Who would have believed it? The Ray-Ban Meta stands out as the flagship product in 60% of Ray-Ban stores across several continents. Europe, the Middle East and Africa, three geographical zones in which this accessory is a huge hit. Barely a month ago, they were released in their second version, boosted with AI functionalities. The result was immediate: they started selling like hot cakes. We are therefore very far from the rather bitter failure of Ray-Ban Stories in 2022.
A successful marriage between style and technology
This collaboration between the social media giant Meta and EssilorLuxottica, the world leader in optics, seems to be the winning formula. Stefano Grassi, Chief Financial Officer of EssilorLuxottica, does not hide his enthusiasm at this success : “ Ray-Ban Meta is a real success story. And this success is not limited to the United States, as one might expect. In Europe, these connected glasses dominate sales in more than half of our stores. It’s a real treat “.
The behemoth of the optical industry is certainly rubbing its hands given the price of the object. Despite a starting price of $300 – almost double the classic Ray-Ban models – this does not seem to deter buyers.
Really smart Ray Bans
The history of connected glasses is quite recent, but is already marked by various failures : Google Glass? They were the pioneers, but were too expensive and their design was… peculiar. Intel Vaunt? The project was quickly abandoned for technical reasons. North Focals? Sales were too modest and production was quickly shut down. Generally speaking, the features offered by the first generations of connected glasses were often considered insufficient to justify the investment.
Ray Ban Meta are not made of the same wood. Meta is continually improving them: reminders, timers, WhatsApp voice messages, QR code reading. With the second version, the possibilities are even more numerous thanks to artificial intelligence: live interaction with Meta AI (ChatGPT competitor), Spotify playlist controls, live translation, etc. This strategy of continuous improvement is bearing fruit, even if these glasses remain technologically modest, without an integrated screen, a technical limitation that EssilorLuxottica has not wished to overcome for the moment.
Faced with this commercial success, the competition is getting organized and does not intend to give in. Samsung and Google would develop their own model, while Apple would prepare its entry into the market for 2027. In the meantime, Meta and EssilorLuxottica extended their collaboration until the 2030scertainly promising several generations of smart glasses in the years to come.
- Ray-Ban Meta, powered by AI, has become a flagship product, representing 60% of sales in Ray-Ban stores on several continents.
- The collaboration between Meta and EssilorLuxottica transformed the Ray-Ban Meta into a global success, despite a relatively high price.
- The smart glasses market is preparing to welcome greater competition, with Samsung, Google and Apple developing their own models.