Hundreds of brands. One common problem. Trust leaks.
From AI startups to aged care tech, RAMMP has helped more than 500 brands identify what’s actually breaking their funnel. We’ve run 981 diagnostics across 20+ industries, and one truth shows up again and again:
👉 It’s not your business that is broken. It’s that you’re leaking trust.
In the first three seconds of a digital experience, your visitor is making unconscious decisions: Do people like me use this? Do I feel smart choosing this? Will this make my life better?
Miss those moments—and you’ve lost them.
Most Common Conversion Fails in the Wild
(A.K.A. What We See Too Often… And Fix Fast)
We analysed the behavioral signals across hundreds of brand sites using the ADORE Process™, a six-stage emotional journey that mirrors how real humans build trust. Here's what broke most often—and why.
#1. THE PROPOSAL ON THE FIRST DATE
“Book a demo” before I’ve even read the menu.
“Sign up to my newsletter” and I have only just landed.
“Save 10%” I don’t even know what you sell.
44% of brands pushed high-commitment CTAs like “Book Now” or “Start Free Trial” before establishing even a skerrick of trust.
Why it fails
As Digital Brand Romance puts it: “It’s like offering a house key before the second drink. Trust isn’t built by functionality alone—it’s built by psychology.” At the 0s–10s mark, people don’t want a proposal. They want a vibe check. This phase should reinforce identity, credibility, and emotional safety—not immediately ask for action.
Biggest offenders
SaaS, Engineering, HealthTech—particularly B2B brands with long sales cycles trying to shortcut emotional buy-in.
#2. The Self-Obsessed Monologue
All about you. Nothing about me.
38% of brands led with company bios, origin stories, or product features—instead of showing how life gets better for the visitor.
Why it fails
Behavioral economics shows that decision-making is largely egocentric and emotional. People buy when they see their problems reflected, not your products explained. As Anna writes:
“Visitors don’t come to admire your architecture. They come to solve their own problem. If your homepage is your brand’s dating profile, don’t start with your resume.” 😴
Biggest offenders
Professional services, tech startups, and FMCG brands that default to “our mission” over customer transformation.
#3. I CAN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO BUY
Confusing menus. Clashing CTAs. Total UX chaos.
36% of sites had tangled navigation, unclear flows, and multiple CTAs pulling the visitor in different directions.
Why it fails
According to Digital Brand Romance:
“Cognitive overload is real. When there are too many choices—or worse, no clear path—the brain shuts down. The lizard brain doesn’t like friction.”
Confusion isn’t just annoying. It’s expensive. Every second of hesitation is a chance for your user to bounce.
Biggest offenders
E-commerce, Gov SaaS, EdTech—especially those with multi-audience sites (e.g. students vs admins).
💝 Where Trust Breaks (ADORE™ Breakdown)
| ADORE Moment | % of Sites Failing | What’s Missing |
|---|---|---|
| The Arrival (Marketing) | 61% | Identity match, trust symbols |
| The First Impression (Branding) | 49% | How do you make my life better, credibility |
| The First Date (Website) | 35% | Engaging narrative, emotional hook, case studies, CTA clarity |
| The Honeymoon (Commitment) | 22% | No way to see myself as part of your brand |
| The Reality (Onboarding) | 29% | Too long to first win, learning curve too steep |
🧠 Psychology Triggers Most Often Ignored
This is where it gets dangerous. Behavioral psychology gives us the playbook. But most brands leave it in the drawer.
Here’s what we found:
72% ignored the “people like me” trigger (social proof).
64% failed to anchor ROI for me personally.
58% skipped urgency or loss aversion entirely.
That’s three golden triggers—social proof, value framing, scarcity—absolutely butchered.
These aren’t gimmicks. They’re how the human brain short-circuits uncertainty. As explained in the book:
“Your brain is a pattern detector, a story-seeker, a social animal. You want to be safe, right, and not look like an idiot. Your website needs to help me tick those boxes fast.”
The Fixes We Deliver Most Often
Because it’s one thing to diagnose the problem. It’s another to actually fix it. Here’s what the RAMMP team has delivered across 981 diagnostics:
| Fix Type | % of Brands Needed It |
|---|---|
| Homepage & CTA Rewire | 52% |
| Messaging & Narrative Rewrite | 48% |
| UX Streamlining & Onboarding | 31% |
| Trust Signal Injection (e.g. logos) | 27% |
| Value Prop Reframing | 23% |
How to Stop the LEEKING. PARDON THE PUN
Here’s the good news: most trust leeks are fixable. You just need the right lens.
✅ Fix the first 10 seconds (ZMOT) to show I belong here.
✅ Use emotionally intelligent CTAs, not just functional ones.
✅ Show proof that people like me succeed with you.
✅ Make your homepage a “brand elevator pitch,” not a sitemap.
✅ Use urgency and value, but never pressure.
Source: Based on insights from 981 RAMMP Diagnostic reports across 500+ brands and 20+ industries.
GET YOUR HANDS ON THE SOURCE
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Digital Brand Romance is definitely challenging, deceptively simple and surprisingly practical. It doesn’t just present the solution to your problems, it will help you find better problems to solve.
— Dr Ben Kraal, Director of Experience Design, Symplicit