Retargeting is showing ads to people who already interacted with your business — site visitors, cart abandoners, past customers — to bring them back and convert existing interest.
Definition
Audiences are built from pixel/app events or customer lists, segmented by recency and depth (viewed product vs. abandoned cart vs. purchased). Its known trap: because it targets people already close to buying, retargeting posts spectacular attributed ROAS that overstates its causal contribution — much of that revenue would have arrived anyway. Frequency discipline and honest measurement are what separate a retention asset from a credit-taking machine.
Why it matters
Retargeting is usually the first budget line to over-inflate in reporting and the first place incrementality tests deliver uncomfortable news. Right-sized, it's efficient; over-fed, it cannibalizes margin while flattering the dashboard.
In agentic execution
Because Adlyse sees the account across platforms, retargeting gets funded on blended contribution rather than its self-reported ROAS — agents propose right-sizing, humans approve, and the audit trail shows why.
Related terms
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