How to make a funnel chart video showing drop-off
A funnel chart video shows each stage of a process appearing in order, with the count that reached it and the share that carried over from the stage before. In Furlen you upload two columns — the stage names and the count at each — and it computes every stage-to-stage conversion, marks the single largest drop-off, and exports an MP4. It will not treat a category ranking that happens to slope downward as a funnel, because those are not the same claim.
What data does a funnel need?
Two columns. One naming the stages in the order they happen, one with the count that reached each. Name the stage column with a word that marks a sequence — step, stage, funnel, phase or pipeline — because that word is what tells Furlen these rows are a process rather than a list of categories. It changes both the chart drawn and what the generated copy is permitted to say about it.
How do you make one?
One column naming the stages and one with the count at each. Name the stage column something like Stage, Step or Phase — that word is what tells Furlen the rows are an ordered process rather than a list sorted by size.
Furlen computes the conversion between each pair of consecutive stages and marks the largest single drop. That is the number most funnel charts leave the viewer to work out by squinting at bar widths.
Stages reveal in order, each conversion appearing with its stage. Export MP4 in 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1, with the data source rendered onto the video itself.
Does it work out the drop-off for you?
Yes — that is the part worth automating. Each stage carries its conversion from the stage before it, and the biggest single drop is marked on the chart. In most real funnels the useful fact is not the overall shape but which one step loses the most people, and a plain funnel drawing leaves the reader to estimate that by comparing bar widths.
What does that look like on real numbers?
Using the built-in “Where users drop off” sample — five stages, 10,000 sessions at the top, 260 purchases at the bottom, an overall conversion of 2.6%:
| Stage | Reached | From previous |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions | 10,000 | — |
| Product views | 4,300 | 43% |
| Add to cart | 900 | 20.9% ← biggest drop |
| Checkout | 500 | 55.6% |
| Purchase | 260 | 52% |
Figures are published e-commerce benchmarks from the built-in “Where users drop off” template, not any one company’s data. The percentages are computed from the counts, which is exactly what the chart does — only 20.9% of product views reach the cart, so that step loses more people than any other, and it is the one the video marks.
What will it refuse to do with your funnel?
Three things, deliberately. Each is a mistake that is easy to make and hard to notice once it is drawn:
A ranking sorted downward is not a funnel
Revenue by product, sorted high to low, has the shape of a funnel and none of the meaning. Furlen only treats a column as a funnel when its NAME marks an ordered process — step, stage, funnel, phase or pipeline — and the values actually decline through it. A descending category ranking is charted as a ranking, and the copy talks about size rather than drop-off.
Stages are not shares of a total
It is tempting to say “checkout was 12% of the funnel”. It is wrong: sequential stages count the same people more than once, so they do not sum to a meaningful whole. Furlen refuses share-of-total claims over funnel-shaped data — the same test that decides a chart is a funnel is what blocks the percentage, so the two can never disagree.
More than eight stages is said out loud, not squashed
Beyond 8 stages the rows physically overlap inside the plot. Rather than silently compressing 25 rows into an unreadable strip, the chart shows the first stages in order — the honest subset for a sequence — and states on the frame how many were not shown.
How many stages can a funnel video show?
Up to 8. Past that the stage rows overlap inside the plot height and the chart stops being legible, so the limit is enforced when the chart type is chosen rather than discovered after rendering. Data with more stages renders the first ones in sequence — the honest subset for something ordered — and states on the frame how many were left out.
Where do the numbers get checked?
Every figure in the generated copy — each conversion rate, the size of the biggest drop — is recomputed from your uploaded rows before the video is exported, server-side so it cannot be skipped. A claim that does not reconcile blocks the export instead of shipping with a hedge. The working behind any figure is inspectable on the Truth Engine page.
Common questions
Is there a tool that makes a funnel chart video showing drop-off?
Yes. Furlen turns a table of stage names and counts into an animated funnel video: stages reveal in order, the conversion rate between each pair appears with its stage, and the single largest drop-off is marked. It exports MP4 in 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1, so it can go straight to LinkedIn, a deck or a Reel without a video editor.
What data does a funnel chart need?
Two columns: the stage names in order, and the count reaching each stage. Name the first column Stage, Step, Phase or Pipeline — that word is how Furlen recognises the rows as a sequence rather than a category list, which changes both the chart and what the copy is allowed to say about it.
Can it show the conversion rate between stages?
That is computed for you rather than left to the reader. Each stage carries its conversion from the stage before it, and the biggest single drop is highlighted, because in most real funnels the interesting fact is which step loses the most people rather than the shape overall.
How many funnel stages can it show?
Up to 8. Past that the stage rows overlap and the chart stops being readable, so the limit is enforced rather than ignored. If your data has more, the video shows the first stages in sequence and says on the frame how many were left out.
Other chart types
Bar chart race, animated line, animated bar and pie work the same way — upload a spreadsheet, get a claim-checked video. Public data from the World Bank, IMF, FRED and company filings can be pulled by name instead of uploaded. And if the data only exists as a picture, Animate any chart reads a chart screenshot and recreates it as an animated video.