Remarketing: definition, methods, best practices, and cookieless alternatives

Why talk about remarketing (again) in 2025–2026?

You invest time and budget deploying the best strategies to attract visitors to your website… and then most leave without converting. Remarketing (or retargeting) is precisely about re-engaging those who already showed interest in your brand (visit, analytics event, email open, opt-in, etc.) to drive a return visit, a signup, a purchase, or a repeat purchase.

In 2025, it’s a pivotal lever in the digital mix: it maximizes acquisition ROI, adapts to the “post-cookies” context, and increasingly relies on first-party/zero-party data, AI, and opt-in channels.

Definition: remarketing vs. retargeting (simple clarification)

• Retargeting / ad recapture: serving targeted ads to anonymous visitors (often via cookies or equivalents) to bring them back after a non-converting visit. Example: dynamic banners showing the viewed product on other sites.
• Remarketing: all actions aimed at re-activating an already engaged audience (customers, identified leads, or recent visitors) via email/SMS, push notifications, CRM onboarding/Customer Match, social media, display, etc. Traditionally more loyalty and lifecycle marketing-oriented, relying on first-party data (lists, consents). 

In practice, the two terms are often mixed up (Google Ads uses “Remarketing” for its audience lists). Keep the shared intent in mind: follow up with someone already exposed to the brand to increase the probability of conversion.

Typical objectives (and how to measure them)

• Drive a first purchase / first contact. KPIs: conversion rate, CPA/ROAS, time to reconversion, share of assisted conversions.
• Re-activate dormant customers / increase purchase frequency. KPIs: repurchase rate, CLV, RFM, incremental revenue.
• Generate signups (demo, trial, event, newsletter). KPIs: signup rate, cost per qualified lead, post-signup activation rate.
• Educate/nurture in long cycles (B2B, automotive, education). KPIs: stage progression (MQL→SQL), content engagement, cycle time, influenced pipeline.

The steps of a successful remarketing campaign

1) Set a clear direction (goals & KPIs)

State one SMART objective per campaign (e.g., “Convert 5% of abandoned carts within 30 days”). Define primary KPIs (conversion, CTR, CPA/ROAS, repeat purchase, view-through if relevant).

2) Segment your audiences

Create meaningful lists: all visitors 30d, cart abandoners, readers of a category, inactive customers 90d, leads who downloaded a guide, etc. The finer the segmentation, the more relevant the message.

3) Choose the right channels (mix & orchestration)

• Display/YouTube (Google Ads, Bing)
• Social (Meta, LinkedIn…)
• Email/SMS/Marketing automation
• Web Push Notification
• CRM onboarding / Customer Match (hashed lists)

Think “orchestration”: each channel has strengths and costs. The best mix depends on segment value and intent.

4) Implement tracking & compliance

• Tags/pixels (Google/Meta/LinkedIn), push script, UTM.
• Consent (compliant banners, Consent Mode if required), hashing for customer lists, preferences page.
• Data quality: deduplicated, fresh, compliant.

5) Craft contextualized messages

• Dynamic creatives (products viewed, benefits, social proof).
• Offers: tested discount vs. free shipping by segment.
• Clear CTAs, reasonable frequency capping, native formats per channel.

6) Launch, analyze, optimize continuously

• A/B iterations (hooks, images, timing, offers).
• Bid (Smart Bidding) and budget adjustments based on segment value.
• Exclude converters (or switch to cross-sell).

Remarketing channels: strengths, limits, and use cases

Operational deep dives

A. Google Ads (Display & RLSA)

1. Tagging (Google Tag/GA4) and audiences (all visitors 30d, cart abandoners, etc.).
2. Display campaigns targeting your lists; RLSA to adjust Search bids/ads for returning users.
3. Responsive creatives (multiple assets) + capping (e.g., 5 impressions/user/7d).
4. Optimization: placements, bids, and expansion to YouTube if the audience is large.

B. Web Push (browser)

1. Choose the platform.
2. Collect opt-ins (native browser prompt): up to ~15% opt-in, often much higher than email.
3. Segment by behaviors (pages viewed, categories, cart, etc.).
4. Scenarios: abandoned-cart triggers, stock/price alerts, new content, D-day promos.
5. Metrics: high CTRs and strong view rates.
6. Key asset: not blocked by adblockers, 100% brand-safe (system notification), GDPR-compliant with native opt-in.

C. CRM onboarding & Email/SMS

• Onboarding: upload hashed lists (hashed emails), match rates 30–70% depending on platforms; target 90d inactives, VIPs, upsell.
• Email/SMS: abandonment workflows, reactivation, post-purchase (cross-sell), event notifications. Retention benchmark: email retargeting remains a pillar.

Best practices (2025)

1. Segment more finely (value, intent, recency, frequency, monetary).
2. Personalize (creative, offer, timing) by context (product viewed, category read, industry).
3. Manage pressure (capping/inclusion days) to avoid irritation.
4. Refresh creatives (avoid banner blindness).
5. Test/iterate (A/B CPC vs. CPA bidding, discount %, free shipping, “social proof” messaging…).
6. Track the right KPIs (CTR, conversions, CPA/ROAS, view-through where relevant, return-to-site rate).
7. Experience first: useful, non-intrusive, exclude converters or switch to cross-sell.
8. Compliance by design (explicit consents, Consent Mode, unsubscribe links, preference page).

Common mistakes & quick fixes

2025 trends: “cookieless,” AI, and omnichannel

1) After third-party cookies, first-party/zero-party resilience

• Safari/Firefox already block third-party cookies; Chrome is progressively removing them.
• Response: first-party data, loyalty programs, zero-party (declared preferences), CDPs to unify & activate in real time.
• Contextual targeting (AI-boosted) + alternative IDs (Customer Match, UID 2.0, Topics API) depending on your legal framework and resources.

2) AI & machine learning everywhere

• Predictive segmentation and scoring, DCO (dynamic creatives), smart bidding.
• Typical 2025 benchmarks report: higher CTR and post-click conversions with AI.
• Ethics/transparency: avoid over-personalization to the point of feeling intrusive.

3) Omnichannel & unified journeys

• Sync email / push / social / display / search / offline.
• Automatically stop pressure when a conversion happens elsewhere.
• Cross-device via logged-in ecosystems (Google/Meta/LinkedIn).
• Phygital: drive-to-store & online↔offline attribution.

4) Privacy as a competitive edge

• Explicit consents, UIs without dark patterns, clear preferences, compliant partners (IAB TCF, Consent Mode).
• Reference: reinforced obligations.

Tools & platforms (2025 toolbox)

• Google Ads (Display, YouTube, RLSA, Customer Match).
• Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram, DPA, Stories).
• LinkedIn Ads (B2B, ABM, Lead Gen Forms).
• Criteo, AdRoll (programmatic retargeting).
• Email/SMS & automation: HubSpot, Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Sendinblue, SFMC.
• Web Push: Adrenalead (collection, segmentation, campaigns, audience network).
• Analytics & attribution: GA4, attribution models, Mixpanel/Amplitude, data connectors.

Web Push by Adrenalead (a powerful, GDPR-compliant alternative)

Fully decoupled from browsing and independent of any publisher inventory, the notification is sent by the browser and appears directly on your audience’s screen. The subscriber does not need to be on your site; they just need to be online (Wi-Fi/4G). Ephemeral, it disappears after a few seconds: a low-intrusion format appreciated by subscribers. Retargeting your audience has never been simpler!

Maximize my remarketing with Web Push

Free demo

Problems Web Push Notification remarketing solves

• Full control of marketing pressure.
• No ad fraud: direct link between the user and your brand.
• 100% Brand Safety: the ad is rendered on-screen (system notification).
• Explicit consent → low-intrusion, GDPR-compliant format.
• Bypasses adblockers: you can also reach users equipped with an ad blocker.

Adrenalead’s audience remarketing offer via Web Push:

1. A user visits your site.
2. If they belong to Adrenalead’s opt-in ad network, they are recognized.
3. They receive a notification showcasing your offer.
4. Each click redirects to the URL of your choice. Bonus: access to qualified audience segments (e.g., clickers from your campaign, visitors to your site who subscribe to the network).

Why is it a “new ROI-driven Eldorado”? Adrenalead combines collection/delivery tech with exclusive audience extension (a network of over 60 million opt-ins). Results observed among e-retailers: 3× reach (up to +200% more coverage) vs. traditional methods, average CTR > 4%, conversion rate > 10%—while preserving brand image and compliance. → In short: 3× more chances to convert a qualified lead, without third-party cookies, with a respectful, measurable experience.

Smarter, more responsible… and more performant remarketing

Remarketing in 2025 is no longer a simple banner that “follows you everywhere”: it’s omnichannel, data-driven, privacy-respectful, and AI-powered orchestration. The end of third-party cookies forces a healthy evolution: first-party/zero-party data, contextual targeting, alternative IDs, opt-in channels. In this shift, Web Push Notification—especially Adrenalead’s offer—stands out as a performance accelerator: real-time, GDPR-ready, brand-safe, high engagement, independent of cookies and adblockers.

Your move: apply the goal → segment → channel → message → measurement → iteration method, activate relevant scenarios, and manage budgets based on incremental results. You’ll better convert “almost convinced” visitors into customers—and customers into advocates.

Frequently asked questions about remarketing

Remarketing vs. retargeting: what’s the difference?

• Retargeting: primarily re-targets anonymous visitors via display/social (often ex-cookies).
• Remarketing: covers all re-engagement channels (email/SMS, Web Push, Customer Match, etc.) and relies more on first-party data.

How do you run a first remarketing campaign successfully?

• Set a single objective.
• Segment your audiences.
• Pick 1–2 channels that fit (e.g., Google Display + Web Push).
• Install tags/UTM/Consent Mode.
• Create messages per segment and cap frequency.
• Track CTR / Conv. / CPA and iterate weekly.

Which remarketing tools should be prioritized?

• Reach: Google Ads/YouTube, Meta.
• B2B: LinkedIn Ads.
• First-party activation: Customer Match & CRM onboarding.
• Real-time direct opt-in: Web Push (e.g., Adrenalead).
• Retention: Email/SMS + automation.
• Measurement: GA4 + attribution.

How can data be leveraged to perform better?

• Behavioral segments (pages, events, recency), CRM (RFM, inactives, VIP), and zero-party (preferences).
• UTMs everywhere, track ROAS/CPA + view-through where relevant.
• Identify the optimal frequency before saturation.
• Test competing offers (discount vs. shipping).
• Activate AI for DCO/Smart Bidding.

Does remarketing really increase conversions?

Yes, because it targets profiles already interested. 2025 benchmarks: up to +150% conversions vs. cold campaigns, higher CTR than standard banners, reduced cart abandonment. Impact depends on execution quality (segmentation, creative, pressure, channel mix).