ave flirted with the idea of purchasing from it. This new wave of focused marketing comes in various forms, including site retargeting and dynamic retargeting. While the latter is more sophisticated than the former, both are equally valuable to retailers – each maximising the efficiency of online display marketing. How does it work? Imagine you are browsing Asos for a new pair of jeans, but you don’t find exactly what you want so you leave the site. The next day you are reading an article online and are served an ad for the latest deals on denim from Asos. Coincidence? No, that’s targeted advertising. Site retargeting allows retailers to follow internet users who have previously visited their online shop without making a purchase, following the consumer with timely display ads as they trawl across various sites. When a consumer visits an online store, a cookie – formally known as a retargeting pixel – is dropped on their browser, allowing them to be tracked. This cookie does not impact browsing or performance for consumers, and is a seamless deployment. By putting your store back in front of consumers already familiar with your brand or product, retargeting gives you the opportunity to get in front of potentially lost customers, thereby increasing the conversion rate. Some sites take this a step further by displaying your ad to those who have searched for a similar product, expanding your exposure beyond just your own site visitors. Sophisticated retargeting pushes relevant ads to a wide range of general visitors, past buyers, product viewers and avid shopping trolley discarders. This form of dynamic retargeting creates more personalised advertisements for users, displaying the exact product they previously searched for, adding hot deals, or a wider collection of related items. Users are (virtually) surrounded by items that are likely to draw their attention, instead of being bombarded by ads that are not relevant to their interests and are likely to create banner burn out. What you need to know First of all, it gets results. Retailers are given the capability to nudge consumers back to their sites, reaching potential buyers that have shown initial interest and are likely to be easily swayed. A recent US study by buying technology company, Adroit Digital, and research group, Toluna, titled, How Consumers Perceive Retargeting, shone light on the number of consumers noticing online ads they had previously seen on other sites. The research revealed that almost three out of five online buyers (58 per cent) surveyed had noticed repeated display ads of products. With an approximate two per cent of shoppers making purchases on their initial visit to an online store, retargeting increases the chances of the remaining 98 per cent of window shoppers clicking back through the store’s virtual doors. There are various players in the retargeting game, so it’s crucial to choose a platform that grows with you. Once you have chosen a platform that aligns with your budget, the next step is to map out the types of sites your retargeted ads should appear on. Research shows that for retargeting to be effective, a personalised advertisement should be viewed repeatedly in order to increase the chances of conversion. This means your platform must know your customers well in order to shadow their trail as they venture off following a search of your site. You need to work with a vendor that’s agile and proactive in making changes where necessary in light of data insights and click throughs. Additionally, scalability is essential. Choose a provider that can move with the growth of your customer base, so that as capital grows you can begin to retarget beyond your customers, and reach those searching for similar items. Overall, no matter the form, retargeting is proving that highly tailored display ads are a cost effective marketing tool for retailers, upsurging high conversion rates. Neil Thomas is Asia Pacific sales director at comparison site, ShopBot Australia. He can be contacted on (02) 9264 3903, or visit www.shopbot.com.au This article first appeared in Inside Retail Magazine’s October/November 2013 issue. to subscribe, click here.