Definition
The sales funnel is the sequence of stages from a customer who saw the product to the payment, expressed as losses at each step and the final conversion. It is important to measure transitions between stages (impressions → clicks → add-to-cart → checkout → payment) to understand where sales are lost and which actions drive growth.
How the sales funnel works
The funnel usually consists of four to five key levels. On Kaspi.kz these levels can be tied to platform-specific metrics, which allows targeted work on problems.
- Impressions — the number of times the product card is shown in search results, categories and on storefronts. Traffic sources: organic, paid, recommendation blocks.
- Clicks (CTR) — how many users opened the product card. CTR depends on the title, image, price and position in the results.
- Additions to cart / one-click purchases — intent to buy. This metric is sensitive to price, delivery and stock levels.
- Checkout and payment — the final conversion. Customers drop out here due to complex checkout, unavailable delivery options or payment issues.
Additional losses occur between these stages: abandoning a purchase after reading reviews, returns after delivery, cancellations due to out-of-stock items. The funnel is not a static diagram but a dynamic model with seasonal and product-specific fluctuations.
Why the funnel is useful for a seller on Kaspi.kz
The funnel turns the abstract goal “increase sales” into concrete tasks for each stage. Practical benefits include:
- Identifying bottlenecks. If you have many impressions but low CTR, update the card; if CTR is high but purchases are low — work on price, delivery and reviews.
- Optimizing ad spend. You can see which campaigns bring quality traffic (high conversion) and reallocate budget accordingly.
- Revenue forecasting. Based on current conversion rates, you can estimate sales when impressions grow or prices change.
- Prioritizing tasks. Instead of random improvements, you focus on actions that give the biggest uplift.
For Kaspi.kz sellers this means reducing advertising costs, speeding up stock turnover and increasing presence in search with limited resources.
Funnel examples and calculations on Kaspi.kz
Below are realistic scenarios sellers in Kazakhstan face. Numbers are illustrative, based on typical metric ranges for Kaspi sellers.
Example 1. New product card
- Monthly impressions: 5,000
- CTR to card: 3% → 150 clicks
- Add-to-cart rate: 10% of clicks → 15 adds
- Checkout initiation: 80% of adds → 12 checkouts
- Paid orders: 75% of checkouts → 9 paid orders
Overall conversion from impression to paid order: 9 / 5,000 = 0.18%. If you increase CTR from 3% to 4% by improving the title and main photo, clicks rise to 200 and, keeping other ratios the same, paid orders grow to 12 — a 33% increase in sales without extra ad spend.
Example 2. Established listing with stock issues
- Monthly impressions: 20,000
- CTR: 5% → 1,000 clicks
- Add-to-cart rate: 8% → 80 adds
- Checkout initiation: 90% → 72 checkouts
- Paid orders: 50% → 36 paid orders
Low payment rate points to problems at the last stage: stock inaccuracies, delivery days, or payment failures. If 30% of checkouts are cancelled due to stockouts, fixing inventory visibility could increase paid orders from 36 to ~52 (if cancellations drop), a 44% rise.
How to use these examples
Run a similar step-by-step calculation for your SKU(s). Measure each transition, multiply conversion rates across stages to get overall efficiency, and test specific interventions at the weakest steps.
Practical optimization tips for each stage
- Impressions: improve catalogue visibility — correct category, relevant keywords in the title and attributes, competitive pricing and appropriate badges (fast delivery, discount). Consider sponsored placements for temporary visibility boosts.
- CTR: optimize the main photo (clear image, white background, large product frame), write a concise title with search terms, show price and promotions. Test variants and monitor CTR by device and segment.
- Add-to-cart: ensure visible stock, transparent delivery terms and clear price policies. Highlight guarantees, instalment/one-click options and popular payment methods.
- Checkout and payment: simplify checkout flow, make delivery options visible early, and ensure popular payment methods are available. Monitor technical errors and customer feedback about the purchase process.
- Post-purchase: reduce returns with accurate descriptions, quality packaging and photos. Follow up with customers, encourage reviews and promptly resolve disputes to improve future conversion.
Run small A/B tests when changing images, titles, or price points; implement one change at a time to measure impact on each metric.
Metrics to calculate and how to interpret them
- Impressions — raw reach of your card. A growing number means visibility; stagnant impressions may signal category or keyword issues.
- CTR = clicks / impressions. Low CTR suggests problems with title, image, price or position.
- Add-to-cart rate = adds / clicks. If low, check price sensitivity, delivery terms and product information.
- Checkout rate = checkouts / adds. Drops here point to UX issues or unexpected costs at checkout.
- Payment rate = paid orders / checkouts. Low payment rate often relates to payment methods, technical errors or stock inaccuracies.
- Return and cancellation rate — include these in net calculations. High return rates erode revenue and worsen card performance over time.
Always compare metrics over the same date ranges, segment by traffic source and product group, and track cohort behavior to detect changes driven by seasonality or campaigns.
Common seller mistakes and how to fix them
- Mixing absolute numbers without normalization. Fix: calculate percentage conversion rates for identical periods.
- Combining traffic from different channels. Fix: segment metrics by source (organic, ads, recommendations) to see which brings quality traffic.
- Ignoring seasonality. Fix: build month-by-month cohorts and compare like-for-like periods.
- Changing many variables at once. Fix: run controlled A/B tests and implement changes step by step.
- Neglecting returns and cancellations. Fix: calculate "net" conversion and revenue after returns, and analyze return reasons by SKU.
Conclusion
The sales funnel is a practical framework for turning the goal of "more sales" into measurable steps. For Kaspi.kz sellers it allows pinpointing bottlenecks, optimising ad spend, forecasting revenue and prioritising improvements. Regular measurement, segmentation by channels and careful testing of changes will steadily increase conversion and profitability.
Часто задаваемые вопросы
- How do I calculate conversion from impression to payment for a specific product on Kaspi.kz?
- Take the number of paid orders for the period and divide by the number of impressions of the product card in the same period, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage. Make sure to use the same date range and, if available, count unique impressions or sessions. If needed, calculate a “net” conversion by excluding returns and cancellations.
- Which metrics should I calculate first to quickly find the funnel bottleneck?
- Start with impressions, card CTR, add-to-cart rate, checkout rate and paid order rate. Also track cancellations and returns at each stage, and measure metrics by traffic source. This will quickly show which step the conversion drops at and where to make fixes.
- How can I raise a product card's CTR on Kaspi.kz without increasing ad budget?
- Optimize the title and main photo: a clear image on a neutral background, a close-up shot and relevant keywords in the title increase clickability. Check price relevance, promotions and badges (e.g. fast delivery, discount) and test different descriptions and images at different times. Monitor CTR by segments to understand which changes work.
- What to do if there are many add-to-cart events but low conversion to payment?
- Check delivery terms and cost, visibility of delivery times and reservation schedule — these often cause drop-offs at payment. Ensure stock levels are correctly shown, popular payment methods are available and there are no technical errors in the cart. Use cart reminders and retargeting to bring customers back, and analyse cancellation reasons by SKU.
- How should returns and cancellations be accounted for when evaluating funnel performance?
- Include returns and cancellations in the calculation of "net" conversion and net revenue: subtract the number and value of returns from paid orders in the same period. Analyse return reasons by SKU and stage (description mismatch, damage, logistics) and adjust cards, packaging and partner processes. Track return rates by channel and campaigns to avoid investing in low-quality traffic.
- What are typical mistakes Kaspi.kz sellers make when building a funnel and how to correct them?
- Common mistakes are comparing absolute numbers without normalization, mixing traffic from different channels and ignoring seasonality. Correct this by calculating percentage rates for consistent periods, splitting data by source and product segments, and building time-based cohorts. Run simple A/B tests on the card and improve step by step where the biggest losses occur.