When I first started working in media, the traditional funnel was central to how we planned and bought campaigns. It shaped how we thought about audiences, budget allocation and the role of different channels, with a clear expectation that consumers moved from awareness through to consideration and ultimately conversion.
Over time, and particularly with the rise of commerce media, that model has started to feel less reflective of how people actually move through the purchase journey.
The more we look at modern consumer journeys, the clearer it becomes that they are rarely linear. Instead, they are fragmented, fast-moving and heavily influenced by context, peer reviews, brand credibility and intent.
Commerce Media Has Changed How People Buy
The growth of commerce-led environments, particularly newer platforms like TikTok Shop, has unified what we once considered separate, sequential stages of the journey. Consumers can now discover a product, engage with creator content, undertake research and complete a purchase within a single platform experience. For certain categories, especially lower-cost or impulse-driven purchases like clothes or food, discovery, consideration and conversion are effectively happening at the same time.
While this does not apply so strictly across all sectors, with more considered purchases such as holidays or other high-value items still involving longer research cycles and more deliberate decision-making, it does highlight an important shift: The path to purchase is no longer fixed, and it varies significantly depending on product type and consumer mindset.
Rethinking the Idea of a Funnel
One of the key questions explored in my recent conversation on The Drum Podcast was whether commerce media has exposed that discovery, consideration and conversion are now overlapping rather than sequential. My view is that they are.
Consumers no longer move neatly from one stage to the next. Instead, they interact with brands across multiple touchpoints throughout the day, often revisiting channels and content in a non-linear way before making a decision. That means the traditional funnel is less a reflection of real behaviour and more a simplified model that often doesn't consider how decision-making actually happens in a multi-platform environment.
The Risk of Over-Focusing on Performance
As commerce media has made conversion tracking more immediate and visible, there has understandably been a stronger focus on bottom-funnel performance. But while this is important, it can lead brands to undervalue longer-term brand building and emotional connection.
In reality, both are essential. Brands need to drive performance in order to generate immediate return, but they also need to invest in building relationships that create loyalty and long-term value. Acquiring a customer once is significantly more expensive than retaining them over time. The most effective strategies balance these two priorities rather than treating them as separate disciplines.
AI and the Future of Commerce
AI is already starting to change how people research and discover products, particularly in the early stages of buying, where it can quickly cut through options, surface comparisons and help people make sense of choice overload.
That said, I am less convinced consumers are ready to fully hand over purchasing decisions. Even when AI is useful, most buying behaviour is not purely rational or efficiency driven. Shopping still has a strong emotional layer to it. There is enjoyment in browsing, a sense of discovery, and often a bit of spontaneity that comes from seeing something unexpected or being influenced by context in the moment.
In that sense, AI can support the journey, but it does not replace the human elements that sit underneath it. People still want to feel in control of the decision, and in many categories they want to explore, compare and sometimes be persuaded rather than simply be given an answer.
Listen to the Full Conversation
To hear the full conversation and the nuances behind these perspectives, listen to the episode here; Commerce media: the death of the traditional funnel? | The Drum
Or alternatively, you can listen through the Spotify app; https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Iiwgs3Ds9WiS6AuXWuX8m?si=mrVxBpvCT02KGg2B_p_4JA