The marketing funnel is a model used to illustrate the journey that potential customers go through as they become aware of a company’s products or services and eventually make a purchase. This journey is typically divided into several stages:
- Awareness: At the top of the funnel, potential customers become aware of your brand or product. This can happen through various channels such as internet search advertising, social media, word of mouth or content marketing.
- Interest: Once potential customers are aware of your brand and start developing an interest in your products or services. This is where they start researching, comparing and considering the options available.
- Consideration: In this stage, potential customers are considering your product or service as a viable option. They may compare your offering with competitors and review it in detail.
- Intent: At this stage, the customer’s interest evolves into a specific intent to purchase a product or service. This may involve seeking out more detailed information or visiting a store.
- Evaluation: During the evaluation phase, customers are making their final decision. They might be looking at different offers, discounts or reading reviews.
- Purchase: Finally, the customer makes a purchase decision and buys the product or service.
- Post-Purchase (Loyalty and Advocacy): After the purchase, the focus shifts to retaining the customer and turning them into a loyal advocate for the brand. This can be achieved through customer service, loyalty programs, and ensuring product satisfaction.
The digital marketing funnel is not always linear and customers may enter or exit at various stages. With the advent of digital marketing the funnel has evolved and many marketers now view it as more of a cyclical process where post-purchase stages feed back into the awareness stage for other products or services. Imagine customers pulling down through the funnel multiple times but not always through all the layers, particularly on returning sales.
Ecommerce marketing funnel diagram
We really like this article from Semrush on the marketing funnel