Rebuilding the funnel, restoring traffic, and re-establishing the brand's editorial edge.
Lumera's marketing engine has been running with critical gaps over the past two years. CVR and AOV held steady — the site converts, retention works. The fix is at the top of the funnel.
The plan will flex as we learn. We monitor performance weekly and adjust based on what the data tells us.
Four issues stacked on top of one another: when organic dried up there was nothing else to compensate, and the email recapture mechanism was silently broken.
Revenue is the priority for 2026. Efficiency targets will tighten as the funnel matures.
The site converts. The brand has a real moat. We're realigning the engine to match where the leverage actually is.
The site converts — CVR and AOV have held steady. The problem is volume. New customer cohorts are too small, and smaller cohorts in means fewer returning customers out. Top of funnel is the priority.
Clean beauty is now widely available. Lumera can't compete on assortment or price — the only sustainable edge is curation, education, and authenticity. Every channel executes against that.
The site is working — CVR and AOV have remained stable even as traffic declined. Even doubling our conversion rate wouldn't get us to target without significantly more traffic. That's not where the time goes.
Meta has been weighted toward existing customers — that's email's job. We're shifting to focus on prospecting. On Google we're restructuring away from broad category targeting toward problem/solution intent. Both channels focused on bringing new customers in.
Both paths get there — the question is how fast, and at what near-term efficiency tradeoff.
The fastest way to begin hitting revenue targets is by ramping ad spend.
Because the funnel is essentially empty, we expect that this would run at low efficiency for the first month before seeing traction as shoppers move through the funnel.
Rough model — first month:
Maintain efficiency targets by scaling spend only as ROAS proves out week by week.
This approach protects margin but extends the timeline to hitting revenue targets — growth is real but measured.
This is the current approach — and given the goal of demonstrating meaningful growth this year, it won't move fast enough.
Paid is back on but non-purchaser retargeting pools are depleted after months of inactivity. Email capture was broken for 20 months. Flows are still being repaired. Until the funnel functions, every dollar leaks.
The core business problem. Conversion isn't broken — volume is. In the next 90 days, paid is the primary lever — and ramping it is the fastest path to hitting revenue targets. In parallel, we'll support with organic social, invest in affiliate, and work to rebuild SEO (results are a longer game for this channel).
Lumera cannot out-price or out-catalog competitors. The only sustainable edge is why shop here: curation, education, and authenticity. Every channel executes against the content strategy.
The priority is moving smarter — from data to decision to action — so every insight builds on the last and actions compound.
All personas are directional — built from secondary research, not validated against first-party CRM data.
To watch as cohort data matures: Do Skincare Beginners graduate into Skincare Devotees over time? If so, that informs lifecycle strategy.
Together they move a customer from first touch to loyal buyer.
Customer doesn't know or is vaguely aware of Lumera. Brand wins by interrupting with something useful — not promotional.
Actively researching. May have landed on site, browsed The Edit, or seen a product. Skincare Beginner most vulnerable to dropping off here.
CVR and AOV are healthy — this is not where the problem lives. Job is to make it easy and feel right.
Has bought once. Get to a second purchase, deepen the routine, build Lumera Rewards engagement.
Scale aggressively, optimize quickly. Both Meta and Google are repointed at new customer acquisition.
Different timelines, same job: re-establishing why someone would shop here.
After 20 months of suppressed list growth, owned channels are the rebuild's quiet leverage.
Quality and authentic brand fit over volume — content creators and educators, not coupon sites.
Discount rate is up — but we don't yet know whether promos are bringing new customers in or pulling forward existing demand.
90-day column reflects expected outcomes, not committed actions.
| Channel / Initiative | 30 Days | 60 Days | 90 Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Process | New review/approval workflow live. Creative aligning with content strategy. | Pipeline running. Tight brief-to-live for paid. | Creative process running smoothly. |
| Meta | Shift spend toward prospecting & non-purchaser retargeting. Scale aggressively — expect lower efficiency as audiences warm. | Optimize based on what's working. Continue scaling prospecting as ROAS improves and creative pipeline matures. | Efficiency improving as audiences warm and creative optimizes. |
| Restructure PMax asset groups around persona intent — solution-seekers and product-seekers. Action on underperformers immediately. | Optimize based on what's working. | Optimize based on what's working. Non-brand search contributing meaningfully to acquisition. | |
| Organic Social | IG content rhythm established. TikTok sourcing strategy defined — platform-native, not solo effort. | Double down on what's resonating. TikTok more intentional. | Consistent content system. Follower count growing. |
| SEO | Fresh audit and diagnosis completed. Redirect map fix underway, priority 404s being addressed. | Continue fix cadence. Publish organic search recovery content. | Sessions stabilizing. Rankings improving. |
| Email / SMS | Restart segmentation. Okendo flows activated. | Repurchase flow rework underway. Segmented sends showing lift. | Repurchase flows live. List growth positive. |
| Affiliate + Influencer | Identify partners & current status. Improve creator value prop. Begin outreach to 5–10 high-affinity creators. | Active, consistent creator outreach. | Creator pipeline active. Commission economics tracked. |
| Site / Promos | Confirm Okendo quiz timeline. Complete promo performance analysis this week. | Quiz live. Apply promo analysis findings. | Quiz contributing to list growth and Beginner conversion. |
Blended MER is our primary efficiency signal — tracking whether the funnel is improving and informing how we allocate across channels. In the near term, MER will run below target as audiences rebuild; the signal we're watching is the trend, not the absolute. All channel-level metrics use platform attribution.
| Metric | What it Measures | Cadence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blended MER | Marketing efficiency — primary spend signal | Weekly | Shopify + QB |
| DTC net revenue vs. plan | Top-line health vs. monthly targets | Weekly | Shopify / QB |
| Sessions by channel | Funnel volume and channel contribution | Weekly | GA4 |
| New customer orders | Acquisition engine health | Weekly | Shopify |
| ROAS — Meta | Paid social efficiency (directional) | Weekly | Meta Ads Manager |
| ROAS — Google (brand vs. non-brand) | Paid search efficiency | Weekly | Google Ads |
| Email revenue + list growth | Owned channel revenue and capture health | Weekly | Klaviyo |
| Organic search impressions + clicks | SEO recovery signal | Weekly | Search Console |
| Social engagement + saves/shares | Organic social content resonance | Weekly | IG / TikTok |
| CVR + AOV | Site conversion health — watch for softening | Weekly | Shopify |
| Affiliate traffic + revenue | Partner channel contribution | Monthly | Partnerize / GA4 |
| Repeat purchase rate by cohort | Retention engine health (cohort size is the problem) | Monthly | Shopify |
| Discount rate | Margin health | Monthly | QB / Shopify |
Known unknowns up front — naming the risks early so we can navigate them together.
The July 2025 URL restructure can be partially addressed in 30–60 days — redirect repairs and internal link restoration should recover a portion of lost traffic. The October 2025 Google algorithm update, which pushed retailer results down in favor of editorial sites like Allure and Byrdie, requires a content repositioning response and won't move quickly. Both are in motion.
Every channel depends on a functional brief-to-approval-to-live cycle. If that process doesn't come together, paid can't scale, organic social can't build momentum, and email campaigns lag. Getting this right is an operational priority.
Discount rate increased from 17.6% to 22.4% YoY in Q1 on a smaller revenue base. Until we understand whether promos are driving customer acquisition or pulling forward existing demand, we're running a margin risk we can't fully quantify. Full promo analysis underway.
Attribution across all channels has limitations — approximately 31% of orders lack UTM tracking, channel ROAS figures are platform-reported, and all revenue attribution is last-touch. MER is the most reliable cross-channel efficiency signal and should be the primary lens for spend decisions.
The work that moves the needle requires focused time and attention. The R&R framework in this plan is designed to protect that focus — and works best when both teams are aligned on what's being prioritized vs. not.
The fast ramp accepts lower MER in May to rebuild funnel volume. This is a managed tradeoff, not a signal to pull back spend.
A simple division: MH owns marketing strategy and execution; Lumera owns product, brand calendar, and the decisions that intersect with the broader business.