Every Friday my business covers lunch.

It’s a fun little perk. I usually treat myself to a cheeseburger and a milkshake and it’s my favorite weekly ritual. I look forward to it like a kid looks forward to summer.

Last week Uber Eats ruined that for me.

Here’s what went down:

I’m at my desk. I just wrapped up several podcast recordings in a row. I sit down, open the app to order my one and only weekly treat, and… the freaking app logs me out.

Annoying, but fine.

I go to log back in and instantly get trapped in some kind of login loop:
“Enter your username” → “Something went wrong” → App crashes → Repeat.

Now, I’m a pretty persistent person. (AKA: “stubborn,” if you ask my mother). Normally I’d troubleshoot, re-download, refresh, whatever it takes.

But that Friday I had meetings back-to-back. My focus was already shot. I didn’t want to fight with an app just to feed myself (who would do that much work??)

So I closed it.
I skipped lunch.
And I ate a Payday bar Nate sent me from three weeks ago instead. 🥲

Here’s the part that matters, especially as an active customer of Uber Eats…and something that’s vital you take away from this week’s newsletter:

• I wanted lunch. (I was motivated = ✅)

• I opened the app. (I experienced a prompt = ✅)

• My company was paying for it. (Price friction = Gone.)

But because I couldn’t easily take the action in that moment the behavior never happened.

That’s what behavioral scientist BJ Fogg would call a capability failure.

And it’s the same invisible force quietly killing conversion rates across your funnel, too.

🤯 The Psychology Behind the Bail: BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model

BJ Fogg has a beautifully simple model for why people do (or don’t) take action on things they clearly want to take action on:

To break this down: to get someone to buy, click, subscribe, refer, download, or do any of the things you want them to do, three things have to align all at the same time:

1. They want to do it (motivation)

2. They’re nudged at the right moment (prompt)

3. They’re able to do it easily (ability, AKA: they’re actually capable of doing what they want to do)

If even one of those elements breaks down…no behavior.

No “add to cart.”
No form fill.
No sale.

Now, in my experience, most brands are absolutely obsessed with optimizing their entire ecosystem to nail two elements in this equation - Motivation + Prompt.

They write better copy to boost motivation.
They test CTAs to refine the prompt.
They add urgency, FOMO, and whatever “ending soon” countdown they saw on someone else’s page to push that prompt as far as it will go…

But the third piece— and arguably the most important piece—is either ignored or assumed.

And that’s a mistake.

Capability is the most fragile part of the system…but it’s also the key to unlocking the hearts and minds of our customers.

🧠 What “Capability” Actually Means

(Hint: It’s Not a Personal Problem)

When I talk about your customer’s “capability,” I don’t mean they’re lazy. I don’t mean they’re stupid. And I definitely don’t mean they don’t want what you’re offering.

On the contrary.

People are pretty desperate to solve their problems these days. They’re motivated, highly educated, and extremely focused on their goals.

So why aren’t we seeing better results from our marketing?

It all comes down to Capability.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing.

Capability is:

• Situational

• Emotional

• Easily broken by even the tiniest friction

Let’s break this down further:

Real-World Example:

Pretend you have a highly motivated customer who sees your ad at the perfect time. They’re ready, your ads are perfect, your offer is battle-tested, and the stars are aligning perfectly.

Yet even in this situation with just the right ingredients in place, a customer could still bounce. 🤯 And it’s usually because…

• The CTA isn’t strong (“Shop Now” just encourages browsing)

• The checkout form has 11 fields (half of which you don’t actually need)

• The product images are gorgeous (but don’t show the actual product…I’m looking at you supplements)

• The flow feels unclear, slightly annoying, or just to much effort in general

Behavior doesn’t die in the cart. It dies at the first speed bump.

⚠️ BJ Fogg’s 6 Capability Blockers

Fogg has identified 6 silent capability killers that affect customer behavior. Take a look, you might be committing these crimes without realizing it!

If even one of these is triggered, your behavior chain breaks.

So how should you fix this?

🛠️ The Quick Capability Audit

Here’s how to apply this right now without changing your offer, price, or product:

1. Pick one high-value behavior

What’s the one action you need more of?

• Add to Cart

• Checkout completion

• Email opt-in

• SMS sign-up

• Book a call

• Share or referral

2. Run it through the friction test

Ask yourself (or ask ChatGPT to analyze for you):

• ⏱️ Does this step take too long?

• 🧩 Is this section confusing or unclear?

• 💪 Is there too much physical or mental effort involved?

• 📆 Does our offer disrupt their comfort routine?

• 😬 Could it feel socially uncomfortable?

If the answer is “yes” to even one of these… you’ve got a capability problem that needs fixing ASAP!

3. Make it feel stupidly easy

You don’t need a redesign, recall your product, or scrap the whole business. Just reduce perceived effort:

✅ Use “instant,” “easy,” or “1-click” language on your landers
✅ Reduce the amount of decisions across the board
✅ Pre-fill fields. Pre-select defaults.
✅ Show visual progress (“Step 1 of 2”)
✅ Remove unnecessary copy, options, or steps
✅ Reinforce what’s next. Don’t make them think.

TLDR

Your customer’s brain is juggling 73,098,498 things at once. So make the decision to choose you and your product effortless…and behavior will follow. Most marketers are busy shouting louder, tweaking offers, and obsessing over CTAs. But none of that matters if the action still feels hard.

✨ If you want instant ATCs, don’t change your offer—remove the blockers.
Make it easy.
Make it obvious.
Make it effortless.

🚨 Not sure where your funnel’s breaking down?

Let’s find out.

Book a Friction Audit with me and I’ll walk through your site, landing page, or ad flow like a real customer, spotting every hidden blocker that’s quietly killing your conversion rate.

→ Book your audit now ←

Until next week,

🦕 Sarah

🎃 Welcome to the September Cult (Apparently)

🚨 Trend Alert: 10,000%+ spike - apparently, it’s already fall in people’s brains.

The term “welcome September” is blowing up on Pinterest right now with 10,000% weekly, monthly, and yearly increases …which I’m honestly baffled by. Not “fall decor”, not “autumn aesthetic.”

“Welcome September.”

Why are people welcoming a month that’s still four months away?

Here’s what I’m seeing:

📈 The Signal:
Searches for “welcome September” have surged 10,000%+ on Pinterest.
Yes, in May. (No, that’s not a typo.)

The spike isn’t tied to a specific product or event. It’s a vibe. A mood. A full-on seasonal identity activation. And it’s disproportionately driven by women saving content around routine resets, cozy rituals, and pre-fall optimism.

🧠 The Diagnosis:
This trend isn’t about September at all, it’s about psychological pre-gaming.

What people are actually saying with this trend:
→ “I need something to look forward to.”
→ “Fall is when I feel most in control.”
→ “If I prep now, I’ll finally feel ahead.”
→ “My real personality is 90% cardigans and candles.”

It’s temporal soothing meets seasonal self-alignment.
Aesthetic + anticipation = emotional regulation.

📌 Here’s how to capitalize on it:

📦 B2B Brands
Help your retail partners get way ahead.
Use this spike to justify an early fall reset display in July.
Pitch products with calendar-ready phrases:
→ “For the early planners”
→ “Your September self will thank you”

Think Pinterest planning boards meet product roadmaps.

🎯 DTC Brands
Tap into this surge with seasonal identity triggers:
→ “Reset-ready”
→ “Pre-fall prep kit”
→ “Welcome, the version of you that thrives in September”

Bundle slow-living products. Use subcopy like:
“Not rushing summer. Just meeting fall halfway.”

🧠 Creative Strategists
This is pure anticipatory dopamine.
Frame September as a story arc — not a date.

Prompt example:
→ “This is for the version of you who craves a clean start—before the chaos hits.”

Build ads that say: “You're already becoming her.”

📸 UGC Creators
Ride the vibe. Try these formats:
→ “POV: It’s May, but you’re ready for Fall Girl Energy”
→ “Getting my September self together early this year”
→ “This is what it feels like to prep for peace”

Use transitions from chaos to calm: messy May → organized September.

If you’re thinking “Isn’t this too early for fall content?” Ask Target if that strategy doesn’t work for them…

Pinterest users are 3 seasons ahead and emotionally booked.

Until next week,
🦖 DEX