GrandVision is a global leader in optical retail. They serve millions of customers in over 7,000 stores in more than 40 countries. Their 33 distinct retail brands sell a variety of eyewear and eye care services.

They dominated the brick-and-mortar retail space before moving on to become a digital leader in the online space. And with that, GrandVision set out to develop an omnichannel approach to the customer experience. “We want to give our customers the option to interact with our retail brands through any channel, anywhere, anytime, which means we need to have a flexible customer experience journey,” says Kunal Chakraborty, Global Vice President for Customer Experience and Digital.

Buying Authentication for a Global Platform

GrandVision’s online platform lets customers do more than just buy eyewear online. Customers can create an account in order to check their history, edit profile information, re-order items with one click, and book or reschedule eye exam appointments.

These functions mean that customers are frequently inputting sensitive payment and medical information that needs to be protected. Instead of building their own authentication platform, GrandVision decided to outsource to a top-shelf privacy option. “Digital services change the way you look at customer privacy and security,” says Chakraborty. “That's why we decided to choose something best-of-breed rather than buying everything from one vendor.”

GrandVision chose Auth0 to handle their authentication needs because they wanted a secure service that would enhance the customer experience with little effort on their part. “When we decided to build the platform,” says Chakraborty, “choosing the right authentication provider was extremely important for us. Someone who does one thing and does it really well. A company that is really top-notch at this one particular product and has the robustness, the investment, the focus on this one product. That's how we arrived at Auth0.”

Optional Account Creation With Passwordless Creates a Seamless Customer Experience

Auth0 provides behind-the-scenes authentication services that keep customers focused on the buying experience without worrying about their data. Part of this is making account creation optional. “We are trying to make the checkout process as customer-friendly as possible,” says Chakraborty, “but also at the same time we are telling the customer clearly that they have an option to create an account or check out anonymously.”

Passwordless account creation helps GrandVision retain customers with minimal effort on the consumer’s part. Customers can create an account during checkout by merely checking a box. Later, they receive an email with instructions for setting up a password.

“The sign of a good product is it's invisible,” says Chakraborty. “The moment you need to think about payments or authentication, these kinds of topics, then there is something wrong. The beauty of Auth0 is, because the good products are so seamless, customers won't even feel it.”

Seamless authentication also empowers customers to transact with GrandVision however they want to. “If a customer wants to complete the entire transaction online, she can do the whole thing online by ecommerce. If she wants to do the whole thing offline, just walking into a store, get an eye test, and complete the entire transaction offline, she can also do it. And also if she wants to do half and half – she wants to start online, browse, book an appointment, come to the store, do an eye test, browse all the products, buy the product, get delivery later, get the fitting service in the store, and then get customer service online and offline – that’s possible too,” Chakraborty explains. “That’s the power of an omnichannel strategy.”

Great Service Helps GrandVision’s Platform Thrive

Auth0’s ease of use and great customer service make them a strong partner as the global brand expands and allows GrandVision to focus on building their own products without worrying about managing customer identity. “I think it helps us move on with our lives and create products specific to our customers and delight them,” says Chakraborty.

Auth0’s quick and communicative customer service has helped GrandVision quickly resolve issues and maintain services for their customers. When GrandVision encountered an API limit that they were previously unaware of, Auth0 was able to solve the issue within hours. “That gave me a great comfort,” says Chakraborty, “having a partner who takes this really seriously, and I was really pleased by that level of service and sense of urgency and eagerness to solve a client's problem, which was really impressive.”

The excellent service and support are the core of GrandVision’s fruitful relationship with Auth0: "the product is good, but the service really made the difference, because it's great to have someone who really solves your problem whenever you need it.”