A funnel ends at purchase; a flywheel emphasizes happy customers bringing in new ones.

Does it work for B2B?

Yes—stages like lead, opportunity, and closed deal are just longer.

Marketing funnel

💼 Business By CampusDown Wiki Editorial Team Last updated October 26, 2026

A marketing funnel models how a large pool of potential customers narrows through awareness, interest, and consideration until a smaller group buys.

Contents

1. Stages
2. Measuring and improving
3. FAQ
4. References

Stages

The classic AIDA model runs Attention → Interest → Desire → Action. Digital marketers split it into top of funnel (TOFU: blog posts and social media for awareness), middle (MOFU: newsletters and webinars for consideration), and bottom (BOFU: free trials and discounts to close). Startups often use Dave McClure's AARRR metrics: acquisition, activation, retention, referral, revenue.

Measuring and improving

Stage conversion rates show where people drop off. If 10,000 visitors yield 500 carts and 100 checkouts, cart-to-checkout conversion is 20%. Teams fix bottlenecks with A/B tests and extend the funnel past purchase by managing churn. McKinsey argued the real customer journey is a loop of consideration and re-evaluation, not a straight line.

FAQ

Funnel vs. flywheel?: A funnel ends at purchase; a flywheel emphasizes happy customers bringing in new ones.
Does it work for B2B?: Yes—stages like lead, opportunity, and closed deal are just longer.

Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26

References

Strong, E. K. (1925). Theories of selling. Journal of Applied Psychology, 9(1), 75–86.
Court, D., Elzinga, D., Mulder, S., & Vetvik, O. J. (2009). The consumer decision journey. McKinsey Quarterly.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson.

Reports and materials that use this theory (Korean)

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This article was last updated on October 26, 2026. It is based on widely recognized original works and textbooks; when citing it in a paper, please check the original sources listed in the references.