Here’s a stat that should change how you think about marketing: only about 3% of people who visit your Shopify store will buy on their first visit.
The other 97%? They browse, they add to cart, they compare options — and they leave. Not because they’re not interested, but because that’s how people shop online. They get distracted. They want to think about it. They’ll “come back later.”
Most of them won’t come back. Unless you give them a reason to.
That’s what retargeting does. It puts your brand back in front of people who’ve already shown interest — at the exact moment they’re most likely to convert.
What retargeting actually is
Retargeting (sometimes called remarketing) uses tracking data to show ads to people who’ve already interacted with your brand. Visited your site. Viewed a product. Added to cart. Engaged with your social media.
These people are warm audiences. They already know who you are. They’ve already expressed interest. They just need a nudge.
Compared to prospecting (showing ads to cold audiences who’ve never heard of you), retargeting is:
- Cheaper — lower cost per click, lower cost per acquisition
- More effective — higher conversion rates
- Higher ROAS — often 4-10x return on ad spend
It should be a core part of every Shopify brand’s ad strategy.
The retargeting audiences you need
Not all warm audiences are equal. Someone who added a product to cart yesterday is a very different prospect from someone who glanced at your homepage last month.
Build these audiences in order of intent (highest first):
1. Cart abandoners (1-7 days)
These are your hottest prospects. They chose a product, decided on a size/colour, and started the checkout process. Something stopped them — but the intent is clearly there.
Creative approach: Direct product reminder. Show them exactly what they left behind. Keep the message simple: “Still in your cart” or “Don’t miss out.”
2. Product page viewers (1-14 days)
They looked at specific products but didn’t add to cart. They’re interested but need more convincing.
Creative approach: Social proof. Show the product alongside customer reviews. “Over 500 five-star reviews” or “Our bestseller for a reason.”
3. Website visitors (7-30 days)
Broader audience — anyone who visited your site. Less intent than cart abandoners, but they’ve shown enough interest to click through.
Creative approach: Brand storytelling and education. Your founder story. Behind-the-scenes content. Why your products are different.
4. Social media engagers (30-90 days)
People who’ve liked, commented, saved, or watched your content on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. They haven’t visited your site yet, but they’ve engaged with your brand.
Creative approach: Bridge content that moves them from social engagement to site visit. Product showcases, UGC compilations, “shop the look” style ads.
5. Video viewers (30-90 days)
People who watched 50%+ of your video ads. They spent meaningful time with your content — they’re interested.
Creative approach: Product-focused follow-ups. They’ve seen the brand story — now show them what to buy.
Creative that converts at each stage
The biggest retargeting mistake is showing the same ad to everyone. A cart abandoner and a social media engager need completely different messages.
For high-intent audiences (cart + product viewers)
- Dynamic product ads (DPA) — automatically show the exact products they viewed or added to cart. These are the workhorse of retargeting.
- Urgency messaging — “Selling fast” or “Low stock” (only if true)
- Objection busters — free returns, satisfaction guarantee, free shipping
- Customer testimonials — real reviews about the specific product they viewed
For mid-intent audiences (site visitors + engagers)
- Founder-to-customer videos — “I noticed you were checking us out. Here’s why our customers love [product]…”
- UGC compilations — real customers using your products
- Bestseller roundups — “Our top 3 most-loved products”
- Educational content — how to use, how to style, ingredient breakdowns
Creative rotation
This is critical. Retargeting audiences are small by nature, which means people see your ads more frequently. If you show the same creative for weeks, they’ll tune it out.
Refresh creative every 2-3 weeks. New images, new video, new copy angles. Same audience, fresh message.
Budget and frequency
Budget allocation
Retargeting should get roughly 20-25% of your total Meta ad budget. It’s your highest-ROAS activity, but the audiences are smaller than prospecting — so there’s a ceiling on how much you can spend effectively.
Frequency caps
Watch your frequency metric (average number of times each person sees your ad). For retargeting:
- 1-7 day audiences: Frequency up to 5-6 is fine. These are hot leads.
- 7-30 day audiences: Keep frequency under 4. Beyond that, you’re annoying people.
- 30+ day audiences: Keep frequency under 2-3.
If frequency creeps too high, either rotate creative, reduce budget, or expand the audience window.
Retargeting and email: the one-two punch
Retargeting ads and email marketing work best together. Here’s how:
- Cart abandoner sees a retargeting ad on Instagram AND receives an abandoned cart email. Two touchpoints, two channels, one consistent message.
- Browse abandoner sees a dynamic product ad AND receives a “still thinking about it?” email.
- Past purchaser sees a new product retargeting ad AND receives a cross-sell email.
The combined effect is greater than either channel alone. The ad keeps you top of mind. The email gives them a direct link to purchase. Together, they create a feeling of “this brand is everywhere” — in a good way.
Common retargeting mistakes
Not excluding purchasers. If someone bought the product last week, stop showing them the ad. Exclude recent purchasers from retargeting campaigns (move them to retention campaigns instead).
Same creative for everyone. A cart abandoner needs “here’s what you left behind.” A social engager needs “here’s why we’re worth checking out.” One ad doesn’t serve both.
Retargeting without prospecting. Your retargeting pool shrinks every day if you’re not running prospecting ads to feed new people in. They work as a system.
Ignoring frequency. Showing someone the same ad 15 times doesn’t make them buy. It makes them annoyed. Monitor frequency and rotate creative.
Only using Meta. Consider retargeting on Google Display Network and YouTube as well — especially for higher-priced products with longer consideration periods.
Key takeaways
- 97% of visitors don’t buy on their first visit — retargeting brings them back
- Build audiences in order of intent: cart abandoners, product viewers, site visitors, engagers
- Match your creative to the audience’s level of intent
- Rotate creative every 2-3 weeks to avoid fatigue
- Allocate 20-25% of ad budget to retargeting
- Combine retargeting with email for maximum impact
- Exclude recent purchasers — move them to retention instead
Want retargeting that actually works?
We build and manage retargeting campaigns for e-commerce brands — daily monitoring, regular creative rotation, and integration with email. No set-and-forget.
Tell us about your brand and we’ll book your free clarity call.