Retargeting: Strategy and Psychology to Make a Better Impact
The case of the cruise you never forgot...
You're leisurely browsing and looking for information about a Disney cruise vacation. You close the page... and 15 minutes later, boom: you start seeing ads for cruises, deals for flights to Miami, family packages and Disney promotions everywhere.
Days go by and the thought still lingers. You change the subject and now you're looking for pilates classes... now, all the ads are for yoga, pilates and sportswear.
It's not magic, witchcraft, or coincidence; it's retargeting, one of the most effective (and technically complex) strategies in digital marketing.
What is Retargeting?
It is the technique that allows you to re-engage users who have already had some kind of interaction with your brand: they visited your website, saw a product, added something to the cart and left(abandoned cart), or interacted with your content or emails.
Your goal is to remind them of your brand, guide them through their decision process and maximize the chances of conversion.
How does Retargeting work (the technical part)?
The essence of retargeting is tracking users using pixels and cookies. This involves:
1. Pixel and cookie implementation
Pixel placement: A small piece of JavaScript code (tracking pixel or tag) is installed on the website.
User tracking: When someone visits your site, the pixel places a cookie in their browser, anonymously tracking their behavior: pages visited, products viewed, engagement time, interactions, and so on.
Audience segmentation and profiling
Behavioral data: The information collected is used to segment users according to their interaction: who viewed a specific product category, added something to the cart or consumed certain content.
Personalization: With this data, audience lists are built for ads adapted to the user's previous actions.
3. Distribution and advertising network
Network integration: Ads are displayed across the Google Display Network, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and other programmatic spaces.
Cross-channel: The user can receive impacts on social networks, blogs, videos and mobile apps, maintaining constant brand presence.
4. Types of retargeting
Static Retargeting: Display a generic ad to all users of a segment (example: 10% coupon for all cart abandoners).
Dynamic Retargeting: Displays hyper-personalized ads based on the user's exact browsing history (example: the same TV left in the cart, with free shipping).
5. Campaign optimization
Burn pixel: Exclude users who have already purchased to avoid ad fatigue and wasted investment.
Testing and adjustments: Continuous testing of messages, formats, frequency and creatives to maximize conversions and ROI.
Retargeting contact levels
In an advanced strategy, not all audiences are the same. We can work by levels:
Proprietary lists: customer databases and registration mailings.
Users who interacted with previous ads.
Followers or people who interact with publications in networks.
Users who watched videos.
People who interacted specifically with videos or forms.
Each level has a different value and requires tailored messages, thus achieving a more efficient retargeting funnel.
Retargeting + Psychology = Results
The Familiarity Effect explains why it works: the more we see something, the more trust it generates.
It takes between 6 and 20 impacts for a consumer to act(HubSpot, 2024).
Retargeting can increase conversions by up to 147%(99Firms, 2024).
70% of consumers are more likely to convert after being impacted again(Cometly, 2025).
The special case of abandoned carts...
According to Baymard Institute (2024), almost 70% of online purchases are abandoned before checkout.
With retargeting you can:
Remember the exact product.
Add urgency ("Only 3 units left").
Offer an incentive (coupon or free shipping).
This can recover between 10% and 15% of the sales that were previously lost.
Why can't just anyone do it?
Retargeting requires:
Precise technical configuration of pixels, tags and events.
Integration with multiple advertising platforms.
Intelligent segmentation to avoid wasted impressions.
Creatives adapted to each stage of the funnel.
Constant monitoring for real-time adjustments.
Legal and compliance considerations
The implementation of retargeting campaigns involves the use of cookies and tracking technologies that collect navigation data.
For regulations such as GDPR (EU) and CCPA (California), and for good transparency practices, it is recommended:
Display a clear and visible cookie notice.
Explain which cookies are used (technical, analytical, marketing).
Allow the user to accept or reject cookies according to their preferences.
Include in the privacy policy the use of data for retargeting.
At Alterno Agency, we recommend implementing a Cookie Consent Manager that complies with regulations and guarantees transparency and trust with the user.
Our experience
At Alterno Agency, after more than 15 years working in digital media and managing hundreds of campaigns a year, we know that retargeting well executed:
Increase qualified traffic.
Improve conversion.
Optimizes advertising investment.
We know where our customers' customers are. And we know how to find them, nurture them and bring them back. That's what we call it: Transform your brand with Alterno.