Capturing Customers Using Retargeting

E-commerce businesses are growing steadily across the world. However, the steep increase in e-commerce year after year, does not necessarily mean that a visitor who lands on a website will make a purchase on their very first visit, irrespective of how alluring the experience was.

According to a report by Episerver, 45% of website visits are merely to search for a product or service, and not to make a purchase right away. So, the only way to drive successful e-commerce sales is to get visitors to return.

What is Retargeting?

Retargeting is a form of advertising that enables marketers to project their brand and brand message repeatedly to bounced visitors. Retargeting is done via ads placed on social media, emails, and on different pages on the Internet. However, there are many challenges for brands to get their message through, amidst all that’s happening on the Internet.

The Retargeting Process

Brands usually use a tracking code called a “cookie” to track users when they leave the website after browsing. Cookies are tagged to users when they access the web-page. When users move away from the website to browse the Internet, the cookie tags along, making it easy for brands to place ads for products or services that the user was interested in, at other websites or in emails.

Email Retargeting

In case of email retargeting, when a customer signs up for your newsletter, an email is sent with a tracking code (cookie) embedded in it. Since this cookie tags along when the subscriber browses the Internet, he/she will see your ads for specific products and services, enticing them to visit the website again. Brands usually place ads based on some criteria, such as demographic, to ensure that they are relevant to the users.

Retargeting ads ensure that you keep a customer’s purchase interest alive without bombarding them with too much information. You also give them freedom of choice by allowing them to unsubscribe from the newsletter emails at any time. This way, retargeting brings customers back to the brand every time they need a particular product or service.

Types of Email Retargeting

1. Product – This method is primarily used when the brand has a new product to sell, if a new sale is organized, or when a user has a purchase history of a similar or associated product. Most brands use this type of retargeting to gain the viewership that is lacking for their products and services.
2. Cart Abandonment – This method is used for users who do not finish their purchases. Allowing guest logins and offering free shipping are simple tactics to prevent cart abandonment. An effective sales recovery tactic is to send abandoned cart emails to customers who have added products to their carts, but failed to check out of the last step i.e. payment. Some brands even offer to cover the delivery charges or offer a future discount to expedite sales closure.
3. Old Visitors – While new customers are essential to augment business revenue, users with a purchase history can be highly lucrative when they become loyal customers. If a customer has not visited your website in a long time, retargeting can be used to re-engage with them, focusing on the quality aspects of the products and services. Simple tactics like sending a welcome back email or, offering a free gift or a small discount are different ways to get them back.
4. New Customers – New customers have a fresh memory of their recent purchases with brands, and hence are easy to convert through retargeting efforts. Therefore, emails are sent to them with a list of bestselling related products and services, and customers tracked during their next visit to the website. New customers can be given a loyalty discount to continue to shop with the brand, and strengthen the customer relationship bond.

Retargeting, especially email retargeting, is a very powerful way of driving lead conversions and gaining new customers steadily. As an e-commerce business owner, you can also improve your lead conversions by going mobile. Mobile apps offer an excellent and convenient purchasing experience that delights customers and keeps them coming back for more. Vajro is a leading mobile app platform, helping e-commerce companies to expand their reach and delight customers with an instant mobile app for their e-commerce business. If you’d like a mobile app for your business get in touch with us and we’ll have it up and running in no time.