How to Recapture Online Consumers with Ad Retargeting

Have you ever been shopping online, found something you like (perhaps a pair of shoes), and added it to your cart only to abandon it later without making a final purchase? We all have, and we’ve probably all found that abandoned purchase following us around the internet in the form of an online banner ad as we read the news or check our email. This is known as ad retargeting, and it is an effective way to bring customers that haven’t made a purchase back to your site.

As society becomes increasingly engaged by the convenience of online shopping, a process of recapturing the customer needs to be present. Therefore, ad retargeting works to draw potential customers back in by reminding them of a website or products/services they’ve recently viewed.

Retargeting works by placing “cookies” (not chocolate chip cookies) on an individual’s browser when they visit a particular website. Through the use of a JavaScript tag in the site, a list of the individuals that visit that website is created which can then be used to serve them ads later.

Retargeting vendors such as AdRoll use these lists to display retargeting ads to potential customers as they visit other websites. According to AdRoll, generally 2% of shoppers convert on the first visit to an online store. Retargeting helps bring back the other 98%.

Ad retargeting is a great way to help companies re-engage visitors and increase conversions to obtain sales goals or objectives. Using retargeting, companies can serve promotions and offers to individuals even before they reach the transaction stage. This encourages visitors to complete transactions which also help increase conversions and sales.

The most effective approach to retargeting is segmenting ads by what visitors are viewing online and then serving them promotions on the same or similar products. Creating ads that are relevant to what a customer is looking at will help create a stronger connection and, ultimately, increase interaction. Most importantly, the ads should be creative, appealing, and inspire customers to take action.

Now that you know how retargeting works, be prepared to see it everywhere! Learn more about the online advertising options available to your business, visit www.mill-im.com/marketing-services/online-advertising.

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