Remarketing and retargeting are digital marketing methods that aim to re-establish contact with users who have previously interacted with the brand. Although the two concepts are frequently used interchangeably in daily use, there may be some differences between them in practice. Mailchimp also notes that the two terms serve similar purposes, but retargeting mostly involves ads; He states that remarketing is associated with re-communication channels such as e-mail.

For this reason, it would be more accurate to evaluate the concepts of remarketing targeting and retargeting according to the channel used and target audience structure, rather than strictly separating them. Mailchimp also notes that the two terms serve similar purposes, but retargeting mostly involves ads; He states that remarketing is associated with re-communication channels such as e-mail. 

What is Remarketing?

Remarketing, that is, remarketing, refers to efforts to re-establish communication with users who have previously contacted the brand. These people may be customers who have made purchases before, or they may be users who have signed up to the e-mail list, abandoned their cart, or interacted with the brand at a different point.

In remarketing efforts;

• Sending reminder e-mails to users who abandoned the cart,
• Announcing new products to customers who have shopped before,
• Notification to users whose membership period is approaching expiration. Methods such as sending,
• Offering special campaigns to existing customer lists

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Therefore, it would be incomplete to explain the question of what remarketing means simply as "showing ads to people who have shopped before". The concept may encompass a broader recommunication process. 

What is Retargeting?

Retargeting generally refers to re-showing ads to users who have previously visited a website, application, or specific product pages.

For example, when a user visits the shoe category on an e-commerce site and leaves without making a purchase, the same user can later be shown ads for related products. Retargeting is especially associated with ad targeting based on user behavior. 

User behaviors that can be retargeted include;

• Visiting the product page,
• Category review,
• Adding a product to the cart,
• Leaving without completing the purchasing process,
• Interacting with the mobile app

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What is the Difference Between Remarketing and Retargeting?

The difference between remarketing and retargeting becomes more evident in the method used. While retargeting is more associated with retargeting the user with paid ads based on website or application behavior, remarketing can refer to remarketing through previously created customer or contact data.

However, this distinction is not used in the same way on every platform. Especially in Google advertising, the terms "remarketing" and "retargeting" have been used interchangeably for a long time. In the current Google Ads interface, instead of "remarketing", the terminology of "your data", that is, audiences created from the company's own data, is used. 

Therefore, it is better to think of the two concepts as follows:

• Retargeting: Re-targeting the user with advertising based on their previous digital behavior.
• Remarketing: Re-contacting users who have a previous relationship with the brand through advertising, e-mail or different communication channels. establishment.

User Abandoning Cart Is it Remarketing or Retargeting?

One of the most confusing points is the users who abandoned the cart. This user can enter the target audience of both methods.

For example, if an advertisement is shown on Instagram to the user who abandoned the cart, this work can be considered retargeting. If an automatic cart reminder e-mail is sent to the same user, we can talk about a remarketing approach.

Therefore, it would be more accurate to make the distinction based on the method used to reach the user again, rather than the action taken by the user.

What Should Be Considered in Retargeting Studies?

In remarketing and retargeting campaigns, it is better to segment all users according to their behavior rather than considering them in the same target audience. is significant.

For example, a user who is viewing a product and a user who progresses to the payment page are not at the same purchasing stage. Therefore, the ad or message to be shown may also be different.

Google Ads allows users who have previously interacted with the business to be retargeted through audience segments created from the business's own data. On the meta side, existing user or customer groups can be targeted in Facebook and Instagram ads with Custom Audience structures.

Therefore, the main purpose of remarketing and retargeting studies should not only be to show ads to the user again, but to re-communicate with a meaningful message that is appropriate to the user's previous behavior.

Content was updated on October 2, 2026.