How To Make A Sales Funnel For Ecommerce [September 2025 Update]

Ecommerce businesses face intense competition and challenges in converting visitors into customers and maximizing customer lifetime value. A well-designed sales funnel can help online stores reduce cart abandonment, increase average order value, and create loyal repeat customers. This guide will show you how to build, market, and implement a sales funnel specifically for your ecommerce business.

If you're an ecommerce store owner looking to boost conversions, increase customer retention, and scale your online business, there are several excellent platforms that can help you build effective sales funnels without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

The first step to making your ecommerce sales funnel is choosing the right platform. However, selecting from numerous options can be overwhelming, especially when you're focused on product management, fulfillment, and customer service. Keep reading this guide to see our suggested picks and a step-by-step guide to making a sales funnel for your ecommerce business.

The Best Platforms For Ecommerce Sales Funnels

When choosing a platform for your ecommerce sales funnel, you need specific features that address the unique needs of online retail. The ideal platform should include product showcasing capabilities, upsell and cross-sell functionality, abandoned cart recovery, customer segmentation, and post-purchase follow-up automation. It should also help you build ongoing customer relationships to maximize lifetime value. Based on these requirements, we've ranked the top 5 platforms for ecommerce sales funnels:

1. ClickFunnels

Get started with ClickFunnels (Free Trial) 🚀

ClickFunnels offers ecommerce businesses a comprehensive solution with templates specifically designed for product sales. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create multi-step funnels with order bumps, one-click upsells, and cross-sell offers that can significantly increase average order value. ClickFunnels enables the creation of product-specific mini-funnels that convert better than traditional ecommerce category pages. It provides a 14-day free trial to test all features.

2. Unbounce

Get started with Unbounce (Free Trial) 🚀

Unbounce provides ecommerce stores with highly customizable landing pages perfect for promoting specific products or collections. Its Smart Traffic feature automatically directs potential customers to the landing page variant where they're most likely to convert based on their interests. Unbounce excels at A/B testing different product presentations, offers, and messaging to optimize conversion rates.

3. Leadpages

Get Started with Leadpages (Free Trial) 🚀

Leadpages offers user-friendly templates ideal for ecommerce lead generation and sales. Its alert bars and pop-ups are effective for promoting limited-time offers, new product launches, or special discounts. Leadpages makes it easy to create lead magnets such as “Buying Guides” or “Product Comparison Checklists” that provide value while capturing customer information for email marketing.

4. Instapage

Get started with Instapage (Free Trial) 🚀

Instapage allows ecommerce businesses to create personalized landing pages for different product categories or customer segments. Its collaboration features make it easy for marketing and product teams to work together on funnel creation. Instapage's heatmap analytics help identify which product features or images attract the most attention from potential customers.

5. Optimizepress

Get started with Optimizepress (Subscription) 🚀

Optimizepress offers a WordPress-based solution for ecommerce businesses looking to create product-focused sales funnels. Its integration with WordPress makes it ideal for stores using WooCommerce. Optimizepress includes templates specifically designed for product showcases, countdown timers for limited offers, and order forms that can be customized to maximize conversions.

Conclusion

After evaluating multiple platforms, ClickFunnels stands out as the best choice for ecommerce businesses due to its superior upsell and cross-sell capabilities, proven templates specifically for product sales, and powerful funnel metrics tracking. While it requires a monthly investment, the potential increase in average order value and conversion rates can quickly justify the cost.

However, if you're looking for a more budget-friendly option with solid landing page capabilities, Leadpages provides an excellent alternative at a lower price point.

Now that we have identified our top choice, let's show you how to make an ecommerce sales funnel using ClickFunnels.

How to Make a Sales Funnel for Ecommerce Using ClickFunnels

Building an effective ecommerce sales funnel involves creating a seamless journey from targeted product discovery through purchase and beyond. The following steps will guide you through making a funnel that not only converts first-time visitors but also maximizes customer lifetime value.

Step 1: Sign Up for ClickFunnels

Create your account and take advantage of the 14-day free trial to explore all features before committing.

Step 2: Map Your Funnel Strategy

Before building, plan your funnel structure:

Traffic sources (ads, social media, organic)
Entry points (specific landing pages for different products/audiences)
Core product offers
Order bump opportunities
Post-purchase upsell sequences
Follow-up email journeys
Retention and repeat purchase paths

Step 3: Make Product-Specific Landing Pages

Using ClickFunnels' drag-and-drop editor:

Design compelling single-product focused landing pages
Highlight specific benefits rather than features
Include product demonstration videos
Add social proof with customer reviews and user-generated content
Create urgency with limited-time offers or stock counters
Include trust indicators like guarantees and secure payment icons
Add a clear call-to-action leading directly to checkout (bypassing cart)

Step 4: Optimize Your Checkout Experience

Improve your checkout process:

Simplify the checkout form to essential fields only
Add trust badges and security reassurances
Include progress indicators showing checkout steps
Save shipping and payment information for returning customers
Implement express payment options (Apple Pay, Shop Pay)
Add mobile-friendly design elements for easier completion

Step 5: Create Pre-Checkout Order Bumps

Using ClickFunnels:

Identify complementary low-cost items to offer before checkout
Create compelling order bump offers with clear value proposition
Price bumps strategically (typically 20-40% of main product value)
Make adding the bump a simple one-click process
Show the enhanced value of adding the recommended product

Step 6: Set Up One-Click Post-Purchase Upsells

Configure ClickFunnels to:

Offer relevant upgrades immediately after purchase
Create a sequence of up to 2-3 targeted upsell offers
Enable one-click purchasing that doesn't require re-entering payment information
Design compelling upsell pages highlighting additional value
Implement logical upsell paths based on initial purchase
Test different offers and price points to maximize acceptance

Step 7: Make Post-Purchase Email Sequences

Develop automated email campaigns for:

Order confirmation with cross-sell recommendations
Shipping and delivery updates
Product usage tips and tutorials
Review requests at optimal timing after delivery
Replenishment reminders for consumable products
Complementary product recommendations based on purchase history

Step 8: Implement Abandoned Cart Recovery

Set up multi-channel recovery:

Exit-intent popups offering discounts to complete purchase
Email sequences reminding customers of items left behind
SMS reminders for mobile shoppers (with permission)
Retargeting ads showcasing abandoned products
Incentivized recovery offers with increasing value over time

Step 9: Develop Customer Retention Funnels

Create systems for maximizing customer lifetime value:

VIP customer programs with exclusive benefits
Loyalty point accumulation and redemption
Early access to new products for existing customers
Personalized product recommendations based on purchase history
Special occasion offers (birthdays, anniversaries, holidays)
Referral incentives for customer advocacy

Step 10: Measure, Test, and Optimize

Track key metrics and continuously improve:

Landing page conversion rates by traffic source
Checkout completion rates
Order bump acceptance rates
Upsell conversion percentages
Average order value with and without funnel elements
Customer lifetime value
Return on ad spend for different funnel entry points

By following these steps with ClickFunnels, ecommerce businesses can make an effective sales funnel that not only converts first-time visitors at higher rates but also maximizes revenue through strategic upsells, cross-sells, and customer retention strategies.