Retargeting and Remarketing: What’s the Difference?

Some marketers use the terms retargeting and remarketing interchangeably. However, there are important distinctions between the two.

The goal of marketing is to attract people long before they make a purchase decision. Often, it’s most effective to focus on users who have visited a brand’s website more than once.

Retargeting and remarketing both allow you to do this, but in different ways. In this article, we break down the key differences between these tools and when to use them depending on your goals.

What Is Retargeting?

Retargeting involves showing online ads to users who previously interacted with a brand but didn’t make a purchase. It’s based on user behavior, such as viewing a product or adding it to the shopping cart.

It typically uses cookies, pixels, or Device IDs (for mobile apps), and is executed through ad platforms like Google Ads, DSPs, and others.

Retargeting campaigns are up to 10 times more effective than standard advertising. It’s far more efficient to advertise to users who have already shown interest in the brand or product category.

Types of Retargeting

• On-site retargeting focuses on users while they’re still on the website. For example, a pop-up offering a discount when a user is about to leave the page.

• Off-site retargeting refers to advertising shown outside the website — for example, in mobile apps, on social networks.

Goals of Retargeting

According to surveys, the top three objectives of retargeting are:

• Attract customers
• Increase brand awareness
• Stand out from competitors

In addition, retargeting helps bring back potential buyers and speeds up decision-making.

What Is Remarketing?

While retargeting focuses on users who haven’t converted yet, remarketing is about re-engaging existing customers.

Instead of using ads, remarketing relies on direct communication, such as email campaigns, push notifications, and SMS.

Remarketing helps remind users about your brand, bring them back, and encourage repeat purchases. For instance, if someone registered on your site but hasn’t made a purchase in a while, you might send them an email with a personalized offer.

According to statistics, 26% of users return to a website as a result of remarketing.

Types of Remarketing

• Email Remarketing: Messages sent to registered users who abandoned a cart, haven’t placed an order. Stats show that 45% of abandoned cart emails are opened.
• Push Remarketing: Push notifications sent to mobile devices or browsers, such as “Your cart is still waiting”.
• SMS Remarketing: Personalized text messages with reminders or offers sent to users’ mobile numbers from your client base.
• Messenger Remarketing: Using tools like Telegram and other messengers to follow up with users.
• CRM-Based Remarketing: Leveraging existing contact lists (emails, phone numbers, IDs) to deliver personalized ads.
• Offline Remarketing: Using data from physical stores or call centers (e.g., purchases via loyalty cards) for online engagement.

Goals of Remarketing

• Bring back loyal customers: Re-engage users who already know your brand by offering new or personalized content.
• Drive repeat purchases: Suggest similar or complementary products to previous buyers.
• Activate inactive users: Reconnect with customers who haven’t interacted with your brand in a while.
• Build loyalty: Maintain consistent communication via email, push, or messenger to strengthen brand relationships.
• Enable personalized communication: Use names, purchase history, and preferences to boost engagement and conversions.

Retargeting and Remarketing: Which One to Choose?

Both tools share one strategic goal — bringing the user back and driving conversions — but they do it in different ways.

• Retargeting operates through external advertising.
• Remarketing uses direct communication with known users.

The choice depends on what audience you’re trying to reach, where they are in the sales funnel, and what communication channels your business already has access to.

When to Use Retargeting

1. You don’t have the user’s contact details: If someone visited your website or app but didn’t register, you can’t email them. Retargeting through banners or social media is the solution.
2. You need to remind users outside your site: Retargeting is ideal for showing ads on other platforms like social media or mobile apps.
3. You want to quickly re-engage a warm audience: If someone showed interest but didn’t act, retargeting offers a fast response — with product reminders, discounts, or dynamic ads.

When to Use Remarketing

1. You have contact data (email, phone): If a user registered, subscribed, or made a purchase, remarketing is the best way to re-engage them directly.
2. You need personalized, trust-based communication: Email and messenger campaigns allow more thoughtful engagement. You can greet users by name and suggest tailored products.
3. You want to re-activate an inactive but loyal audience: Remarketing is great for reminding users about your brand, offering promotions, and showcasing new arrivals.

When to Use Both Tools

• Full-funnel campaigns: Start with retargeting to bring in warm leads, then use remarketing to convert them into repeat customers.
• Omnichannel strategies: Reach one group with ads and another via email/messenger.
• Different stages of decision-making: Retargeting builds interest; remarketing builds trust and loyalty.

How BYYD Uses Retargeting

To expand reach, BYYD often divides mobile campaigns into two stages:

1. Target a broader audience with the initial ads.
2. Retarget users who interacted with those ads.

This approach was used for the in-app promotion of the film The Mystery of the Dragon Seal. The BYYD team retargeted users who clicked on the first wave of ads. As a result, they reached over 20,000 users and achieved a CTR of 2.36%.

Retargeting also supports Brand Lift studies — helping measure increases in brand awareness after mobile ad exposure.

BYYD creates a Rich Media banner that asks users if they are aware of the brand/product/event. This creative is shown to two groups:

• Stage 1 (new audience): Target users with the same parameters as the main campaign but exclude device IDs of those who’ve seen the ads.
• Stage 2 (retargeting): Survey only users who interacted with the banners during the main campaign using their Device IDs.

This Brand Lift method was used, for example, in the advertising campaign for the Karcher brand.

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Email us at hello@byyd.me  — we’ll help you get started with effective in-app placements.

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