Audit #012 · Skincare DTC
⏱ 4 min read
Beautiful brand, invisible answers
Gorgeous photography, strong reviews, real brand equity. The opportunity is that the three questions every skincare shopper asks — will it work for my skin type, how long until results, what if it doesn't — are answered only in a buried FAQ.
- Move the answers up. A three-line "For your skin" block under the price (skin types, timeline, guarantee) removes the top purchase objections without a redesign.
- Make the guarantee do work. A 60-day money-back guarantee exists but appears only in the footer. It belongs next to the add-to-cart button on every product.
- Trim the popup stack. Cookie banner, newsletter modal, and a spin-wheel fire within 8 seconds on mobile. Keeping just the newsletter popup — triggered on exit intent instead — would likely pay for itself.
Audit #011 · Outdoor gear
⏱ 4 min read
Great products, slow first paint
Deep catalog, excellent comparison content, loyal community. But the mobile homepage takes over five seconds to become usable — and outdoor shoppers are disproportionately on their phones.
- Audit the hero video. A 9MB autoplay video is the single biggest cost. A poster image with tap-to-play preserves the vibe at a fraction of the weight.
- Defer the review widget. The third-party reviews script loads render-blocking on every page. Loading it on scroll keeps the social proof and removes it from the critical path.
- Consolidate the wishlist apps. Two wishlist apps are installed; one appears abandoned. Removing it saves money and roughly 180KB of JavaScript.
Audit #010 · Specialty coffee
⏱ 3 min read
Subscriptions hiding in plain sight
Excellent coffee, strong repeat purchase behavior — and a subscription option most visitors will never find, tucked into a dropdown below the fold.
- Lead with the subscription. Make "Subscribe & save 15%" the default selection with one-time purchase as the alternative. For consumables this alone often lifts subscription take-rate meaningfully.
- Answer the pause question upfront. "Pause, skip, or cancel anytime" belongs next to the subscribe option, not in the FAQ. Cancellation anxiety is the #1 subscription blocker.
- Add a "which coffee" quiz. With 20+ SKUs that mostly differ by tasting notes, a three-question picker reduces choice paralysis and gives you zero-party data for email flows.