Build a funnel analysis

Amplitude’s Funnel Analysis chart helps you understand how users are navigating defined paths ("funnels") within your product, and identify potential problem areas where users tend to drop off.

A common example of a funnel is successfully onboarding. Amplitude considers a user to be converted through a funnel if they fire the events you specified, in the specified order.

This article will outline the steps required to build a funnel analysis in Amplitude.

Before you begin

If you haven’t already read the overview of Amplitude’s Funnel Analysis chart, you should do so before trying to build your first funnel analysis. You should also familiarize yourself with the basics of how charts work in Amplitude.

If you've already built your funnel analysis chart, you can move on to interpret your funnel analysis chart.

How Amplitude computes funnels

Like most Amplitude charts, Funnel Analysis charts are built using the Events Module and the Segmentation Module. Unlike other charts, a Funnel Analysis requires you to specify the order of the events you include in the Events Module. Your options are:

• Any order;
• This order; or
• Exact order.

Any order is exactly what it sounds like: as long as a user completes all the steps listed, Amplitude will consider them converted. Users who fire the later events without firing the first event are not considered to be part of the funnel; they have to fire the first event for that to happen.

This order requires users fire the events you selected in the order you specified before Amplitude will consider them to be converted. However, users may fire other events in between the ones you're interested in, and Amplitude will still count them among the converted.

NOTE: When using this order, you can repeat events in your funnel. If you have defined a funnel as Event A -> Event A -> Event B, a user will be counted as converted if they fired Event A at least twice, and then fired Event B later. There are no limits to the number of times an event can appear in the funnel definition.

Exact order is a stricter version of this order, in that users will not be counted as converted if they fire other events in between the ones listed. If a user deviates from the steps listed in the Events Module in any way, Amplitude will consider them to have dropped off.

NOTE: In ordered funnels, each event is included in exactly one conversion path. For example, imagine you have an ordered funnel with just two events: search -> add to cart. If a user searches four times and then adds a product to their cart after that last search—search, search, search, search, add to cart—Amplitude will record one conversion, even though there were four occurrences of the funnel's first step.

How Amplitude handles simultaneous events

Amplitude rounds all time to the nearest second. For that reason, it maintains a one-second window to account for simultaneous events. If a user fires two different events within one second, Amplitude will not try to make a determination of which one came first. Instead, it will consider either order correct and apply that to your funnel.

For example, if a user fires Event B first, and then fires Event A within one second, a funnel will count this as a conversion from either Event A -> Event B, or Event B -> Event A.

If two of the same event types are sent within the same second, then Amplitude will count only one of those events.

If, in an exact order funnel, an event that is not part of your funnel definition is simultaneously fired in the same second, Amplitude will still consider that user to have converted.

When you segment the data on a user property, Amplitude will apply the segmentation to the first step of your funnel.

For example, suppose Event A is the first step of your funnel, and a user fired:

• Event B with the user property '[Amplitude] Country' = 'Canada'; and then
• Event A with the user property '[Amplitude] Country' = 'United States'

If you were to segment "...by Active country(s)," Amplitude will show this user in the '[Amplitude] Country' = 'United States' segment in the Event A step.

Set up a funnel analysis

A funnel analysis shows how your users are navigating specific sequences of events in your product. To create a Funnel Analysis chart, you’ll just need to tell Amplitude what those events are, and which users it should include in the analysis.

NOTE: You can include both active and inactive events in your funnel analyses, but most customers find their Amplitude charts are more insightful when they focus on active events.

To build a Funnel Analysis chart, follow these steps:

1. In the Events Module, select the starting event. You can choose a specific event that is instrumented in Amplitude, or you can tell Amplitude to consider any event as the starting event for this analysis, by selecting Any Event from the list of available events.
2. If desired, add properties to your starting event by clicking on + where, selecting the property name, and specifying the property value you’re interested in.
3. Next, select at least one other event. You can add properties to these events as well.
4. Specify the order in which a user will have to fire these events in order to be counted as converted.
   
   
   
   
5. If desired, compare up to three events within one conversion step by clicking on Options then Compare Events at Step number. Select the event(s) to compare within the step.
   
   

NOTE: Comparing multiple events within one step is available for conversion metrics only. Three events may be compared per step, for up to two steps at a time. Event comparisons are available for all three order options (any order, this order, exact order), however, they are not available for break downs by property nor dashboards, and will be removed if a user switches between Charts or Funnel metrics. 

6. To exclude users from your funnel who fire specific events between steps of your funnel, click + Exclude users who performed and select the exclusion event from the drop-down list. You can apply the exclusion between all steps in the funnel, or between two specific steps. For any-order funnels, users will be excluded if they fire the exclusion event between any of the funnel steps.
   
   

7. In the Segmentation Module, identify the user segment you want to include in this analysis. You can import a previously-saved segment by clicking Saved Segments and selecting the one you want from the list. Otherwise, Amplitude begins from the assumption that your analysis will target all users.
   
   NOTE: The user segment you select will only apply to the starting event. 
   
   
8. If you do not want to import a previously-saved user segment, you can start building your own by adding properties. To do so, click + where, choose the property you want to include, and specify the property value you’re interested in.
9. You can narrow your focus even further by telling Amplitude you only want to include users who have already performed certain actions. To do so, click + perform, then choose the event you’re interested in.
10. If desired, add another user segment by clicking + Add Segment, and repeating steps 6 and 7.
    

NOTE: You can break out your starting event by user properties by clicking … grouped by in the right module, if desired. For example, if you wanted to group users by the cities they were in when they fired the starting event, you would select City from the property list. Amplitude will then break out the retention analysis on a city-by-city basis. However, you will only be able to include one user segment in your analysis. 

Your new funnel analysis should now be visible in the Metrics Module.

Next, it's time to interpret your funnel analysis.