Retargeting (sometimes called remarketing) is advertising aimed at people who already interacted with your brand — visited a page, added something to the cart, opened an email — but didn’t complete the goal yet.
It works by remembering that visit (often with a tracking pixel or similar technology) and showing ads later on other sites, social feeds, or search. The idea is simple: someone who already showed interest is warmer than a cold stranger. In e-commerce, retargeting is a common way to recover cart abandonment and push unfinished steps in the funnel.
A real-life example of retargeting
You browse sneakers, leave without buying, then see those same sneakers in an Instagram ad the next day. That’s retargeting. Done well, it reminds and offers a nudge (free shipping, a gentle “still interested?”). Done badly, it stalks someone across every screen with the same product for weeks — and feels creepy.
Pair retargeting with useful offers and frequency limits. For cart-focused tactics, see cart abandonment recovery strategies.