// WORK 001

The creative that earns the second order

Email & WhatsApp design for three D2C retention programs (skincare, fashion, supplements).

I designed the email and WhatsApp creative for retention programs across three D2C brands (skincare, fashion, supplements). The campaigns, the lifecycle creative, the content series, the WhatsApp sends: the part the customer actually sees and reacts to. Read the numbers here honestly: they’re program results the creative I built helped carry, not numbers I generated alone. That’s the only kind of number worth putting in a portfolio. What makes the three worth showing together isn’t three separate wins; it’s that they all run on one idea: earn the second order instead of forcing a bigger first one.

Role
Email + WhatsApp creative (strategy set with the wider team)
Scope
Three D2C brands (skincare, fashion, supplements)

Brands withheld under NDA; figures are real program outcomes

The idea the creative is built on

A first-time buyer doesn’t trust the brand yet. So you don’t lead with “buy the routine.” You earn it.

Hero → routine → explore → gift.

  1. Hero

    Lead with the product that shows the most visible result: the one that makes someone go “oh, this actually works.” Trust earned.

  2. Routine

    Now they’ve felt it work, so you nudge: “loved it? complete the routine.” Trust turns into a bigger basket.

  3. Explore

    “Skin sorted. Now meet the rest.” The trust built on one shelf carries to the next. Trust stretches across the brand.

  4. Gift

    “Give this to someone you love.” Nobody gifts a brand they’re unsure about. Trust becomes belief.

The programs aren’t forcing a bigger first order. They’re earning the second one. The third. And the one a customer’s friend places for them. Every piece of creative I design has a job inside that ladder, and knowing which rung a send is on is what makes the design decisions, not decoration.

Hero deep-dive, Skincare: quiz-to-cash

The problem the creative had to solve: 72% of customers never bought past the starter serum. Campaigns were identical across every skin type, open rates were single-digit, and cross-sells converted under 1%.

What I designed against it:

  • A skin-type-personalised creative system

    The quiz captured preferences for ~40% of the list, and I built the campaign creative to flex to each type instead of one generic broadcast.

  • “Glow Guide” content IP

    A weekly skin-education series, including the “Skin Win Wednesday” WhatsApp stories, designed to keep the brand useful between purchases, not just present at the sell.

  • Lifecycle creative across 8 flows

    The sequenced cross-sell moments (cleanser → serum at Day 30 → moisturiser at Day 45) and the “running low” replenishment triggers, each designed for its exact moment in the ladder.

₹89L

Program revenue, alongside $99K incremental revenue over 7 months.

+41%

Cross-category purchase rate, with 1.8× better flow performance.

2.5×

Day-30 replenishment WhatsApp campaigns outperformed email: the finding that reshaped how I designed for channel across the rest of the work.

Breadth: same thinking, different category

Fashion: VIP community drives category expansion

83% of customers were stuck in a single category, new launches were hitting 25% of potential, and email engagement sat under 2% with no social proof.

I designed the creative for a cross-category “Style Journey” (dress → accessories at Day 20 → coordinated sets at Day 45), a “Monday Muse” UGC series that put real customer photos and styling tips into the emails for social proof, the VIP WhatsApp inner-circle sends for 1,800 early-access members, and a 5-touch pre-launch warm-up from sneak peek to public launch.

+26%

Order frequency.

3.5×

Launch performance.

+31%

Repeat rate over 90 days.

Supplements: community-led retention

67% never reordered after the first bottle: skepticism without guidance, generic recommendations, no community to build adherence.

I designed the creative for a WhatsApp Wellness Hub (a 3,200-member community with daily tips), the bi-weekly expert AMA promotions that drove 73% weekly engagement, the health-quiz creative for personalised supplement stacks, and the “running low” replenishment flows built around serving sizes.

2.2×

Higher subscription rate.

48%

90-day retention, against a 32% industry benchmark.

₹95L

Community-attributed revenue.

Why this is in my portfolio

Three categories, one system. The creative changes (skincare glow guides, fashion UGC, supplement communities), but the logic underneath is the same every time: design for the rung of the ladder the customer is actually standing on, and earn the next order instead of forcing a bigger first one.

I design email and WhatsApp creative. But I design it knowing exactly what funnel it’s serving and why, which is the difference between making a nice email and making one that moves a number.