What is a Shopify sales funnel?
A sales funnel is a page, or a short series of steps, that guides a shopper from "I'm interested" to "I've paid" along one clear path. Instead of a grid of products and a menu, the shopper sees one offer and one next step at a time.
On a Shopify store, a funnel is usually used for a sale, a product launch, a hero product or paid ad traffic. It typically combines a clear offer, a simple way to choose, a reason to add more to the order and a smooth hand-off to checkout. Our guide to landing pages vs product pages explains when a dedicated page beats a standard product page.
What are the ways to get one, and what do they cost?
1. Funnel builder subscriptions (separate platforms)
Funnel builders such as ClickFunnels are all-in-one platforms that host your funnel pages, checkout, email and more on their own system, separate from Shopify. At the time of writing (October 2026), ClickFunnels lists plans from US$97 a month up to US$297 a month, with lower prices for annual billing and a higher annual tier above that. Pricing changes, so check the provider's own pricing page.
You still need to design, write and build the funnel yourself, or pay someone to. If you sell physical products through Shopify, you'll also need to connect the two systems. Our comparison of Shopify vs ClickFunnels covers that trade-off in detail.
2. Shopify page-builder apps
Page-builder apps in the Shopify App Store let you design custom landing and sale pages inside your store with drag-and-drop editors. Many have a free plan limited to one or a few pages, with paid plans commonly starting from around US$15 to US$30 a month and higher tiers costing much more. Because the pages live in Shopify, they use your normal cart and checkout. The app gives you the tool; strategy, copy and testing are still up to you.
3. DIY with your theme
You can build a simple sale page with your current Shopify theme's sections, plus apps for bundles, reviews or upsells. The cash cost can be close to zero. The real cost is your time, and the risk of launching changes without measuring whether they helped.
4. Freelancers
A freelance designer or Shopify developer builds a funnel page for an hourly rate or a project fee. On global freelance marketplaces, listed rates for this work vary widely, from budget rates to well over US$100 an hour for experienced specialists. Results depend heavily on the brief you give them.
5. Agency retainers
Conversion and ecommerce agencies run ongoing programmes: research, design, development and regular A/B tests. Published pricing guides, mostly from the US, commonly put these retainers somewhere between a couple of thousand and well over ten thousand dollars a month, often with a minimum term. This suits larger stores with enough traffic to run many tests.
6. Done-for-you native Shopify funnels
A done-for-you funnel is designed, written and built for you inside your existing Shopify store, on your theme, for a fixed fee. Because it's native, it uses your real products, cart and Shopify checkout, so there's no second platform to pay for or sync. Tap Vortex is one example of this model; its pricing is set out below.
How do the options compare over a year?
Monthly prices are easy to underestimate. This table compares the models broadly, because individual providers price very differently.
| Option | How it's priced | Cost over 12 months | Keeps Shopify checkout? | Who builds it? | A/B testing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funnel builder subscription | Monthly, in USD | Moderate and ongoing | Usually no, it has its own checkout | You or someone you pay | Built in on many plans |
| Shopify page-builder app | Free tier or monthly | Low to moderate, ongoing | Yes | You | Some plans or separate apps |
| DIY with your theme | Your time plus apps | Lowest cash cost | Yes | You | Up to you |
| Freelancer | Hourly or per project | Varies widely | Depends on the build | The freelancer | Often not included |
| Agency retainer | Monthly, often with a minimum term | Highest | Usually yes | The agency | Usually included |
| Done-for-you native funnel | One-off fee, optional monthly plan | Low to moderate | Yes | The provider | Depends on provider |
What drives the cost?
- Who does the work. A tool you operate yourself costs less in cash than a funnel someone designs, writes and builds for you.
- Subscription vs one-off. A monthly fee keeps running whether or not the funnel is working. A one-off fee is paid once.
- Currency. Many funnel tools and apps bill in US dollars, so the Australian dollar cost moves with the exchange rate.
- Testing. Setting up and reading A/B tests properly takes skill. It's often the difference between a funnel that's proven and one that just looks nice.
- Email and SMS. Follow-up flows, such as abandoned cart recovery, add cost but catch shoppers who leave.
What hidden costs should you watch for?
- Two platforms. Running a separate funnel platform alongside Shopify means paying for both, and keeping products, prices and stock in step.
- Integration tools. Connecting a separate funnel to Shopify can need SKU mapping, connector apps or automation tools, some with their own fees.
- Payment set-up. A separate checkout needs its own payment gateway, and you lose Shopify features your customers may expect, such as Shop Pay.
- Lock-ins. Minimum terms on retainers, or annual prepayment on tools, make it costly to change course.
What are the red flags?
Guaranteed percentage lifts
No one can promise your conversion rate will rise by a set amount. Results depend on your traffic, product, price and market.
No testing
If a new funnel goes live with no A/B test against your current page, you can't tell whether it helped. A sale weekend or new ad campaign can make any change look good or bad. Our Shopify A/B testing guide explains what a fair test looks like.
Fake urgency
Countdown timers that reset, or "only 2 left" messages that aren't true, can damage trust and may mislead customers. Under Australian Consumer Law, businesses must not engage in misleading or deceptive conduct, so keep urgency real.
Discount-only funnels
A funnel that relies on a big sitewide discount can lift conversion while cutting order value and margin. Our guide to increasing average order value covers better levers, such as bundles and free shipping tiers.
How do you judge whether a funnel is worth it?
The simplest measure is revenue per visitor (RPV): revenue divided by sessions. It combines conversion rate and average order value into one number. Our conversion rate benchmarks guide shows how to find your baseline.
Worked example (hypothetical). A store gets 10,000 sessions a month and makes $15,000, so its revenue per visitor is $1.50.
If a tested funnel lifted RPV by 10 cents to $1.60, that would be worth about $1,000 more revenue a month at the same traffic, or roughly $12,000 a year. Compare that, and the margin on it, with the full yearly cost of each option.
These numbers are an illustration only. A real result could be higher, lower or zero, which is why the funnel should be tested.
Only count lifts proven by a fair A/B test, use margin rather than revenue alone, and include every subscription and hour of your time in the cost. If visitors are leaving before they buy, our guide to why Shopify visitors don't buy helps you find out why. To see what a small lift could be worth with your own numbers, try the free revenue leak calculator.
Where does Tap Vortex fit?
Tap Vortex is a done-for-you sales funnel, called a "vortex", built natively inside your Shopify store. It replaces a scroll-a-grid sale page with one guided path: the live offer, quick taps to choose, a bundle ladder that grows the order, honest urgency tied to your real sale, and a held bag that hands off to your normal Shopify checkout. It's based in Perth and works with Shopify stores across Australia remotely.
| Item | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Tap Vortex build | $695 + GST, one-off | Audit of your current page. Built inside your Shopify store on your theme. Products, cart and checkout untouched. A/B test set up against your current page. Live in three weeks. No lock-in. |
| Klaviyo flows | +$1,500 | Optional email and SMS flows. |
| Second offer | +$495 | A second vortex for another product or sale. |
| Rush build | +$295 | Live in 7 days. |
| Growth plan | $295/month | Runs split tests and ships a new lift each month. |
There's no separate funnel platform to subscribe to. Tap Vortex can't promise a particular result: the A/B test is there so revenue per visitor decides whether the vortex beats your current page, and if it doesn't, your current page keeps the traffic. See full pricing and inclusions or read how a Tap Vortex funnel works.
FAQ
How much does a Shopify sales funnel cost in Australia?
It depends on how you get it. A DIY page using your theme or a free page-builder plan costs little cash but plenty of time. Funnel builder subscriptions and page-builder apps charge monthly, often in US dollars. Freelancers charge by the hour or project, agency retainers charge monthly and cost the most over a year, and done-for-you native Shopify funnels are usually a one-off fee. Compare the total cost over 12 months.
Do I need ClickFunnels to build a sales funnel for Shopify?
No. You can build a funnel inside Shopify using your theme, a page-builder app or a done-for-you native build. A separate funnel builder such as ClickFunnels hosts its own pages and checkout, which can suit digital products and courses, but for a physical-product Shopify store it means running and connecting two platforms.
What is the cheapest way to get a sales funnel on Shopify?
The cheapest in cash terms is building a sale page yourself with your theme's sections or a free page-builder plan. It is only cheap if your time is spare and you measure the result. A page that is launched without testing can cost more in lost sales than it saves.
Is a one-off funnel build better value than a monthly subscription?
Often, if you only need one or two key funnels. A monthly fee keeps running whether or not the funnel is earning, while a one-off fee is paid once. Subscriptions make more sense if you build many funnels or need the platform's other features, such as courses or memberships.
Can anyone guarantee a sales funnel will lift my conversion rate?
No. Results depend on your traffic, product, offer and market, so no honest provider can promise a set percentage lift. What you should expect is a clear process: measure a baseline, launch the funnel and A/B test it against your current page so revenue per visitor decides.
How much does Tap Vortex cost?
A Tap Vortex build is $695 + GST, one-off, with no lock-in. It includes an audit of your current page, a funnel built inside your Shopify store on your theme with products, cart and checkout untouched, and an A/B test against your current page, live in three weeks. Optional add-ons are Klaviyo flows (+$1,500), a second offer (+$495), a rush build (+$295, live in 7 days) and the Growth plan ($295/month).