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Merci Handy

How we built a $1.14M US market entry system that turned a French beauty startup into a retail powerhouse.

When Merci Handy landed in the US, they had great products but zero market presence. The classic mistake? Assuming European success would translate directly to American consumers without understanding local buying behavior, pricing psychology, or distribution channels.

paid acquisition | ad creatives/content | conversion rate optimization | retention/lifecycle marketing.

$1.14M
DTC in year 1

+$127
customer
lifetime value

+19%
average
order value

+12% average
ongoing
conversion rate

Let’s dive into the behind-the-scenes ↓

MARKET ENTRY FOUNDATION BUILDING:
Most brands try to replicate their home market strategy. We rebuilt from scratch. Analyzed US beauty purchasing patterns, competitor pricing structures, and consumer behavior data. Created localized messaging that spoke to American beauty routines instead of translating French copy. Result: Immediate market-message fit that eliminated the «foreign brand» friction.

STRATEGIC PRICING ARCHITECTURE:
European pricing was killing conversion in the US market. We restructured the entire pricing strategy based on American beauty category benchmarks and psychological price points. Added bundle options and gift sets that aligned with US gifting culture. Result: +19% average order value while maintaining healthy margins.

RETAIL-READY D2C SYSTEM:
Built the D2C foundation as proof of concept for retail partnerships. Every conversion optimization and customer acquisition strategy was designed to generate data that would impress major retailers. Clean metrics, proven demand, and scalable systems. Result: Major retail partnerships secured based on D2C performance data.

LIFECYCLE OPTIMIZATION FOR RETENTION:
Developed complete customer journey from first purchase to brand advocacy. Loyalty programs, repurchase triggers, and social proof systems that turned individual customers into brand evangelists. Result: +$197 customer lifetime value and sustained +12% conversion rate improvement.

Most beauty brands think US market entry is about product adaptation. It's not. It's about building systems that prove American demand while creating scalable foundations for retail expansion.

More case studies ↓

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Toni&guy ➜

TONI&GUY had three separate businesses—e-commerce, salons, academies—operating in isolation. Each optimizing for different metrics, competing for same customers, zero cross-pollination. The classic mistake? Treating divisions as separate companies instead of integrated growth system.

paid acquisition | conversion rate optimization | retention/lifecycle
marketing.

$6M→$10M
DTC in year 1

$250K→$335K
salon MRR

+31%
conversion
rate boost

$0→$119K
DTC email/sms
MRR

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Arka ➜

ARKA was the classic B2B company trying to scale without systematic customer lifecycle management. Great products, solid relationships, but zero predictable approach to replenishment, expansion, or referrals. The classic mistake? Treating B2B clients like one-time projects instead of subscription businesses with predictable cycles.

paid acquisition | conversion rate optimization | retention/lifecycle
marketing.

Retention =
12.7%→38.8%
total revenue.

+280% cart
recovery

+14.5%
growth
MoM

$2k→$41k
email/sms
MRR

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