Analysis of the AIDA Model and Conversion Funnel Theory in Modern Marketing

The AIDA framework and its later evolution into conversion funnel theory remain foundational constructs in marketing scholarship and practice. Although frequently criticized for their linearity and simplicity, these models persist because they offer a structured way to understand how individuals move from initial exposure to eventual action. The AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) model is a classic concept in marketing communications that describes the psychological stages of consumers, beginning with awareness of a promotional message, developing interest, forming desire, and ultimately taking action (Sari, et al., 2026). While widely applied in commercial advertising, the model is also relevant in non-commercial contexts because of its ability to explain the flow of individual responses to received communication messages. As one of the widely used hierarchy-of-effects models in marketing and advertising, AIDA illustrates the stages from initial consumer awareness of a product or service to the decision to purchase or utilize it (Sari, et al., 2026). At a doctoral level of analysis, AIDA should not be treated as a rigid sequence of steps but as a cognitive–behavioral abstraction that captures probabilistic patterns of persuasion and decision-making. Conversion funnels extend this abstraction by embedding AIDA-like logic into measurable, managerial systems designed to diagnose and optimize performance across customer touchpoints. Purchase conversion prediction aims to improve user experience and convert visitors into real buyers to drive sales of businesses. however, the total conversion rate is low, especially for e-businesses (Gao, et al., 2023). To date, little is known about how online businesses can scientifically detect users intents within a purchase conversion funnel during their ongoing sessions and strategically optimize real-time marketing tactics corresponding to dynamic intent states and the predictive and detective features of the conversion funnel remains undeveloped and unclear (Gao, et al., 2023).