Funnel and growth
What is a sales funnel?
A sales funnel is the path from first hearing about a brand to buying, split into stages that each lose some people.
A real store example
Overtone 2 for $16 samples page: over 15 Meta ads linked here.
Overtone's ads run to story-led advertorials and to this offer: two sample-size coloring conditioners for $16. A cheap sample is a funnel step of its own, turning a reader into a buyer before asking for a full-size order.
Put sales funnel to work
Ask Replo: "show where shoppers drop off between landing page and checkout".
Go deeper
Marketing funnel examplesSales funnel questions
- What are the stages of a sales funnel?
- Usually awareness (top of funnel), consideration (middle) and decision (bottom), followed by retention. Each stage needs its own message: teach, compare, then ask for the order.
- How do I find where my funnel leaks?
- Compare the share of people who move from each step to the next: ad to page, page to cart, cart to checkout, checkout to order. The step with the biggest drop is where to start.
Related terms
Browse the glossaryTop of funnel
Top of funnel (TOFU) is the awareness stage, where people first discover a brand and aren't yet looking to buy.
Middle of funnel
Middle of funnel (MOFU) is the consideration stage, where people compare options and need reasons to trust you.
Bottom of funnel
Bottom of funnel (BOFU) is the decision stage, where people are ready to buy and the offer and checkout do the work.
Advertorial
An advertorial is an ad written to read like an editorial article, used to warm up cold traffic before it reaches a product page.