diff --git a/frontend/components/header/AppMobileMenu.tsx b/frontend/components/header/AppMobileMenu.tsx
index 11253323..3d09bb23 100644
--- a/frontend/components/header/AppMobileMenu.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/header/AppMobileMenu.tsx
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export function AppMobileMenu({
       {open && (
         <>
           <div
-            className={`fixed inset-x-0 top-16 bottom-0 z-40 bg-black/50 backdrop-blur-sm transition-opacity duration-200 lg:hidden ${
+            className={`fixed inset-x-0 top-16 bottom-0 z-40 bg-black/50 backdrop-blur-sm transition-opacity duration-200 min-[1050px]:hidden ${
               isAnimating ? 'opacity-100' : 'opacity-0'
             }`}
             onClick={close}
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ export function AppMobileMenu({
 
           <nav
             id="app-mobile-nav"
-            className={`bg-background fixed top-16 right-0 left-0 z-50 h-[calc(100dvh-4rem)] overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain px-4 py-4 transition-transform duration-300 ease-out sm:px-6 lg:hidden lg:px-8 ${
+            className={`bg-background fixed top-16 right-0 left-0 z-50 h-[calc(100dvh-4rem)] overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain px-4 py-4 transition-transform duration-300 ease-out sm:px-6 min-[1050px]:hidden ${
               isAnimating ? 'translate-y-0' : '-translate-y-4'
             }`}
             style={{
diff --git a/frontend/components/header/DesktopActions.tsx b/frontend/components/header/DesktopActions.tsx
index 976bf594..54f02bf6 100644
--- a/frontend/components/header/DesktopActions.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/header/DesktopActions.tsx
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ export function DesktopActions({
   const isBlog = variant === 'blog';
 
   return (
-    <div className="hidden items-center gap-2 lg:flex">
+    <div className="hidden items-center gap-2 min-[1050px]:flex">
       {isBlog && <BlogHeaderSearch />}
 
       <LanguageSwitcher />
diff --git a/frontend/components/header/DesktopNav.tsx b/frontend/components/header/DesktopNav.tsx
index 12353f60..aba99828 100644
--- a/frontend/components/header/DesktopNav.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/header/DesktopNav.tsx
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ export function DesktopNav({ variant, blogCategories = [] }: DesktopNavProps) {
   };
 
   if (variant === 'shop') {
-    return <NavLinks className="lg:flex" includeHomeLink />;
+    return <NavLinks className="min-[1050px]:flex" includeHomeLink />;
   }
 
   if (variant === 'blog') {
diff --git a/frontend/components/header/MobileActions.tsx b/frontend/components/header/MobileActions.tsx
index 5531dded..a6b8e0f8 100644
--- a/frontend/components/header/MobileActions.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/header/MobileActions.tsx
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ export function MobileActions({
   const isBlog = variant === 'blog';
 
   return (
-    <div className="flex items-center gap-1 lg:hidden">
+    <div className="flex items-center gap-1 min-[1050px]:hidden">
       <LanguageSwitcher />
       {isBlog && <BlogHeaderSearch />}
       {isShop && <CartButton />}
diff --git a/frontend/components/header/UnifiedHeader.tsx b/frontend/components/header/UnifiedHeader.tsx
index 23265470..958d045e 100644
--- a/frontend/components/header/UnifiedHeader.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/header/UnifiedHeader.tsx
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ function HeaderContent({
           <Logo href={brandHref} />
 
           <nav
-            className="hidden items-center justify-center lg:flex"
+            className="hidden items-center justify-center min-[1050px]:flex"
             aria-label="Primary"
           >
             <DesktopNav variant={variant} blogCategories={blogCategories} />
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ function HeaderContent({
       </header>
 
       {isPending && (
-        <div className="bg-background/95 fixed top-[65px] right-0 bottom-0 left-0 z-[60] flex items-center justify-center backdrop-blur-md">
+        <div className="bg-background/95 fixed top-[67px] right-0 bottom-0 left-0 z-[60] flex items-center justify-center backdrop-blur-md">
           <Loader size={120} />
         </div>
       )}
diff --git a/frontend/components/home/WelcomeHeroSection.tsx b/frontend/components/home/WelcomeHeroSection.tsx
index 43aa5a83..0adf0c85 100644
--- a/frontend/components/home/WelcomeHeroSection.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/home/WelcomeHeroSection.tsx
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@ import React from 'react';
 import { InteractiveConstellation } from '@/components/home/InteractiveConstellation';
 import { InteractiveCTAButton } from '@/components/home/InteractiveCTAButton';
 import { WelcomeHeroBackground } from '@/components/home/WelcomeHeroBackground';
+import { OnlineCounterPopup } from '@/components/shared/OnlineCounterPopup';
 
 export default function WelcomeHeroSection() {
   const t = useTranslations('homepage');
+  const ctaRef = React.useRef<HTMLAnchorElement>(null);
 
   return (
     <section className="relative flex min-h-[calc(100dvh-4rem)] flex-col items-center justify-center overflow-hidden px-4 md:px-8 lg:px-12">
@@ -40,10 +42,12 @@ export default function WelcomeHeroSection() {
         </p>
 
         <div className="mt-6 sm:mt-8 md:mt-14 lg:mt-16">
-          <InteractiveCTAButton />
+          <InteractiveCTAButton ref={ctaRef} />
         </div>
       </div>
 
+      <OnlineCounterPopup ctaRef={ctaRef} />
+
       <motion.div 
         initial={{ opacity: 0, y: 20 }}
         animate={{ opacity: 1, y: 0 }}
diff --git a/frontend/components/shared/AnimatedNavLink.tsx b/frontend/components/shared/AnimatedNavLink.tsx
index 05657f50..7cf55f8a 100644
--- a/frontend/components/shared/AnimatedNavLink.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/shared/AnimatedNavLink.tsx
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@ export function AnimatedNavLink({
 
       <span
         className={`absolute inset-x-0 -bottom-3 h-12 transition-opacity duration-300 ease-out ${
-          isActive ? 'opacity-50' : 'opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-40'
+          isActive
+            ? 'opacity-25 dark:opacity-50'
+            : 'opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-20 dark:group-hover:opacity-40'
         }`}
         style={{
           background: `radial-gradient(ellipse 80px 40px at center bottom, ${
@@ -62,10 +64,10 @@ export function AnimatedNavLink({
           style={{
             width: 0,
             height: 0,
-            borderLeft: '8px solid transparent',
-            borderRight: '8px solid transparent',
-            borderBottom: '8px solid var(--accent-primary)',
-            filter: 'drop-shadow(0 0 6px var(--accent-primary))',
+            borderLeft: '6px solid transparent',
+            borderRight: '6px solid transparent',
+            borderBottom: '6px solid var(--accent-primary)',
+            filter: 'drop-shadow(0 0 3px var(--accent-primary))',
           }}
           aria-hidden="true"
         />
@@ -73,24 +75,24 @@ export function AnimatedNavLink({
 
       {isActive ? (
         <span
-          className="absolute bottom-[-15px] left-1/2 h-[2px] w-full -translate-x-1/2 opacity-100 transition-all duration-300 ease-out"
+          className="absolute bottom-[-13px] left-1/2 h-[1.5px] w-full -translate-x-1/2 opacity-100 transition-all duration-300 ease-out"
           style={{
             background:
               'linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0%, var(--accent-primary) 50%, transparent 100%)',
             boxShadow:
-              '0 0 12px 2px var(--accent-primary), 0 0 6px 1px var(--accent-primary)',
+              '0 0 6px 1px var(--accent-primary), 0 0 3px 0.5px var(--accent-primary)',
           }}
           aria-hidden="true"
         />
       ) : (
         <span
-          className="absolute bottom-[-15px] left-1/2 h-[3px] w-0 -translate-x-1/2 opacity-0 transition-all duration-300 ease-out group-hover:w-full group-hover:opacity-100"
+          className="absolute bottom-[-13px] left-1/2 h-[2px] w-0 -translate-x-1/2 opacity-0 transition-all duration-300 ease-out group-hover:w-full group-hover:opacity-100"
           style={{
             background:
               'linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 0%, var(--accent-hover) 20%, transparent 40%, var(--accent-hover) 60%, transparent 80%, var(--accent-hover) 100%)',
             backgroundSize: '200% 100%',
             animation: 'shimmer 2s ease-in-out infinite',
-            boxShadow: '0 0 10px 2px var(--accent-hover)',
+            boxShadow: '0 0 5px 1px var(--accent-hover)',
           }}
           aria-hidden="true"
         />
diff --git a/frontend/components/shared/OnlineCounterPopup.tsx b/frontend/components/shared/OnlineCounterPopup.tsx
index e5dda43e..1170a53b 100644
--- a/frontend/components/shared/OnlineCounterPopup.tsx
+++ b/frontend/components/shared/OnlineCounterPopup.tsx
@@ -2,7 +2,16 @@
 
 import { Users } from 'lucide-react';
 import { useTranslations } from 'next-intl';
-import { useEffect, useLayoutEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import {
+  useCallback,
+  useEffect,
+  useRef,
+  useState,
+  useSyncExternalStore,
+} from 'react';
+
+const SHOW_DURATION_MS = 10_000;
+const SESSION_KEY = 'onlineCounterShown';
 
 type OnlineCounterPopupProps = {
   ctaRef: React.RefObject<HTMLAnchorElement | null>;
@@ -12,71 +21,67 @@ export function OnlineCounterPopup({ ctaRef }: OnlineCounterPopupProps) {
   const t = useTranslations('onlineCounter');
   const [online, setOnline] = useState<number | null>(null);
   const [show, setShow] = useState(false);
-  const [position, setPosition] = useState<{ top: number; isMobile: boolean }>({
-    top: 0,
-    isMobile: true,
-  });
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (sessionStorage.getItem('shown')) return;
+  const hideTimerRef = useRef<ReturnType<typeof setTimeout>>(null);
 
+  const fetchActivity = useCallback(() => {
     fetch('/api/sessions/activity', { method: 'POST' })
-      .then(r => r.json())
+      .then(r => {
+        if (!r.ok) throw new Error(r.statusText);
+        return r.json();
+      })
       .then(data => {
-        setOnline(data.online);
-        setTimeout(() => setShow(true), 500);
-        sessionStorage.setItem('shown', '1');
-        setTimeout(() => setShow(false), 10000);
+        if (typeof data.online === 'number') setOnline(data.online);
       })
-      .catch(() => setOnline(null));
+      .catch(() => {});
   }, []);
 
-  useLayoutEffect(() => {
-    const calculatePosition = () => {
-      const mobile = window.innerWidth < 768;
-      let newTop = 0;
-
-      if (mobile && ctaRef.current) {
-        const rect = ctaRef.current.getBoundingClientRect();
-        const desired = rect.bottom + window.scrollY + rect.height + 14;
-        const popupHeight = 56;
-        const safeBottom = 16;
-        const max =
-          window.scrollY + window.innerHeight - popupHeight - safeBottom;
-        newTop = Math.min(desired, max);
-      }
-
-      setPosition({ top: newTop, isMobile: mobile });
-    };
-
-    calculatePosition();
-  }, [ctaRef]);
   useEffect(() => {
-    const handleResize = () => {
-      const mobile = window.innerWidth < 768;
-      let newTop = 0;
+    const alreadyShown = sessionStorage.getItem(SESSION_KEY);
+
+    fetchActivity();
 
-      if (mobile && ctaRef.current) {
-        const rect = ctaRef.current.getBoundingClientRect();
-        const desired = rect.bottom + window.scrollY + rect.height + 14;
-        const popupHeight = 56;
-        const safeBottom = 16;
-        const max =
-          window.scrollY + window.innerHeight - popupHeight - safeBottom;
-        newTop = Math.min(desired, max);
-      }
+    if (!alreadyShown) {
+      const showTimer = setTimeout(() => setShow(true), 500);
+      sessionStorage.setItem(SESSION_KEY, '1');
 
-      setPosition({ top: newTop, isMobile: mobile });
-    };
+      hideTimerRef.current = setTimeout(
+        () => setShow(false),
+        SHOW_DURATION_MS + 500
+      );
 
-    window.addEventListener('resize', handleResize);
+      return () => {
+        clearTimeout(showTimer);
+        if (hideTimerRef.current) clearTimeout(hideTimerRef.current);
+      };
+    }
+  }, [fetchActivity]);
 
-    return () => {
-      window.removeEventListener('resize', handleResize);
-    };
-  }, [ctaRef]);
+  const subscribe = useCallback((cb: () => void) => {
+    window.addEventListener('resize', cb);
+    return () => window.removeEventListener('resize', cb);
+  }, []);
+
+  const isMobile = useSyncExternalStore(
+    subscribe,
+    () => window.innerWidth < 768,
+    () => true
+  );
+
+  const top = useSyncExternalStore(
+    subscribe,
+    () => {
+      if (!isMobile || !ctaRef.current) return 0;
+      const rect = ctaRef.current.getBoundingClientRect();
+      const desired = rect.bottom + rect.height + 14;
+      const popupHeight = 56;
+      const safeBottom = 16;
+      const max = window.innerHeight - popupHeight - safeBottom;
+      return Math.min(desired, max);
+    },
+    () => 0
+  );
 
-  if (!online) return null;
+  if (online === null) return null;
 
   const getText = (count: number) => {
     if (count === 1) return t('one');
@@ -89,7 +94,7 @@ export function OnlineCounterPopup({ ctaRef }: OnlineCounterPopupProps) {
   return (
     <div
       className="fixed right-0 left-0 z-50 flex justify-center md:right-12 md:bottom-[10vh] md:left-auto md:justify-end"
-      style={position.isMobile ? { top: position.top } : undefined}
+      style={isMobile ? { top } : undefined}
     >
       <div
         className={`transition-all duration-500 ease-out ${