store. Breezm, through such a step-by-step growth, is operating a total of five offline stores as of now.

The Only Eyewear in the World That Understands Me  

The greatest strength and customer appeal of Breezm lie in its "wearable innovation through customized eyewear." When customers visit a store, they can have a detailed scan of their face through the 3D scanner, which is processed through data analysis to provide recommendations for their customized eyewear. In two weeks, customers could get one-of-a-kind eyewear customized just for them.

"As a matter of fact, everyone has a different face. There is a uniqueness in left-right balances for each individual, and depending on the facial sizes and the specific level at which the ears and nose are located, there would be a difference in fit. Though the eyewear industry might be the one in need of customization the most, no one has attempted it in the domestic market; it was thus a blue ocean for us. Breezm was able to solve this problem using simple and fast 3D printing technology with the best materials."

Though they had the technology for 3D printing, there was a lack of technology to take a detailed measurement of a person's face. Thus, there was a need to search among various scanners available in the market and the right software for the measurement. While considering a comprise in the level of sophistication with the existing technologies failing to fit the criteria perfectly, the "Face ID" technology for the iPhone was developed, and its source code was released to the public, which allowed the successful completion of the core of the current scanning technology. It was the perfect timing.

However, there have also been frequent requests among the customers who visit the stores to recommend the designs that suit them based on the measurement data for a complete "customized eyewear experience." After much consideration, Breezm was able to come up with 17 indicators that characterize the customers' facial shapes. Still, there was a significant challenge in creating indicators that determines what "looks good," a highly subjective standard. However, they managed to find a simple and clear solution with unexpected ease.

"Since whether a design looks good is subjected to personal preference, there were difficulties in setting a specific standard. But come to think of it, we realized that we had the data on "what kind of style a customer with a certain facial shape chose." Considering that these are the designs customers paid for, there is no better reference for customers making decisions. As such, we created a recommendation system that shows the popular choices of design that customers with similar facial shapes chose in the past."

By continuing to observe the customers and listening to their voices even after the launch of the offline stores, Breezm has enjoyed continuous growth over the years, and it has successfully established itself in the market. Park hopes that more customers will visit the store in the future. Still, at the same time, he spares no effort to stick to the basics, which explains why Breezm continues its reservation system that allows them to focus on each customer to the fullest and a fixed pricing system. Park believes that there is a need to build "trust" before showing the technology, and this is the core principle of his "customer experience" that he has constantly been upgrading.


Dreaming to Become a Key Player in the Smart Glasses Era

If the period from its launch till the present has been a beta test to find the answer to "whether this service can establish itself in the market," it is now a stage for aggressive expansion and growth. By the beginning of 2022, the company plans to expand its product lineup through material development while diversifying its sales channels. It is also impending its entrance to the United States market, with factors such as various facial shapes across various races, the price of glasses being more than three times that of South Korea, and a unique and personalized consumption tendency making it a market with excellent growth potential. However, Park's ultimate vision lies in being "a key player in the era of smart glasses."

"The era of smart glasses is coming soon. Various functions of our smartphones will soon be combined with eyewear, such as displaying text messages or navigation guides. Though the role of achieving technological development and application lies in the IT companies, I have faith that it is our best role to develop personalized solutions such as the structure, materials, and designs that are not only fundamentally comfortable to wear but also comfortable when using the advanced features."

In the CES 2022, Breezm won the Innovation Award for the Health & Wellness category. Through the participation in CES, the world's largest electronic and IT exhibition, the company actively showcased its products that show achievement in innovation and substantial future potential.

 

Constant Questioning and an Open Attitude: Prerequisites for Startup Innovation

Hyung Jin Park states that a "startup innovation starts from the act of questioning." Regardless of how innovative an idea might be, it should always start from the consumers' perspective. There might be multiple answers to the question, but the "technology" can solve the pre-existing problems with ease. Thus, when it comes to pursuing innovation, questioning the needs of the consumers, understanding the technology, and having the relevant experience to know its potential should go hand in hand. Moreover, understanding the startup ecosystem is also essential as this will soon lead to commercialization. When advising his juniors who aspire to start their own businesses, Park states that there is no concrete answer regarding the best timing to start a business.

"I am often asked if it is okay to start a business as a student or right after graduating. In the past, I used to give a firm reply that one would only gain a better understanding of business operation by working in a well-established organization for at least two years. However, nowadays, much information has been made available to the public. While in the past, an individual could only pick up the skill by serving as an apprentice in an organization, in recent years, one can make the best use of the information or tools that suit their needs the best among the ones available. When I look around, even without any organizational experience, those who can accept anything quickly with an open mindset are often better at work. If you are not anxious, you can start a business right now."

Another question he often receives is about "how to succeed." He answers that you will never know. He states that he can only advise on reducing the chances of failure.

"One of the most common mistakes is to co-start a business with someone similar. It frequently happens; one feels comfortable about it. In such a case, it is common to see both founders having the same role from the market perspective, although they might argue otherwise. Without the co-founder, who had different tendencies and strengths, the business and I as an individual would not have grown this much today. I urge everyone to increase the element of diversity; with the attitude to embrace it, you can reduce the probability of failure."

Yonsei University alumnus Hyung Jin Park does not forget that it is the technology that has been added to the eyewear to create a more convenient product. The essence of eyewear lies in being an important tool to improve the quality of customers' lives. Therefore, while prioritizing the fundamental role of the eyewear and their functional convenience, he always delves into "how to make it enjoyable to buy and utilize" as a marketer, and he takes pride in his conviction that Breezm might be the only company that is serious about this question. We look forward to the waves of transformation and changes Breezm will bring about soon.