The most significant change in automated sales funnels is Shopify building one-click, post-purchase upsell functionality directly into its native checkout. What used to require a separate, sometimes clunky, third-party app is now a core part of the platform. As Kevin Monell and Jason Caruso discussed on eCommerce Uncensored, this move to bring features from popular apps like Ezra Firestone's OneClickUpsell into Shopify's core offering shows just how essential funnels have become.
This shift means that for many stores, the days of needing to stitch together complex systems like ClickFunnels or specialized WooCommerce plugins just to create a simple upsell are over. While those tools still have their place for elaborate, long-form sales pages or businesses built entirely around funnels, they can be overkill for a typical ecommerce brand that just wants to increase order value from an existing customer.
What's working right now is leaning into the simplicity of your platform's built-in tools. On The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Kurt Elster regularly champions using the native or near-native tools first. For funnels, this means starting with post-purchase offers. Varun Kundra explained on an episode of Ecommerce Coffee Break that presenting an offer after the initial payment is confirmed leverages the "dopamine kick" from the first purchase. The customer has already trusted you with their credit card, so the friction for a second, complementary purchase is incredibly low.
Your first step should be to create a simple funnel triggered on the thank you page. As Ruth Even Haim detailed, you can set up a dynamic offer based on what the customer just bought. If they bought a coffee maker, offer a bag of beans. if they bought a shampoo, offer the matching conditioner. The key is relevance. You have all this data about the customer's purchase, so use it to make the offer a no-brainer, which is a great way to boost AOV.
The funnel doesn't have to end at the thank you page. As Kunle Campbell often emphasizes on the 2X eCommerce Podcast, robust email automation flows are a critical part of the system. Using a tool like Klaviyo, which he frequently recommends, you can create automated sequences for cart abandons, customer win-backs, and even trigger upsell campaigns. These pre-built flows are designed specifically for ecommerce and integrate seamlessly, acting as a safety net and a continuous revenue driver that works in tandem with your on-site funnels.
Once you have these basic funnels running, you can explore more advanced segmentation. You could create different funnel paths based on order value, the specific products purchased, or even customer tags. Joe Lannen mentioned on his Ecommerce Coffee Break appearance that checkout upsells are a great way to automate sales. But the core principle remains the same: start simple. Master the post-purchase upsell using your platform's native tools. Then, layer in powerful email marketing flows. Get that foundation right before you even think about more complex, multi-step funnel-building software.