The Anatomy of a Skincare Funnel: From First Click to Repeat Customer

Narrative Digital
Apr 23
3 min read

If you’re running a skincare ecommerce brand and wondering why traffic isn’t turning into consistent sales, the issue might not be your ads or your website. It might be your funnel.

Your marketing funnel is the entire experience a customer has with your brand, from the moment they discover you to the moment they reorder or tell their friends. When you build it intentionally, each stage leads naturally into the next, turning browsers into buyers and buyers into brand fans.

Let’s walk through what a high-performing skincare funnel looks like and how to optimize each part.

Stage 1: Awareness – Get on Their Radar

At the top of the funnel, your goal is to make people aware your brand exists. These customers aren’t searching for your product yet, but they’re your ideal audience.

Best awareness tools:

Meta Ads
TikTok product demos or unboxings
SEO-optimized blog posts (The Ecommerce SEO Checklist for Skincare Brands)
Influencer and affiliate partnerships

Stat: 78 percent of people say they’ve discovered products on Facebook or Instagram [Meta for Business, 2023]

Call to action example:“Take our Skincare Quiz” or “Learn more about our clean ingredients”

Stage 2: Consideration – Build Trust and Educate

Once someone knows about your brand, they’re comparing it to others. This is where content, credibility, and clarity make the difference.

Key consideration tools:

Optimized product pages (How to Turn Your Product Pages into Converting Machines)
Ingredient education and routine guides
User-generated content, reviews, testimonials
Email flows like your Welcome Series (See our post: Email Marketing for Skincare Brands)

Stat: 93 percent of consumers say online reviews impact their purchase decisions [Podium, 2023]

Pro tip: Show your products in action. Use real skin concerns, real results, and real people whenever possible.

Stage 3: Conversion – Make Buying Easy

This is the critical moment. A shopper has their card out, and your job is to remove any friction.

Conversion-boosting tactics:

Streamlined checkout (guest options, mobile-friendly)
Cart recovery email flows
Retargeting ads reminding users about viewed or carted products
Free shipping, discount code, or limited-time offer

Stat: Nearly 70 percent of online carts are abandoned, but cart recovery emails can recover up to 18 percent [Baymard Institute and Omnisend]

Stage 4: Retention – Keep Customers Coming Back

Repeat customers are more profitable, more loyal, and more likely to refer others. But they won’t stick around unless you stay top of mind and continue delivering value.

Best retention strategies:

Post-purchase emails with usage tips and product education
Loyalty or VIP programs
Replenishment reminders based on product lifecycle
Exclusive offers for returning customers

Increasing retention by just 5 percent can boost profits by 25 to 95 percent [Bain and Company]

Also see: Email marketing for retention.

Stage 5: Advocacy – Turn Happy Customers Into Promoters

This is where word-of-mouth takes over. A strong advocacy stage can bring in high-intent referrals without you lifting a finger.

How to create brand advocates:

Ask for reviews via email post-purchase
Run referral programs (“Give $10, Get $10”)
Feature user content on your social channels and website
Offer early access to new launches for top customers

Tools to consider:

Yotpo, Loox, Okendo (review platforms)
ReferralCandy, Friendbuy (referral programs)

Funnel Stages at a Glance

skincare marketing funnel diagram showing five customer journey stages from awareness to advocacy

Create a Journey Your Customers Actually Enjoy

Most ecommerce brands aren’t short on traffic. They’re short on structure. When your funnel isn’t built to support the customer journey, you lose people at every step.

Whether you need to tighten your product page messaging, set up a cart abandonment flow, or create better email segmentation, there are small tweaks that drive big results.