Every online store owner dreads seeing customers abandon their carts just before making a purchase. It’s like watching someone fill their shopping bag, head to the checkout… and walk out right before paying. But what if those forgotten carts could be turned into real, regained sales? That’s where retargeting comes in—smart, strategic, and revenue-boosting.
TL;DR
Cart abandonment is a major challenge for eCommerce businesses, but retargeting campaigns offer a high-ROI solution. By using email reminders, dynamic ads, and personalized messages, you can convert missed opportunities into recovered sales. Timing, incentives, and customer behavior analytics are key. When done right, retargeting transforms hesitation into transaction.
Why Do Customers Abandon Their Carts?
Before diving into retargeting solutions, it’s essential to understand why people abandon carts in the first place. Common reasons include:
- Unexpected Costs: Shipping or taxes added at checkout
- Complicated Checkout: Too many steps or mandatory registration
- Browsing Behavior: Using the cart as a wishlist
- Payment Concerns: Limited payment options or lack of trust
- Distractions: Life happens and customers simply forget
Fortunately, most of these issues can be tackled with a well-structured retargeting strategy that works to recover revenue.
What is Retargeting?
Retargeting is a form of online advertising and direct communication that aims to re-engage users who didn’t complete a checkout. You’ve likely experienced it yourself—adding a product to your cart, leaving the site, and later seeing an ad for that same product on social media or in your inbox. That’s no coincidence—that’s retargeting at work.
Types of Retargeting Campaigns
There are several effective forms of retargeting, each with its own strengths:
1. Email Retargeting
Email is the cornerstone of cart recovery. With an abandoned cart email series, you can gently remind customers of what they left behind. The best cart recovery emails include:
- Product Reminder: Show the items exactly as they left them.
- Urgency Cues: Low stock alerts or limited-time offers.
- Discounts: Discount codes or free shipping incentives.
- Compelling Copy: Fun, human, and brand-consistent messaging.
Timing is critical. The first email should ideally be sent within 30 to 60 minutes after abandonment. Follow-up emails at the 24-hour and 72-hour mark help maximize conversions.
2. Display Ads
Display retargeting involves showing dynamic ads based on the items a customer left in their cart. These can appear on Google Display Network, Facebook, Instagram, or other platforms.
With dynamic product ads, you can automate personalized ad creatives for every shopper. This means higher relevance, better engagement, and improved click-through rates.
3. Social Media Retargeting
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer robust retargeting tools. These allow you to create ads that speak directly to cart abandoners based on their behavior on your site.
- Carousel ads displaying multiple products
- Short videos driving urgency or testimonials
- Story ads with swipe-up links to the cart
Thanks to pixel tracking, these tools can zero in on consumer behavior and retarget across devices, ensuring your message reaches the right eyes.
Psychology Behind Retargeting Success
Why is retargeting so effective? It taps into core psychological principles:
- Familiarity: People are more likely to engage with brands they’ve seen multiple times.
- Loss Aversion: Limited-time offers make users fear missing out.
- Social Proof: Showcasing reviews or testimonials builds trust.
- Personalization: Referencing specific items increases relevance and connection.
When you combine these cues with strategic timing and offers, you don’t just recover carts—you recover lost relationships.
Incentivizing Wisely: To Discount or Not To Discount?
One big debate in retargeting revolves around discounts. Should you offer a discount in every recovery email or ad?
The answer: it depends on your brand and audience.
Some brands see great success with modest discounts (e.g., 10% off or free shipping). Others avoid them altogether to maintain product value. One smart tactic is using a three-email sequence:
- Email 1: Friendly reminder without any offer
- Email 2: Highlight product benefits or reviews
- Email 3: Final nudge with a limited-time incentive
This multi-stage approach avoids training customers to expect discounts every time they abandon their carts.
Tracking and Optimizing Cart Recovery
Effective retargeting isn’t set-it-and-forget-it. You need to measure performance and continue optimizing based on real data. Critical metrics include:
- Open rates (for emails)
- Click-through rates
- Conversion rate post-retargeting
- Average order value (AOV) of recovered sales
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
Use A/B testing to optimize subject lines, ad creatives, sending times, and call-to-action buttons. The more you test, the more you’ll learn what clicks with your audience.
Best Tools for Cart Retargeting
A wide variety of tools can make implementing a retargeting campaign easier and more effective. Some of the best include:
- Klaviyo: Perfect for behavior-based email sequences.
- Shopify + Facebook Ads: Ideal for seamless ad creation and tracking.
- AdRoll: Multi-channel retargeting for websites and social.
- Google Ads: Dynamic remarketing across a massive network.
- SmartrMail: An easy-to-use email marketing tool built for eCommerce.
When choosing a platform, consider your team size, budget, and current stack. Many of these tools offer free trials or flexible pricing models.
Compliance and Privacy Considerations
Don’t forget—retargeting needs to follow legal and ethical standards. Be mindful of:
- GDPR in Europe
- CCPA in California
- Email opt-in rules
- Privacy policy transparency
Use cookies responsibly and ensure your visitors are aware of how their data is used. Ethical marketing fosters trust and long-term loyalty.
Final Thoughts: Retargeting As a Revenue Engine
Abandoned carts are not the end of the customer journey—they’re a second chance waiting to be seized. With the right retargeting strategy, tools, and mindset, brands can reconnect with on-the-fence browsers and turn hesitation into conversion.
Think of retargeting not just as a marketing tactic, but as a form of customer service—helping people complete a choice they already made.
Sweet revenue wins are hiding in those forgotten carts. All you have to do is reclaim them, one personalized touchpoint at a time.