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Eyewear retailer Lenskart has begun rolling out its smart glasses brand ‘B by Lenskart’, its co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Peyush Bansal said during the Q4 FY26 earnings call. The timing of the announcement is particularly noteworthy because Google has said it is also re-entering the AI eyewear race.
Both B by Lenskart and Google’s forthcoming audio-only glasses will have a camera and speakers for audio and verbal communication with Gemini AI.
They will compete with Meta’s AI glasses, which have raised privacy concerns, with people reportedly being filmed in public and private settings without consent, and finding out only after videos surface online.
In its shareholder letter, Lenskart said at least 30k customers have pre-ordered its AI glasses. However, it did not mention how it plans to address such privacy concerns, if at all.
“What makes glasses different from phones is that the recording being on is hard to see, and the person being recorded may only find out after the upload, or not at all. Add nudify apps to the mix and there’s a disaster around every corner,” Nikhil Pahwa, founder and editor of MediaNama, wrote in his Reasoned newsletter earlier this year.
It is important to note that India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Law does not apply to publicly available personal data.
Lenskart’s footing in the smart glasses market: When asked how Lenskart aims to position itself in the AI eyewear space, Bansal said the company will play a major role in distributing smart glasses because, eventually, all smart glasses will require prescriptions and be sold through an optical network.
“We want to ensure whatever product we’re launching, we are getting input from that rather than just focusing on sales. We want to understand the conversational styles. The use cases of smart glasses. That will give us leverage in opening up the market. Then the price points at which people will be comfortable, that is also a learning for us,” Bansal told analysts during a post-earnings call.
Responding to an analyst’s question about heightened competitive intensity in the smart glasses space, especially since Google announced its re-entry, the Lenskart co-founder said:
“Google launching a smart glass is like an Android Pixel in some sense because I think they also want to experiment with the schematics and see what they can build in Android XR. Nobody has a clear form factor. It is going to take a lot of learning.”
According to Lenskart, it has a structural advantage over legacy tech companies in the smart glasses space. Currently, the eyewear retailer operates a network of over 3,300 stores across Tier I and Tier II cities and beyond in India, where customers can try products before purchase and receive after-sales service. Companies like Google, Meta, and Snap do not operate at a similar scale in this segment.
Transitioning into a consumer-AI company: Lenskart is set to adopt an AI-first operating model in FY27. “Our single biggest priority for FY27 is growth, and the engine for that growth is the transformation of Lenskart from a consumer-tech company to a consumer-AI company,” Bansal said.
He added that Lenskart is embedding AI into every layer of its value chain — from product manufacturing and eye testing to sales automation and same-day delivery.
“On the app, we will enhance discovery, personalisation, and virtual try-on, underpinned by the power of data and AI. In the store, AI-powered planogramming and RFID will transform how customers navigate, and we will make the eye test experience more seamless. In the product, we will push into advanced lens coatings, digital protection, and myopia management,” Lenskart said.
Bansal also highlighted that the company has built an internal “GeoIQ” system that uses mobility patterns, travel-time analytics, and micro-market clustering to guide its store expansion strategy while minimising cannibalisation risks. According to the management, GeoIQ has helped the company triple its store count and double its revenue in some cities.
“We optimise for a market share within a 10-minute travelling distance,” Bansal said, adding that the company analyses customer movement patterns at a particular location and divides cities into “hexagons” to determine new store locations.
The company added 183 new stores in Q4 FY26, compared to 142 in Q4 FY25.
Next-day delivery expansion strategy: Lenskart now offers next-day delivery across 78 cities in India and offers same-day delivery in select locations, including Gurugram and Singapore. The company plans to expand its quick delivery service to more cities and markets in the months ahead.
The eyewear retailer said that its stores are evolving into “multi-role community hubs” that could also support hyperlocal delivery and servicing.
Lenskart also highlighted that the market opportunity in Tier II and smaller towns is larger than previously estimated due to the limited penetration of centralised eyewear retail players in these markets.
According to Bansal, there are about 60,000 to 70,000 eyewear stores in India. Citing global optical retail benchmarks, he said the market could support another 70,000 to 80,000 eyewear stores, giving Lenskart ample headroom to open more outlets.
International business: In a separate regulatory filing, Lenskart said it has received board approval to acquire an additional stake in the Japanese eyewear brand Owndays through its Singapore-based wholly owned subsidiary. The move is part of the company’s efforts to deepen its international presence and strengthen its premiumisation play.
Sunglasses are emerging as a rapidly growing category for Lenskart. Its international sunglasses volumes grew 36.3% YoY in FY26, as premium eyewear label Meller drove disproportionate market share gains. The company said it has also begun opening dedicated Meller brand stores, which will serve as brand-building anchors for the sunglasses category.
“Our omnichannel investments in international markets are now flowing through to results, as clearly seen in Singapore, Thailand, and the UAE. App-led customer journeys, expanded online assortments, and hyper-local innovations like quick-commerce contact lens delivery have driven strong online growth in these markets. Crucially, these digital touchpoints are bringing higher-intent customers into our physical stores,” said Lenskart.
Key Operational metrics – (Q4 FY26)
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