# Retargeting

**Category:** general  
**Short Description:** Targeting ads to users who have previously interacted with a brand.  
**Last Updated:** 2026-05-30T00:00:00Z

## Definition

Retargeting, also known as remarketing, is a digital advertising strategy that targets users who have previously interacted with a brand's website, app, or content. It uses cookies or user lists to show relevant ads to these users across different platforms and websites, aiming to bring them back to complete desired actions. While both terms describe the same practice, 'retargeting' is more commonly used in the display and social advertising context, while 'remarketing' is often associated with Google's advertising products.

## Examples

- Showing product ads to users who abandoned their shopping cart
- Targeting past website visitors with special promotions
- Re-engaging app users who haven't opened the app recently

## FAQs

### What is retargeting?

Retargeting (often used interchangeably with remarketing) is showing ads to people who have already interacted with your brand — visited your site, viewed products, abandoned a cart, or engaged with content — to bring them back and convert them. Because these audiences are already familiar and showed intent, retargeting is typically among the most efficient ad tactics, focusing spend on warm prospects rather than cold ones.

### How does retargeting work?

It uses signals of prior interaction — a pixel/tag tracking site visitors, app activity, customer lists, or platform engagement — to build audiences of people who took specific actions, then serves them tailored ads. For example, a visitor who viewed a product but didn't buy can be shown that product again with a reminder or offer. Dynamic retargeting automates this, showing the exact items a user viewed via your product feed.

### What audiences can I retarget?

Common ones: all site visitors, visitors to specific pages or products, cart or checkout abandoners, past purchasers (for upsell/replenishment), app users, video viewers, and people who engaged with your social content or lead forms. Segmenting by intent — a cart abandoner is hotter than a homepage bouncer — and matching creative to each segment's stage makes retargeting far more effective than one generic 'come back' ad.

### How do I avoid over-serving or fatiguing retargeted users?

Retargeting pools are small and seen often, so they fatigue fast and can annoy. Cap frequency, set time limits so you don't chase people indefinitely, rotate and refresh creative, exclude users who already converted, and tailor the message to recency. Watching frequency and CTR/CPM trends prevents the point where retargeting tips from helpful reminder into irritating over-exposure that wastes spend and harms the brand.

### Is retargeting affected by privacy changes?

Yes. Pixel- and cookie-based retargeting has been weakened by browser tracking-prevention, third-party cookie deprecation, and app-tracking restrictions, reducing audience sizes and match rates. The response is durable first-party approaches — server-side tracking, first-party data and customer lists, and platform-native engagement audiences — plus consent compliance. Retargeting remains valuable but increasingly relies on first-party signals rather than third-party cross-site tracking.

## Related Terms

### Child Terms

- **[Behavioral Targeting](/resources/glossary/general/behavioral-targeting)**: Broader targeting approach including retargeting
- **[Customer Journey](/resources/glossary/general/customer-journey)**: Framework where retargeting operates

### Component Terms

- **[Dynamic Creative](/resources/glossary/creative/dynamic-creative)**: Automated ad personalization for retargeting
- **[Dynamic Ads & Dynamic Product Ads (DPA)](/resources/glossary/platform/dynamic-ads-dynamic-product-ads-dpa)**: Automated ad personalization for retargeting