Retargeting Advertising: How It Works, Types, Strategy & Performance

Retargeting advertising is used by brands to re-engage customers who have previously interacted with them but didn't convert. 

Research has shown that some users may click an ad, visit the product page, or abandon their carts without completing a purchase. This increasingly fragmented consumer experience across platforms has made retargeting more relevant. 

In this article, you'll learn how retargeting works, the main types, how to set it up, and how to monitor performance.

What Is Retargeting Advertising?

Retargeting advertising is a form of digital marketing that uses personalized ads to approach familiar users. The goal of retargeting is to reignite consumer interest in a brand and prompt a product purchase or subscription. What makes retargeting different from traditional advertising is its audience and precision.

Traditional ads target a broad audience with little to no knowledge of a product, while retargeting focuses on specific customers who know about the brand. For example, some users interact with ads by visiting a website, using the app, or engaging with content, but then do nothing else. 

Since they've demonstrated interest or an intent to purchase, retargeting is an effective strategy for increasing conversions.

Retargeting will not only help businesses recover lost opportunities but also maximize the ROI on advertisements. According to reports, the click-through rates (CTR) on retargeting ads are ten times higher than traditional ads. 

How Does Ad Retargeting Work?

Retargeting ads work through a combination of pixels, browser cookies, and tracking mechanisms that help advertisers reconnect with previous visitors. Businesses set up a pixel on their website which attaches a tracking cookie on the browser of every visitor. This tracking cookie logs page views, time spent or items added to the cart.

Users who exit the site or app without making a purchase will have their interests stored in the cookie. 

The business can then create tailored ads and push them to users through server-side tracking mechanisms.

Retargeting vs Remarketing: What’s the Difference?

Retargeting and remarketing are digital marketing strategies designed to re-engage users who have interacted with a provider. The approach is similar, but the messaging and medium are different.

Remarketing lets advertisers connect with users already invested in a product. They may have converted already through a subscription, app download, sign-up, or purchase but need to be reactivated. 

Retargeting focuses on those who interacted with the product but didn't sign up, subscribe, download the app, or make a purchase.

The table below shows a clear comparison between both types of marketing and their use cases:

What Are the Different Types of Retargeting Ads?

Different types of retargeting ads help you re-engage audiences who interacted with your product in the past. These are the major types available today:

• Pixel-Based Retargeting
• List-Based Retargeting
• Dynamic Retargeting
• Search Retargeting
• Cookie-less Retargeting
• Contextual & Behavioral Retargeting

Pixel-Based Retargeting

This is the most common type, and it involves placing a small piece of code (a pixel) on a website. When a lead visits the platform, the pixel generates a cookie that tracks user behavior. 

Blockchain-Ads Pixel, for example, allows advertisers to track user interactions like page views, unfulfilled carts, and wallet connections.

List-Based Retargeting

This retargeting method is ideal for targeting previous customers through their email addresses and CRM contacts. These users are re-engaged through ad platforms that support custom audiences, such as Google, Meta, and LinkedIn. When advertisers upload the list, the ad platform matches it with known profiles and delivers personalized ads.

Dynamic Retargeting

Dynamic retargeting involves publishing ads that feature a specific product or content with which the user previously interacted. It’s mostly used for e-commerce on platforms like Facebook Dynamic Ads and the Google Display Network. The algorithm automatically distributes ads with the same or similar content across partner websites.

Search Retargeting

With search retargeting, advertisers can reach potential customers based on their search engine queries. Ad platforms like Google or Microsoft will identify the relevant audience through keyword activity and push the ads on third-party websites. It's especially efficient for TOFU audiences that have shown interest in a product or service.

Cookieless Retargeting

Cookie-less retargeting uses first-party data, unique identifiers, or signals to re-engage a target audience. It involves using device fingerprints, hashed emails, or cohort-based targeting, such as the Google Topics API solution.

Contextual & Behavioral Retargeting

Unlike other types of retargeting, behavioral and contextual retargeting focuses on the user's patterns. They're not being targeted directly; instead, their browsing behaviors are tracked to identify interests. Retargeting ads that employ this retargeting method comply better with privacy regulations.

Retargeting by Funnel Stage: How to Match Ads to Buyer Intent

There are strategic ways to retarget users for it to be effective. As customers move through the funnel stages, their intents and motivations change, and so should the ad experience. These are the primary stages that determine how a retargeting ad campaign should be crafted:

• Awareness stage
• Consideration stage
• Decision stage

Awareness Stage Retargeting

At the TOFU stage, users have only had a brief interaction with the product and will want to learn more about it. Retargeting at this level should prioritize value by providing helpful information that will spark curiosity. The ads should be visually appealing and story-driven, using formats like YouTube pre-rolls, display, or native.

Consideration Stage Retargeting

In the MOFU stage, potential customers are still evaluating the product and comparing it with similar ones. The goal of retargeting at this level should be dynamic and should remind users of viewed or carted items. Ads that feature short reviews, testimonials, or explainer videos work best.

Decision Stage Retargeting

The bottom of the funnel (BOFU) is where you'll find users who are ready to purchase. Retargeting ads for the decision stage should be incentivized to create urgency. Advertisers can implement this by including discounts and purchase time limits on products. Email and CRM-based ads are effective tools that are most impactful for this stage.

How to Create a Retargeting Campaign

Creating a successful retargeting ad campaign involves careful planning, segmentation, and tracking. A well-structured ad will help you reach the right audiences with the most persuasive messages at the right time. These are the steps to take when creating a retargeting ad campaign:

1. Define Your Audience Segments
2. Choose a Retargeting Platform
3. Craft Your Ad Creatives
4. Set Frequency and Duration
5. Track, Optimize, and Scale

Here's a breakdown of what each step entails:

Step 1: Define Your Audience Segments

First, identify and clearly define the audience. You can segment them based on website visits, content views, downloads, or uncompleted checkouts. Some tools you can use for this include:

• Blockchain-Ads Pixel
• Google Analytics 4
• Meta Pixel

Step 2: Choose a Retargeting Platform

Select ad platforms that align with your product and campaign objectives. Your choice can also be based on the ad formats they offer or where your target audience spends the most time. The top retargeting platforms you can use are:

• Blockchain-Ads
• Meta Ads
• Google Ads

Step 3: Craft Your Ad Creatives

Now is the time to design your messaging to match the funnel stages and user preferences. This could be product images and descriptions, social proof, videos, or persuasive CTAs.

Step 4: Set Frequency and Duration

Make your ads dynamic by setting their duration and how often they appear. This will help to reduce fatigue among viewers and keep the campaign fresh for as long as needed.

Step 5: Track, Optimize, and Scale

After your ad campaign goes live, monitor the performance metrics to know how well it's doing. The goal is to identify the best performers and double down while reducing ad spending on low-performing ads. Some good tracking tools to use are:

• Blockchain-Ads Analytics
• AppsFlyer and Adjust
• Google Analytics 4
• Meta Ads Manager

Popular Retargeting Advertising Platforms to Use in 2025

These are the most popular and efficient retargeting ad platforms to use in 2025:

• Blockchain-Ads
• Google Ads
• Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram)
• AdRoll
• StackAdapt
• The Trade Desk

Blockchain-Ads

Blockchain-Ads provides a privacy-enabled retargeting solution for advertisers to reach their warm audience. It uses advanced wallet-based and behavioral targeting, which integrates well with analytics tools for comprehensive campaign insights. The platform's standout features include:

• Regional compliance tools
• On-chain wallet targeting
• Support for pixel, S2S, and contextual retargeting

Google Ads

Google Ads offers one of the most robust ecosystems for retargeting due to its product catalog. These include Google Search, Gmail, and YouTube. It uses pixel-based and list-based components to reconnect users to products and brands, with features like:

• Custom segmentation via Google Analytics 4
• Dynamic remarketing
• YouTube and Gmail ads integration

Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram)

With the Meta Pixel and offline event sets, advertisers can re-engage users who already interacted with products. Meta’s ad network provides high-performance retargeting across Instagram, Facebook and the Meta Audience Network. The following features are available:

• Event-based optimization for engagement and conversion
• Dynamic product ads
• Custom Audiences, based on page visits or CRM uploads

AdRoll

As an ecommerce-focused retargeting automation platform, AdRoll supports both web and email retargeting. It uses AI to personalize ads based on browsing data and consumer purchase behavior. Some of the platform's features include:

• Real-time performance analytics
• Cross-platform and cross-device tracking
• Built-in email retargeting tools

StackAdapt

This ad platform is best known for its advanced targeting capabilities, which include GEO, contextual, and behavioral retargeting. It works best for B2B and B2C advertisers who expect retargeting precision across their display and native ads. Features available on StackAdapt include:

• Fraud prevention and pre-built audiences
• Customizable attribution models
• Cross-channel retargeting with cookies.

The Trade Desk

With the TradeDesk platform, advertisers can enjoy a holistic and privacy-centric retargeting campaign. It excels most in omnichannel retargeting across display, native, audio, and digital out-of-home mediums. The platform's features are:

• Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) identity resolution
• Lookback window and frequency caps
• Granular controls

How to Measure Retargeting Advertising Performance

To optimize a retargeting ad campaign, advertisers must evaluate the performance based on a combination of KPIs. Measuring these metrics will help improve the overall returns and make the campaign more successful. The following are the key metrics that can be tracked for better results:

• Conversion Rate (CVR) indicates how many users took action (signed up or made a purchase) after clicking the ad.
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) measures the revenue generated for every unit amount spent on the retargeting ad campaign.
• Click-through Rate (CTR) tells advertisers how many users clicked on an ad compared to the number who viewed it.
• Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) measures the ad spend per converted user.
• View-through Conversions (VTC) track users who viewed and didn’t click the ad but later converted through another channel.

What Are the Alternatives to Retargeting Advertising?

Depending on the specific goals of an ad campaign, available budget, and audience, some alternative ad types may be preferable. Here’s a list of alternative ad formats that you can try.

• Video Advertising
• Display Advertising
• Native Advertising
• In-App Advertising
• Programmatic Advertising