How to retarget lost customers
July 25, 2025
Just because someone doesn’t become a customer right away doesn’t mean they never will. With retargeting, you’ll stay top-of-mind and bring those potential customers back when they’re ready to buy or make an appointment. It re-engages people who know you with timely, relevant messaging and presents another chance to convert them.
Why focus on lost customers?
People who didn’t convert the first time are often your best opportunity the second time around. Re-engaging people who have already shown interest in your products or services is a cost-effective and efficient strategy to increase sales.
Who are these lost customers?
So, who are the people who showed initial interest in your business but didn’t convert? They are the ones who:
Abandoned a shopping cart on your website
Visited your business website without taking action
Haven’t purchased or used your services lately
Have cancelled a service you offer
How to retarget lost customers
Retargeting focuses on customers who’ve already interacted with your website, app or social media. It uses their past actions, like viewing a product, clicking an ad or filling out a form, to deliver personalized ads designed to convert them.
How it works:
A small piece of code (called a pixel) is placed on your website.
When a customer leaves without taking action, the code triggers ads to “follow” them across other websites and platforms.
These ads encourage people to return to your site and complete a purchase.
Why it matters:
Retargeting keeps your brand top-of-mind.
It increases the chance of conversion for individuals who have already shown interest.
Best for:
Customers in the consideration and decision stages of the sales funnel.
Re-engagement of people who have shown interest or intent but have taken no action.
Reporting metrics to track:
Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of people who clicked on your ad after seeing it.
Conversion rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a specific action after clicking on your ad.
Cost per conversion: The cost incurred for each click on an ad.
Return on ad spend (ROAS): Measures the revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising.
Multichannel recommendation:
Combine retargeting with a multichannel advertising strategy such as display, social media, email and search to be consistent and effective.
Best practice:
Show personalized content based on previous interactions.
Optimize ad frequency to avoid ad fatigue.
Regularly test and refine for improved performance.
Examples of retargeting
Since retargeting works best when it aligns with where a customer left off in their journey, consider these advertising approaches:
Re-engage customers with targeted ads that remind them about items they left in their shopping cart.
Design ads with a sense of urgency and limited-time offers to encourage immediate purchases or appointments.
Create ads for products or services similar to those previously viewed or purchased.
Send follow-up ads featuring customer testimonials or reviews to build trust and overcome purchase hesitation.
Offer past customers loyalty incentives like how to reorder replenishable products or how to schedule recurring services.
Tips for better retargeting results
Use these best practices to improve ad performance and have a more personalized, effective customer experience:
Cap your advertising frequency to avoid feeling intrusive to people.
Rotate creative to keep your content fresh and use personalization to make connections.
Segment audiences by customer behavior (e.g., browsers vs. past purchasers).
Continuously update your customer database to avoid targeting people who have become customers.
Someone who abandoned a cart yesterday should be retargeted quickly and more frequently than someone who browsed your site a month ago.
Retargeting lost customers engages those who have already shown interest in your business. You’ll bring them back into your sales funnel with personalized ads and reminders and further develop the relationship you’ve already started with them.
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