Retargeting vs. Remarketing: What’s the Difference?

We hear a lot about these buzzwords, 'retargeting' and 'remarketing,' but a lot of people are wondering what they actually mean. Here our co-op, Kristin Chou, breaks down "retargeting vs. remarketing: what's the difference?"

Have you ever online shopped only to realize that the item you selected to view is now following you all over the internet as an advertisement?  Well this is known as ‘retargeting," which is when online advertising targets consumers based on their previous Internet actions, only when the actions did not result in a sale or conversion. This can often be done by Google, therefore allowing visitors to reach millions of other websites. Sometimes retargeting can be rather sneaky as some people may believe that it is coincidental that they are seeing ads from a site they just visited, but in fact there is a cookie being set up when a user visits a website to enable the placement of certain ads during future Internet visits.

Retargeting is a great way to get your company and brand in front of your audience’s eyes to gain interest in what you have to offer. These retargeting banner ads work as a reminder for users because people tend to be busy; therefore, they get what they need from a site and leave. It has been discussed that this method could be perceived as a little creepy. Some say it is an invasion of privacy because essentially it appears that you are following users online. Your target audience may not always appreciate seeing your ad while surfing the net conducting other searches. Nonetheless, retargeting is a clever way to bring someone back to their abandoned shopping bag, or products and services page in some cases.

Retargeting is part of what is called ‘remarketing’, which is mainly established through e-mails, such as ‘reminder’ e-mails that are received occasionally. Amazon does this all the time. Have you ever bought something from Amazon and remember receiving an e-mail after you bought your item, informing you of another line of products that are available, so that they can suck you back in again? Remarketing is a strategic advertising campaign customized to target those who have already visited your website.

Another method of retargeting is when you are exiting a site, and a window pops up telling you about a previously visited site, which surprisingly many people click back through to the site. Since for a great number of online businesses the majority of views who visit your site for the first time leave without making a purchase, that ends up being an enormous portion of your sales lost. Your goal is to keep the focus of your brand and products in the back of your viewers mind after they leave your site.

Remarketing can help increase your profit and business, by reaching 98% of users on the internet. These two concepts are great to help increase traffic to your website and to create a larger number of followers. However, like any marketing strategy it is essential to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of retargeting or remarketing before launching your campaign. If some hesitancy still remains, then conduct a test run and observe your audience’s reaction.

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