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One-step, two-step, embeddable & modal checkout layouts — all included in the $495 Standard plan.
Landing Page
Visitor sees offer
Checkout
Enters payment
Order Bump
+30% AOV
Upsell
1-click offer
Downsell
If declined
Thank You
Next steps
What You'll Learn in This Guide
- What Is a Sales Funnel and Why Does It Matter? — The foundation
- Step 1: Create Your Main Product in ThriveCart — Product setup
- Step 2: Design a Checkout Page That Converts — Templates & editor
- Step 3: Add an Order Bump to Boost Revenue — +30% AOV
- Step 4: Set Up Upsell and Downsell Pages — Post-purchase revenue
- Step 5: Connect Email Marketing Automation — Follow-up sequences
- Step 6: Run A/B Tests to Optimise Conversions — Data-driven wins
- Step 7: Go Live and Drive Traffic — Launch strategy
- What Makes ThriveCart Ideal for Funnel Building? — Platform advantages
What Is a Sales Funnel and Why Does It Matter?
A sales funnel is a guided journey for your buyers. It takes someone from being a curious visitor to becoming a paying customer — and then maximises how much they spend in a single session.
Without a funnel, you rely on a single transaction. With one, every buyer has the opportunity to spend more — increasing your average order value (AOV) without acquiring a single extra customer. ThriveCart makes building this journey fast and visual, with no code required.
| Funnel Stage | What Happens | ThriveCart Feature | Revenue Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landing Page | Visitor sees your offer | Sales page builder | Traffic → leads |
| Checkout Page | Buyer enters payment info | High-converting templates | Core revenue |
| Order Bump | Extra add-on before payment | Built-in bump offers (up to 6) | +10–30% AOV |
| Upsell | Higher-value offer after purchase | One-click upsell pages | +15–25% revenue |
| Downsell | Lower-priced if upsell declined | Downsell page builder | +5–12% recovery |
| Thank You Page | Confirmation & next steps | Custom success pages | Trust + retention |
Key insight: Over 70 million products have been sold through ThriveCart funnels. Creators, coaches, and course sellers use the full funnel stack daily to automate sales and multiply revenue from every visitor.
1 Create Your Main Product in ThriveCart
Head over to your ThriveCart dashboard and click "Create Product" under the Products menu. You'll fill in a few key details here to set your offer live.
- Product name and internal label
- Pricing plan (one-time, subscription, trial, or payment plan)
- Payment processor (Stripe, PayPal, or Authorize.net)
- Fulfilment method (URL redirect, course access, or membership)
Set your pricing carefully. ThriveCart supports multiple payment options including Apple Pay, Google Pay, BNPL, and crypto via Stripe Connect+. Offering multiple payment methods reduces abandonment and increases conversion — BNPL alone lifts average order value by up to 14%.
Pro Tip: ThriveCart supports payment plans (e.g. 3 × $197 instead of $497 one-time). This can increase conversions significantly for higher-priced products. Customers who can't pay upfront become buyers when installments are available.
2 Design a Checkout Page That Converts
ThriveCart offers a drag-and-drop checkout editor to customise your page without touching a line of code. Pick from several high-converting templates or build your own from scratch.
Keep it clean. Remove distractions. Use a strong headline and a clear call to action. A few essential elements to include:
- Trust badges and security guarantees (SSL, money-back)
- Short testimonials or social proof (result-focused)
- A countdown timer for scarcity and urgency
- Clear pricing breakdown with the savings highlighted
- Multiple payment method logos (Visa, PayPal, Apple Pay)
- Prominent "Complete Purchase" CTA above the fold
Layout tip: For products over $97, use two-step checkout — it collects the email first, so even cart abandoners become email leads. This single change can recover 5–15% of otherwise lost sales through automated follow-up sequences.
3 Add an Order Bump to Boost Revenue
An order bump is a small, low-cost offer shown right on your checkout page. Buyers can add it with a single tick box — no extra steps, no re-entering payment details. It's the easiest revenue boost available in any checkout platform.
ThriveCart lets you add up to six bump offers on a single checkout (with Pro+). Sellers using multiple order bumps report a 30% average lift in order value. That's extra income with zero extra traffic.
How to Add an Order Bump in ThriveCart
- Go to your product settings inside ThriveCart
- Click the "Bump" tab within the product editor
- Enter your bump offer name, description, and price
- Set the fulfilment (URL, course access, or download)
- Customise the bump box copy and styling to match your page
- Save and preview your checkout — the bump now appears above the buy button
Order Bump Formula: Price your bump at 20–30% of your main product price. Make it a natural complement to what they're already buying. Keep the description to one clear sentence focused on a specific benefit. Good examples: workbooks, templates, extended warranties, bonus training modules, or done-for-you resources.
4 Set Up Upsell and Downsell Pages
Upsells and downsells are where your funnel becomes truly powerful. After a buyer completes checkout, ThriveCart automatically presents an upsell offer — a higher-value product they can accept with one click, without re-entering payment details.
If a buyer declines your upsell, ThriveCart can immediately show a downsell — a lower-priced alternative that captures revenue from price-sensitive buyers who still want a version of your offer.
How to Set Up Upsells & Downsells
- Go to Products and click the "Upsells" tab on your main product
- Click "Create Upsell" and enter product name, price, and fulfilment details
- Set price, fulfilment type, and any email automations for upsell buyers
- Save and return to your main product settings
- Click "Create Funnel" on your main product page
- Add your upsell as a funnel step and design the page in ThriveCart's editor
- Create a downsell product separately, then add it as a "No" step after the upsell
Simple funnel flow: Purchase → Upsell → Downsell (if declined) → Thank You Page. Start with one upsell and one downsell. Avoid overloading your funnel early on — simplicity converts better than complexity when you're starting out.
| Offer Type | When It Appears | Avg Acceptance Rate | AOV Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order Bump | On checkout form (pre-purchase) | 20–40% | +10–30% |
| One-Click Upsell | Post-purchase page 1 | 15–30% | +15–25% |
| One-Click Downsell | After upsell decline | 10–20% | +5–12% |
| Multiple Order Bumps (Pro+) | On checkout (2–6 bumps) | Varies by offer | Up to +40% |
Unlock One-Click Upsells & Multiple Order Bumps
Standard includes unlimited upsells & single order bumps. Pro+ ($295/yr) adds up to 6 bumps per checkout.
5 Connect Email Marketing Automation
A funnel doesn't end at checkout. You need automated follow-up sequences to nurture new buyers, recover abandoned carts, and re-engage inactive subscribers. Email is your silent salesperson — it works around the clock and costs almost nothing per send.
ThriveCart integrates natively with all major email marketing platforms: ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, Flodesk, Drip, Klaviyo, and more. Inside your product settings, you can tag buyers, add them to lists, or trigger automations based on purchase behaviour.
Essential Email Automations to Set Up
- Welcome sequence for new buyers — onboard them, build trust, deliver value
- Upsell follow-up for those who declined the in-funnel upsell — offer it again at 48 hours
- Abandoned cart recovery — 3-email sequence at 1hr, 24hr, 72hr recovering 5–15% of lost sales
- Re-engagement campaign for inactive subscribers after 30 days
- Post-purchase nurture — lead buyers toward your next offer naturally
Abandoned Cart Recovery: ThriveCart's two-step checkout captures the email address before payment, so abandoned carts automatically trigger your recovery sequence. A well-set-up 3-email sequence recovers 5–15% of abandoned purchases — on complete autopilot.
| Platform | Integration Type | What You Can Automate |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveCampaign | Native | Tags, lists, automations on purchase/decline |
| ConvertKit | Native | Tags, sequences, forms on purchase |
| Mailchimp | Native | List add, tags, audience segments |
| Klaviyo | Native | List sync, event triggers, flows |
| Flodesk | Native | Segment add, automation triggers |
| Zapier | Zap (1,000+ apps) | Any app trigger based on purchase events |
6 Run A/B Tests to Optimise Conversions
Guessing what works wastes time and money. ThriveCart has built-in A/B split testing that lets you compare different versions of your checkout, upsell, or funnel pages side by side — with automatic traffic splitting and real-time conversion tracking.
How to Run an A/B Test in ThriveCart
- Clone your product inside ThriveCart to create variant B
- Make one change only — headline, button colour, pricing, layout, or order bump copy
- Go to Products → A/B Tests and click "Create New Test"
- Select both product variants and define your conversion goal
- Set an end date and let ThriveCart split traffic 50/50 automatically
- Monitor results — ThriveCart shows impressions, conversions, and revenue per variant in real time
- When a winner is clear, ThriveCart automatically sends all traffic to the winning version
What to Test First: Start with your checkout layout (one-step vs two-step), then your headline, then your order bump copy. Each individual change typically delivers a 1–3% conversion lift. Stack 3–5 winning tests and you can double your conversion rate.
7 Go Live and Drive Traffic to Your Funnel
Your funnel is built. Now you need eyes on it. Start with organic methods before spending on ads — validate your funnel converts before scaling with paid traffic.
Organic Traffic Strategies (Start Here)
- Share your checkout link on social media — Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook Groups
- Write SEO blog posts that link to your checkout or sales page
- Appear as a guest on podcasts and mention your offer
- Promote in relevant online communities, forums, and subreddits
- Email your existing list with a direct link to your ThriveCart checkout
Paid Traffic (Scale Once Validated)
- Facebook/Instagram ads → retarget checkout visitors who didn't buy
- Google search ads targeting product-intent keywords
- YouTube pre-roll ads for awareness → retarget with direct response
- ThriveCart Pro+'s affiliate programme — let others drive traffic for you on commission
Affiliate Marketing Shortcut: With ThriveCart Pro+, you get access to the 900,000+ affiliate network. Recruit affiliates to drive traffic on a commission basis — you only pay when they generate a sale. This is the most cost-effective paid traffic source for digital product sellers.
Launch Your Funnel on ThriveCart Today
$495 one-time. All funnel features included. 75,000+ businesses already building and scaling with ThriveCart.
What Makes ThriveCart Ideal for Funnel Building?
ThriveCart isn't just a checkout tool. It's a complete online sales funnel platform packed with everything marketers need under one roof — no duct-taping five different tools together.
Up to 6 Order Bumps Per Checkout
Stack multiple complementary offers on a single checkout page with Pro+. Each bump adds 10–30% to average order value.
+30% avg AOV liftOne-Click Upsells & Downsells
Post-purchase pages with no re-entry of payment details. 15–30% acceptance rate on upsells, 10–20% on downsells.
Unlimited upsell stepsBuilt-In A/B Testing
Split test every funnel stage — checkout layouts, headlines, upsell pages, and prices. Automatic winner traffic routing.
1–3% lift per testAffiliate Management Centre
Recruit from 900,000+ affiliates via Pro+. Set commissions, create JV contracts, automate payouts, track performance.
900K+ affiliate network20+ Email & Platform Integrations
Native connections with ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Flodesk + 1,000+ via Zapier.
40+ total integrations100+ Payment Methods
Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, BNPL (+14% AOV), USDC crypto (+7% sales), Authorize.net, and more.
More methods = fewer abandonsOver 70 million products have been sold through ThriveCart funnels. 75,000+ businesses use ThriveCart to process payments, run affiliate programmes, deliver courses, and automate their entire sales flow — all from a single $495 lifetime licence.
Ready to Launch Your First Funnel?
Building a sales funnel in ThriveCart is simpler than most marketers expect. Start with one product, one order bump, and one upsell. Test, tweak, and scale from there.
Every successful online business runs on a funnel. With ThriveCart's $495 lifetime deal, you get the complete toolkit — checkout pages, bump offers, upsells, downsells, A/B testing, email integrations, and ThriveCart Learn — all for a single one-time payment. No monthly fees eating into your margins.
Open your ThriveCart dashboard and start building today. Your first funnel can be live within an afternoon.