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Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion Funnel Analysis: Find Where Visitors Drop Off

A 1.2% conversion rate does not tell you where a site is losing sales. Behind it there could be mobile visitors who never move from the product page to the cart, or desktop visitors who give up at checkout when the shipping fee appears. Conversion funnel analysis breaks that single rate into steps and shows where drop-off is concentrated.

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Product view100%Add to cart%32Checkout%14Purchase%6Biggest drop-off
Illustrative view: diagram of a conversion funnel.
Purpose and appearance

What do we use this service for?

We use funnel analysis to find the step in the purchase or lead flow where the most visitors are lost. Split by device, channel and user type, drop-off data replaces guesswork, so development and testing effort goes to the step that can win the most sales.

Funnel stages it serves

  1. Awareness
  2. Consideration
  3. Conversion
  4. Loyalty

Building an e-commerce funnel in GA4 funnel exploration

Funnel exploration in GA4 takes up to ten steps. We usually start with five or six; as steps increase, fewer users fall into each one and breakdowns become unreadable. We write the steps to match the site's actual flow; on a site with one-page checkout, the checkout steps are split differently. A typical e-commerce funnel looks like this:

  • Product list or category view (view_item_list)
  • Product page (view_item)
  • Add to cart (add_to_cart)
  • Begin checkout (begin_checkout)
  • Add payment info (add_payment_info)
  • Purchase (purchase)

Open vs. closed funnels: settings that change the reading

In a closed funnel, users must enter at the first step; in an open funnel, they can enter at any step. On sites where many users land directly on a product page from an ad, a closed funnel overstates drop-off. We keep 'indirectly followed by' as the default between steps; 'directly followed by' only makes sense in checkout flows where two steps must happen back to back.

Turning on elapsed time also shows the average time between steps. In categories where days pass between add to cart and checkout, the timing of retargeting with Advantage+ catalog ads can be adjusted based on this data. Since exploration reports are affected by GA4's data retention setting, we check from the start that the property is set to 14 months.

Breaking down drop-off by device, channel and user type

Reading the funnel as a single block often leads to the wrong conclusion. So we always split total drop-off by device, channel and new versus returning users. A common example on sites in Türkiye: drop-off at the checkout step looks high at first glance, but the breakdown shows that much of it comes from mobile users who prefer to order over WhatsApp. These users are not lost; they switched channels, and the funnel is incomplete unless the WhatsApp click is measured as a separate step.

On sites without guest checkout, the login step, shipping fees appearing only at the last step and drop-offs on the return from 3D Secure are also drop-off points typical of Türkiye. The funnel shows the size of the loss at these steps; we investigate the cause with heatmaps and session recordings. We define these points as separate funnel steps or segments so they are not lost inside the total drop-off.

Extending the lead funnel past the website

For service and B2B brands, the site funnel ends at form submission, while the real funnel continues with the sales team: form, first meeting, proposal, sale. GA4 cannot see this second half. We match CRM records with form data in BigQuery and extend the funnel all the way to the sale; this makes visible whether forms from Meta lead ads or from Google Ads reach the proposal stage more often.

Funnel Analysis: when do we recommend it?

We recommend it

  • E-commerce sites whose conversion rate is falling without a known cause
  • Brands planning changes to checkout steps that want to measure the current state first
  • Service companies that want to see the quality of leads sent to the sales team by channel

We don't recommend it

  • Analysis on properties where funnel events are missing or arrive in the wrong order; the event plan must be fixed first
  • Detailed breakdowns on sites with only a few conversions a week; the sample is too small to interpret

How we manage Funnel Analysis

  1. Step definitionWe write out the site's actual purchase or form flow step by step.
  2. Event checkWe test that each step arrives in GA4 with the correct event and in the correct order.
  3. Funnel explorationWe build open and closed funnels together with elapsed time.
  4. BreakdownsWe compare drop-off by device, channel, campaign and user type.
  5. Drop-off rankingWe rank the steps to tackle first by drop-off volume and ease of fixing.

Funnel Analysis: metrics and requirements

Metrics we track

  • Drop-off rate by step
  • Funnel completion rate
  • Time between steps
  • Conversion by device
  • Lead-to-proposal rate

What you need to get started

  • Recommended e-commerce or lead events working in GA4
  • At least a few weeks of data in the property, ideally with retention set to 14 months
  • For the lead funnel, a CRM export with stage information
  • A test card or environment where we can test the checkout flow

Official sources

The Brand Move CRO Team

To learn more about Funnel Analysis or other conversion optimization services, contact The Brand Move Conversion Optimization team today.

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Frequently asked questions

Funnel Analysis: frequently asked questions

What is conversion funnel analysis?

It is the step-by-step reading of how many visitors move from one stage of the purchase or lead flow to the next, for example product page, cart, checkout and purchase. We build it in GA4 funnel exploration and split drop-off by device, channel and new versus returning users to find the step worth fixing first.

How many steps can a GA4 funnel exploration have?

Up to ten. We usually start with five or six, because each extra step leaves fewer users in every breakdown and makes the report harder to read. The steps follow the site's real flow, so a one-page checkout is split differently from a multi-step one.

Why is the funnel in GA4 different from the one in Shopify or our platform dashboard?

Platform dashboards usually count sessions with their own cookies and definitions, while GA4 depends on cookie consent and the event plan. We do not expect the numbers to match exactly. What matters is that the ratios between steps point in the same direction; if they do not, an event is firing in the wrong place.

How often do you repeat the funnel analysis?

After setup, we read the funnel monthly and after every major change, such as a new payment provider, shipping policy, design update or a peak campaign period. Since funnel behavior shifts noticeably during November sales periods, we compare those periods separately.

Is there a good benchmark for product page to cart rate?

Because differences across industries and price points are very large, we do not give a general target. Your own site's past performance, the gap between devices and the gap between categories offer far more useful points of comparison.

Let's run a first Funnel Analysis review together.

In a free call we review the drop-off points in your funnel and your landing pages, then send you the first three ideas to test in writing.

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