How to create an effective purchase funnel? Example and key points

Something happens between a potential customer, for whom the brand is a complete stranger, and a dedicated, returning customer. This 'something' is, in marketing, the purchase funnel and consists of several stages. If the easiest way for you to understand marketing processes is by comparison, I have one for you that will explain everything! All newlyweds have a story to tell about how they met and how their relationship developed to the stage where they decided to say 'I do' to each other. Any married couple will probably be able to recognise similar stages in their relationship, as they are common to other people in the same situation. Of course, the stages may be the same, but each experience is unique and individual. Remember that the same is true for the stages of the shopping path. 

What is a shopping funnel and why is it designed?

The shopping funnel is a tool, visualisation to understand the process of converting leads into customers, understood from a marketing and sales perspective. Marketers cast a wide net to capture as many potential customers as possible and then slowly 'nurture' them, leading to a purchase decision, narrowing down the group at each stage of the funnel.

Why is a purchase funnel even important and necessary in business? First and foremost allows control of the path the consumer takes before deciding to use the product or service offered. It is also important that it makes it possible to examine at what stage and why potential customers are most likely to abandon a conversion. The funnel shows every contact a consumer has with a brand, which makes it possible to tailor the messages presented to them, as well as the outreach channels, and to develop better solutions, e.g. in terms of advertising.

How is the purchase funnel structured? Learn about its main stages

You already know if there is a funnel and you've probably guessed where its name comes from. With the largest number of people at the very top (everyone a business reaches) and a gradual narrowing of the group to those who convert, the purchase path reflects the shape of a funnel. In an ideal world, there would be no funnel, just a cylinder, and all potential customers would turn into customers. This is, to some extent, the role of marketers: to convert as many potential customers as possible into customers, making the funnel more cylindrical.

Of course, every business to design its purchase funnel accordingly, it must know its audience thoroughly. However, it is possible to identify the invariable main stages of the funnel. 

ToFu - Top of the Funnel

The top of the funnel has the most people, it is the widest part of the funnel. Everyone to whom the business message is directed is here. At this stage, brand awareness is built and engagement is initiated. A company tries to get its product or service message out to as large an audience as possible. ToFu is the stage where companies use tools such as paid search and social media advertising, content marketing (e.g. blog) i SEO. 

MoFu (Middle of the Funnel)

In the middle of the funnel, the brand aims to arouse interest in potential customers because they already know the brand exists, but are not yet convinced to take up the offer. What do brands do at the MoFu stage? They take all the steps to present the advantages of the product, to show what benefits it offers, what problems it helps to solve. In a word, they educate the audience. They use email marketing, organise webinars, create video tutorials, e-books, case-studies.

BoFu (Bottom of the Funnel)

This is the narrowest part of the funnel, as it only includes those who are ready to buy. What happens at this stage? Brands take care to address any doubts the customer has about the products (FAQ section, optimised descriptions), offer discount coupons, facilities such as free delivery or instalment payment options. They also use remarketing. It is important to remember that the sale does not mean the end of the cooperation! It is essential to nurture relationships with customers so that they become regular, loyal customers and recommend the brand to others.

What does a purchase funnel look like? Example

You already know the purchase funnel in theory. Now see how it can apply in practice.

• Let's assume that you run a massage parlour. Your potential client is reached by your ad, for example on the Google ad network. Curious, he goes to your website.
• There, he finds interesting blog articles, so encouraged he downloads an e-book created by you via a form on, for example, safe exercises to relieve back pain. He leaves his email address in the form and gets on your subscriber list.
• It gets from you newsletter and at some point begins to consider purchasing a particular service. 
• In the next newsletter he finds out about the discount/coupon for the service and decides to take advantage of the offer!

As you can see, at each stage of his path, the consumer was properly taken care of and given tailored messages. As a result, he ultimately became a customer.

This is what to keep in mind when building your purchase funnel - the most important points

You already know a lot about the purchase funnel. Ultimately, it can be boiled down to four basic actions performed towards the recipient. These are: drawing attention to the brand, generating interest, arousing the desire to buy and ultimately convincing people to buy. But before you use the funnel in your business, read what else is important for success.

• you need to create a persona so you know who you are going to target - Without this, you will be operating in the dark, and you know that any success will then be purely by chance. Create a marketing persona, i.e. an image of your ideal customer - the more detailed it is, the better. Who is he or she? How old is he or she? Where does he work? What problems does he or she face on a daily basis? These are just some of the questions you need to know the answer to.
• you must know your target - Identify what you are aiming for at each stage of the funnel. Work out what you expect from the prospects who are there. Then, of course, you need to consider what steps will help you achieve your goal.
• you must direct your audience to a site that is attractive from their point of view - A website is usually one of the first points of contact between a potential customer and a brand. That's why you need to make a good first impression! Otherwise, there's no getting through to the next stages of the funnel. Ensure that the website is not only visually appealing, but created in accordance with the principles of UXsimple, intuitive and modern.
• you must analyse the results! Keep your finger on the pulse, observe, analyse, draw conclusions. Otherwise you won't know if the actions you are taking are producing the result you want and you won't have the chance to optimise them.

The shopping funnel is a tool that will allow you to increase the efficiency of your actions

Shopping funnels simplify the customer journey and make it easier for companies to track it. In addition, they help reduce rejection rates at every stage. A funnel will show you where you are losing customers to help you change your strategy. It is definitely one of the most important tools to take care of in your business. Properly implemented, it will make your marketing efforts more effective and even more relevant to your customers.