Melina Hess’ Post

"Bestseller" badges backfired and hurt revenue by over 1.5% We thought social proof would boost sales. Wrong. The test: Added "Sehr beliebt" (bestseller) badges to popular products sitewide - homepage, product pages, search results, everywhere. What happened: - Revenue per user dropped 1.53% - Conversion rate down 1.50% Why? The site already had other badges. Adding more just made everything look cluttered and spammy. Turns out some people actively avoid bestsellers. They want unique stuff, not what everyone else is buying. Badge overload makes nothing feel special anymore. Reality check: Social proof can backfire. Making everything look "popular" sometimes makes it look less desirable. Less is often more when it comes to trust signals. Bottom line: Don't assume what works elsewhere will work for your customers. Test everything, even the "obvious" wins. Got more insights like this in my E-com Product Master Base - - covers what actually drives product page conversions. Comment "PRODUCT" if you want it. Follow me (Samuel Hess) for more CRO tips and breakdowns!

Your Welcome Series is not a “nice to have.” It’s your first sale system. Too many brands treat it like a hello email. But your welcome flow decides if people buy… or forget you. Here’s my simple rule: 3 emails, 3 goals 👇 1️⃣ Email 1 — Value first. Tell your story. Why you exist. 2️⃣ Email 2 — Social proof. Show results, reviews, or use cases. 3️⃣ Email 3 — Offer. Make it clear and easy to act. Clean design. Text-first bias. One CTA each. When done right, your welcome series prints trust (and revenue). Comment 'WELCOME ' for the templates. #EmailMarketing #eCommerce #Retention #Flows #Deliverability

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱. Not with a better product. With 47 words. Here's what I see when website owners show me their "high-performing" competitors: Same industry. Same ad spend. Same traffic. Their site: 2-3% conversion. Competitor: 20%+ The pattern? Three differences: 1. First sentence ❌ "We provide innovative solutions"  ✅ "Get 40% more leads in 30 days or don't pay" 2. Headline focus ❌ What they do  ✅ What you get 3. Risk placement ❌ Customer takes all risk  ✅ Company takes all risk The winners make 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 that 10x's results: They delete every sentence that doesn't answer "so what?" 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: Read your homepage out loud. Every time you say "we," "our," or your company name - ask "so what?" If you can't answer in 5 seconds, 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄?

Customers may scroll past ads, but they rarely ignore another customer’s voice. Reviews and testimonials matter more than ever in building trust. 📊Research shows that 93% of consumers say online reviews influence their purchasing decisions and 72% will not take action until they have read reviews. Positive feedback reduces hesitation, builds credibility and turns prospects into buyers. 💪For businesses, encouraging and showcasing reviews is one of the simplest but most powerful ways to strengthen reputation and drive growth. #CustomerTrust #Reviews #BusinessGrowth #HelloHello

📍 When it comes to attracting local customers, it’s not your street sign that matters most — it’s your Google Maps profile. 👉 Here are the 5 details I pay the most attention to (and that many businesses forget): 1️⃣ Title (Business Name) Your profile name should reflect your business clearly. Avoid keyword stuffing — keep it simple, clear, and trustworthy. 2️⃣ Reviews Customer reviews are one of the strongest signals. It’s not just about the stars — how you respond to reviews matters a lot for Google too. 3️⃣ Real Photos & Videos A logo alone won’t build trust. Show your place, your products, and your team — authenticity wins. 4️⃣ Products & Services Menus, prices, delivery options… Adding these helps customers make faster decisions (and keeps them from choosing your competitor instead). 5️⃣ Q&A Section Add the most common questions yourself and provide the answers. It makes your profile richer and shows you’re proactive.

What is the main goal of the post-purchase flow? Most people will say to upsell or initiate a repeat purchase, but it's not that. It's to remove buyer’s remorse and make them more excited about their order. People will have doubts once they buy from you, second thoughts will start to come in. "Did I actually need this product?" or "Maybe I should just refund it while it's not on the way." That's why it's important to cover the entire journey while they wait for their order with emails. Emails like: - Thank-you email from the founder setting expectations - Offering them to upgrade their order and add items to it - Keeping them posted on the order status - FAQ - Educating them on how to get the most out of their order - Engaging with blogs, articles, tips, and tricks - Promoting social media - Offering SMS subscription for the best deals and promos - Asking them to leave a review or complete a survey - Initiating a repeat purchase We usually like to have 5–7 emails in our post-purchase series. That way, you are: - Removing buyer’s remorse - Making them more excited about their order - Helping them get the most out of it - Getting them to buy again, subscribe to SMS, or follow on socials Many people don't know this, but it's one of the most important flows. What would you add?

We sent equal traffic to two versions of the same online course offer. What happened? We split traffic to two sales pages - the short one converted 3×. Here’s why your sales page is confusing buyers and costing you thousands. • Variant A: Long page, heavy feature list, big hero image, fancy layout. • Variant B: Short page with an outcome-first headline, three social-proof blocks near the CTA, a clean module breakdown, and a single, simple CTA. Results: Variant A → 2.1% conversion. Variant B → 6.5% conversion (3×). Why the short page won: it removed doubt — fast. Buyers decide in seconds. They ask: “Will this get me from X → Y?” Variant B answered that immediately, proved credibility where people decide to buy, and reduced checkout friction. 4 tests to run this week: Rewrite the headline to state the outcome (“Finish X in Y weeks”), not the features. Move social proof above or beside the CTA (fresh testimonials, micro-wins). Simplify the purchase flow — fewer fields, one clear CTA. Explain modules in one glance (3–6 bullets: what they learn, one action per module). That's simply it.

A “thanks for subscribing” email isn’t a welcome flow. 🚫 If that’s all you send, you’re losing customers before they ever buy. A proper welcome flow should: -Tell your story -Show proof you’re legit -Give a clear first offer Get those right → and you’ll turn new subscribers into buyers on autopilot. #EmailMarketing #Ecommerce #Retention

"We're getting sales, but our average order size is way too low"… Here is why 👇 Most subscription brands place their savings badges wrong ❌ Here's the placement that guides purchase decisions better! The traditional approach: ↳ Promotional badges inside the pricing cards. The smart approach: ↳ Promotional badges outside the pricing cards as visual anchors. Here's why the external placement dominates: ✅ Your eye needs a visual anchor before processing pricing details ✅ When savings badges sit inside cards, they compete with price, terms, and benefits. ✅ When they sit outside, they guide attention BEFORE decision-making begins. Traditional internal badges create: ↳ Visual clutter within pricing options ↳ Competing focal points ↳ Delayed savings recognition ↳ Harder comparison between tiers The psychology of visual hierarchy: Internal badges = "Scan everything to find the deal" External badges = "This is the best value option" The conversion data shows: External badge placement drives: ↳ Higher selection of premium subscription tiers ↳ Improved overall subscription conversion rates ↳ Increased average order values ↳ Faster decision-making from visitors Here's what subscription brands miss: They think badges need to be near the price But badges should guide attention TO the price, not sit beside it My promotional badge framework: ↳ Place savings badges outside pricing cards ↳ Use contrasting colors for instant visibility ↳ Align badges with the preferred tier ↳ Keep internal card content clean and scannable ↳ A/B test badge size and positioning The visual hierarchy principle: 1️⃣ User sees which option saves the most (external badge) 2️⃣ User examines that option's details (internal content) 3️⃣ User converts on a pre-selected choice Stop thinking: "Where should badges go?" Start thinking: "What should users see first?" Promotional badges are attention directors, not price decorations But there's a 1-step alternative: DM me And I'll optimise your promotional badge strategy while you're enjoying your week.

In eCommerce, your first 100 customers teach you more than any marketing course ever will. When you start your eCommerce journey, you imagine sales flowing in, ads scaling fast, and your store going viral overnight. But reality hits differently. Your first 100 customers aren’t just buyers — they’re your best teachers. They’ll show you which product descriptions don’t work, which packaging breaks, which delivery partner delays, and which after-sales message builds trust. You’ll learn more from one refund request than a thousand marketing webinars. You’ll realize retention > reach, trust > traffic, and experience > experiments. Every 5-star review gives hope. Every complaint teaches humility. Every repeat order confirms you’re building something real. If you listen closely, your customers will give you the blueprint for growth — no course can teach that. ✨ So, don’t chase 10,000 sales. Focus on the first 100 relationships. #eCommerceInsights #StartupReality #CustomerExperience #D2CIndia #EntrepreneurshipJourney