The latest SessionStack release includes instrumentation-free Conversion Funnels
We are happy to share with you our next big step in the delivery: Funnels
This article will cover
- What is a funnel and why it’s important for conversion rate optimization?
- Definition of funnel event steps “In this order”
- Visualizing funnel steps across all sessions or within one user session
- How to configure a Conversion Funnel in SessionStack?
- Wondering which option to use: “Within the same session“ OR “Across all sessions“?
- Funnel chart summary
- Coming soon: a detailed funnel conversion summary. Stay tuned!
Before the beginning, if you still haven’t tried SessionStack, now you can start in minutes with our new Free plan. Get 1500 free sessions/month and all features.
1. What is a funnel and why it’s important for conversion rate optimization?
We have a more general definition of a funnel at SessionStack.
A funnel is a set of ordered expected steps that, in the best-case scenario, your user will follow from beginning to end to achieve a business milestone (conversion). In the SessionStack platform steps in a funnel can be end-user actions (mouse clicks, keyboard interactions, scroll, touch events) or end-user navigations to defined locations (URLs), or a combination of both. All of these events, whether user actions or navigations occur sequentially, and each step that we want to measure is defined in our funnel accordingly.
It is unavoidable that not all of our users will follow this flow from start to finish. To achieve product growth, we must investigate user behaviors and optimize the deviation from the desired action. This is best done with funnel analysis, as funnels are the best tool to visualize user flows and analyze the conversion rate of each step. Especially combined with session replay, where you can literally see and understand the user actions of funnel converters or drop-offs.
However, traditional analytics funnels require instrumentation, where you can only measure a static predefined set of steps you qualify as the best customer journey. This causes a significant analytical handicap especially in more complex digital products, with the constant development of new features.
Here is where SessionStack Funnels are truly useful. Since our platform relies on the auto-capture of data it can provide instrumentation-free funnels that are easy to set up and work retroactively. So you can have your conversion analysis right away, starting from any point of the user journey, unfolding every hidden step in between.
You can easily analyze and optimize the conversion process from any login and onboarding, through complex feature adoption, or subscription. From any product page view through the shopping cart steps, till purchase.
In brief, the instrumentation-free Funnels of SessionStack are providing us with the ability to:
- Visualize any desired flow that we want our users to go through without the need for initial preparation;
- Track how many of our users complete each step and how many drop out;
- Investigate the causes of drop-offs and understand better the behavior of converters by replaying the sessions of both segments and following their trends
- Based on the findings, we can fix the identified issues and then verify our conversion optimization effort by comparing the results of both segments before and after
2. Definition of funnel event steps “In this order”
A funnel visualization is a series of an ordered set of events, which means that the event described in step one occurs before the event described in step two. However other events from the user journey may occur in between. In SessionStack the Funnel configuration setting “In this order” follows precisely this example and it’s used to describe only the mandatory steps in a journey in order to achieve the desired business goal (conversion).
To get a better picture of the setting “In this order”, consider the following scenario.
A customer is looking for green handbags on an e-commerce website. They are adding a handbag to the cart and then proceed to the checkout page. The first step is to visit a product page, then add an item to the cart, and the third is to navigate to the checkout page. However, before proceeding to the payment, the user may examine several sets of shoes and belts. Using the setting “in this order” we’ll conduct a funnel analysis specifically of the described process. If we see a significant decrease from step one to steps two and three, we can isolate drop-offs, replay their sessions and optimize our purchase flow, so we keep users focused on finishing the order.
3. Visualizing funnel steps across all sessions or within one user session
So far, we’ve discussed what the sequential order of events in a funnel means. Now let’s review the definition of session order type in SessionStack Funnels. There are two options we support:
- “Across all sessions”: will search for a set of funnel steps that occur across all sessions of a user
Consider the following scenario. There is a new user to the e-commerce site. They navigate to the desired product (the first step of the funnel) during their first session and in the fourth session, they decide to finalize their purchase (the last step of the funnel). Both events, Visting that particular URL and pressing the button “Purchase“ are part of the funnel configuration. Once the funnel is built, the search for events will be performed for all users across all of their sessions, and our newbie will be listed in this funnel.
- “Within the Same Session“: will search for a set of funnel steps that are completed in one user session
In the preceding example, if we select the “Within the same session” option, our newbie in the e-commerce site will not be listed as converted because all steps were not completed in the same session.
4. How to configure a Conversion Funnel in SessionStack?
The Funnels dashboard is in the main menu on the left side. There is a new icon as shown below:
Once you are there, press the “New Funnel” button and you will go to the funnel creation page where you can configure your steps. The general funnel settings and visualization is shown when you add at least two steps. There is a default selection of general settings for your convenience.
- The default selection for Session order type is: “Within the same session”.
- Selected users are: “All users“. Soon we’ll include the ability to select and compare previously saved segments from our primary dashboard (Segments).
As we mentioned above, one of the advantages of SessionStack DXI is that it’s an instrumentation-free platform. You don’t need to predefine events, as it’s widespread with traditional analytical tools. All you have to do is select events from the Search filter list. We currently offer the four events listed below, but we are constantly adding new filters:
- Visited URL
- Clicked Element with contextual filter: Visited URL
- Rage Click with contextual filter: Visited URL
- Dead Click with contextual filter: Visited URL
Each chosen event is a separate step of a funnel. When at least two steps are added, a funnel chart will be visualized. Each new step will be reflected in the funnel chart automatically.
5. Wondering which option to use: “Within the same session“ OR “Across all sessions“?
The funnel setup covering a user experience “Across all sessions” is better suited to analyzing long-term processes in SaaS products. Usually, it takes much more than one session for a user to be onboarded to a complex product. Adoption of all its features takes even longer. In this case, searching for events across all sessions of a user helps us fully visualize their journey and conduct a meaningful conversion analysis.
While funnel event search “Within the same session” is better suited to analyzing a short-term conversion process, for example in e-commerce sites, aiming for impulsive purchases. In such cases, the business goal is to turn a potential customer into a paying one right away.
At SessionStack we use both options. It helps us draw better conclusions about how to better help our users both short and long-term.
6. Funnel chart summary
Currently, we provide general information about converted users (who have completed a specific step) and drop-off users (who have abandoned a specific step). All of these figures can be examined for each step by hovering the mouse over each bar. The dark blue bar represents successfully passed step users, while the light blue portion of the bar represents dropped-off users.
7. Coming soon: a detailed funnel conversion summary. Stay tuned!
A more detailed summary with lists of converted and dropped-off users and their relevant sessions will be presented soon. Thus allowing you to further investigate the causes of drop-offs or conversions, watch relevant sessions of both user groups and discover conversion opportunities in your funnel.
SessionStack instrumentation-free Funnels significantly enhance our feature set of product management solutions. In our roadmap, we plan to continue their upgrade in order to provide even better capabilities for funnel analysis.
Interested in SessionStack? Book your demo now or get started in minutes with our new Free plan.
Happy with SessionStack? Leave a review and get a Gift card!
We hope you find these feature updates helpful. We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below.
