The practice of showing advertisements to people who previously interacted with a website, application, or brand.
A way to re-engage audiences who showed interest but did not yet convert.
Short and sweet:
The practice of showing advertisements to people who previously interacted with a website, application, or brand.
A way to re-engage audiences who showed interest but did not yet convert.
See also: Remarketing, Ad Retargeting, Conversion
Retargeting shows ads specifically to people who have already visited a website or interacted with a brand but didn’t convert, using a tracking pixel or similar tag to follow that visitor across other sites and platforms afterward. Because it targets people already familiar with a brand rather than complete strangers, retargeting campaigns often achieve stronger conversion rates than cold prospecting ads aimed at a fresh audience. Frequency matters heavily here, since showing the same retargeting ad too often can shift from a helpful reminder into something that feels intrusive.
Anyone who’s browsed a pair of shoes on Zappos and then seen that exact pair follow them around on Instagram has experienced retargeting firsthand.
Abandoned cart emails work on the same principle, reminding a shopper about the items sitting in their Amazon cart before they ever get the chance to forget.
A travel site like Expedia often runs similar campaigns showing the specific hotel or flight a visitor viewed, hoping the reminder nudges them back to finish booking.
