Why the Funnel Is Dead—and What You Can Do About It

We all know the classic sales funnel: it starts broad with awareness, narrows to consideration, and ends at a purchase. But that’s not really how people are discovering and buying products today…

The purchase discovery isn’t as neat as marketers would like to map out, and on top of that, there are generational nuances to factor in. So let’s take a closer look at today’s environment - where is discovery of new products and brands happening? How do consumers get influenced? And where are purchases occurring?

The funnel, once celebrated for its simplicity, clearly now falls short in capturing the intricate journey of the modern consumer. Buyers today are too dynamic for a linear funnel that moves sequentially from awareness to purchase, because buying can happen anytime, anywhere, in an instant.

The journey is messy. It’s characterised by speed, attention and a blend of different channels and touchpoints. Someone might research a product in-store but buy it online. Or they might jump straight from discovery to purchase after watching an unboxing video, skipping the traditional ‘consideration’ phase entirely - enter the impulse purchase and increasing behaviour of instant gratification needs. The process can start and end anywhere.

And that’s because social media and marketplaces like TikTok and Amazon have enabled an environment that facilitates this new frictionless ability, making the funnel even less predictable, changing the rules of engagement and therefore encouraging consumers to redefine their expectations.

It’s comforting to believe that consumers will follow the path we lay out for them – it would definitely make life much easier for e-commerce brands. But social media has transformed how people discover, research, and engage with brands.

Let’s look at some numbers: Half of shoppers worldwide have used social media to discover products, and even more—59%—have made purchases directly through these platforms ( What Is Social Commerce, Salesforce). Plus, convenience remains the number one reason for purchasing online (Australia eCommerce Report, IAB Australia), as consumers seek seamless, easy experiences that allow them to buy quickly, without leaving the platforms they’re already browsing. 

You’ve likely heard marketers discussing the collapsing of the funnel, but has the funnel been compressed, with consumers bypassing traditional steps? Or has it been dismantled entirely, because the linear journey no longer fits?

In short, it’s both, and it points to one conclusion: the funnel as we know it is dead… and we need a new model.

Several models have been proposed, including Edelman’s Trust Loop and McKinsey’s Consumer Decision Journey, both emphasising trust, engagement, and continuous interaction with consumers. These frameworks acknowledge that the consumer journey is circular rather than linear, with shoppers constantly moving between discovery, consideration, and purchase—often skipping steps or looping back based on real-time influences. In this reality, brands must stay connected with consumers to guide, influence, and convert consumers, no matter where they are in the process.

McKinsey's Consumer Decision Journey

But what does this mean for marketers and brands? How can they apply these new models in a practical way?

By meeting consumers where they are and making every touchpoint interactive and shoppable.

While social commerce has paved the way as a new search engine and storefront, the next step is to expand this accessibility beyond the walled gardens of social apps. Shoppable experiences should be embedded across all touchpoints—whether consumers are scrolling through social media, reading an article, or watching a show. Everything—ads, videos, images, and news articles—can and should be made shoppable. The word ‘Omnichannel’ comes to mind. 

Make every touchpoint interactive and shoppable

With the right strategy and technology, brands can create seamless campaigns and content where discovery, influence, and purchase happen in the same place—anywhere online—offering consumers the flexibility to shop whenever and wherever they choose. 

By embedding clickable, shoppable elements directly into content and ads, Vudoo enables brands to engage customers in the moment—whether they’re watching a video, viewing a native ad, or interacting with branded content—and gives them the ability to purchase on the spot.

Commerce today isn’t about guiding shoppers through predefined stages; it’s about making it easy for them to discover, engage, and purchase at any moment. And the quicker brands adapt to this new reality and start putting these strategies in place, the more they’ll thrive in the evolving digital landscape.