Remarketing Strategy

People rarely buy or decide on the first interaction. Remarketing helps brands stay in touch with those who showed interest earlier—visited the website, downloaded something, or purchased before. Through emails, SMS, and ads, the brand reminds, educates, and nudges them to come back and take the next step.

• Focuses on existing or previously engaged audiences, not complete strangers.
• Uses customer data and behaviour to send timely, relevant follow-ups.
• Combines owned channels (email, SMS, app) with paid media (ads).
• Often runs as automated sequences based on triggers and events.
• Aims to increase repeat sales, upsells, renewals, and referrals.
• Strongly connected with CRM, loyalty programs, and customer lifecycle management.
• Highly measurable, using metrics such as open rate, click rate, repeat purchase rate, and CLV.

• Strengthens long-term relationships with customers and leads.
• Increases repeat purchases and average customer lifetime value.
• Reduces cost of acquisition by monetising existing contacts.
• Helps recover abandoned carts, dropped leads, and inactive users.
• Keeps the brand top-of-mind during long decision cycles.
• Supports cross-selling, upselling, and renewal campaigns efficiently.

5.1 Email Remarketing

Uses automated email sequences to reach people who signed up, downloaded, or purchased earlier. Includes cart recovery, browse abandonment, win-back, and upsell emails.

5.2 SMS / WhatsApp Remarketing

Sends short, time-sensitive messages for offers, reminders, and alerts to users who opted in for mobile communication.

5.3 Ad-Based Remarketing

Shows targeted ads to past visitors or customers on platforms like Google, Meta, and YouTube, reinforcing email and SMS communications with visual reminders.

5.4 On-Site Remarketing

Personalises on-site banners, popups, and content modules for returning visitors, based on previous visits, viewed items, or known customer segments.

5.5 Lifecycle / Drip Remarketing

Runs multi-step nurture journeys for new leads, free trial users, and new customers, moving them through onboarding, education, and upgrade stages.

5.6 Win-Back Remarketing

Targets inactive customers or churned subscribers with reactivation offers, check-ins, and personalised recommendations to bring them back.

5.7 Loyalty and Referral Remarketing

Promotes loyalty programs, reward points, and referral schemes to existing customers, encouraging deeper engagement and advocacy.

• Customer database: Emails, phone numbers, purchase history, and consent records.
• Behavioural tracking: Data on visits, clicks, purchases, and in-app events.
• Segmentation rules: Grouping users by lifecycle stage, value, interest, and activity.
• Content library: Ready-made email templates, ads, messages, and landing pages.
• Automation workflows: Tools and journeys that send messages based on triggers.
• Offer design: Discounts, bundles, content, and value-adds for each segment.
• Compliance framework: Consent, unsubscribe links, and privacy management.
• Reporting system: Dashboards for campaign performance and cohort analysis.

Main Remarketing Channels

Remarketing usually combines several channels:

• Email: Newsletters, sequences, product updates, offers.
• SMS / WhatsApp: Time-sensitive alerts, reminders, and confirmations.
• Display & Social Ads: Google Display Network, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube.
• App Push Notifications: Messages to users who installed the mobile app.
• On-site messages: Popups, inline banners, chatbot prompts for returning users.

Audience Sources

Remarketing audiences are usually created from:

• Website pixels and tags: Tracking visitors and actions.
• CRM and email lists: Leads and customers with known contact details.
• App analytics: Installers, active users, and in-app behaviour.
• Ecommerce data: Product views, carts, purchases, repeat orders.
• Support and offline data: Inquiries, call logs, and in-store interactions synced to CRM.

A strong remarketing strategy unifies these sources so that users see coordinated follow-ups instead of random, disconnected messages.

Important Remarketing Metrics

• Open rate: Percentage of recipients who open emails or messages.
• Click-through rate (CTR): Percentage of opens that result in clicks.
• Conversion rate: Percentage of clicks that result in desired actions.
• Repeat purchase rate: Share of customers buying more than once.
• Churn / inactivity rate: Users who stop engaging over a period.
• Customer lifetime value (CLV): Total revenue expected from a customer over time.

Customer Lifecycle View

Remarketing follows customers through stages such as:

• New lead: Just signed up or showed interest.
• First-time customer: Completed first purchase or subscription.
• Active customer: Makes regular purchases or uses product frequently.
• At-risk customer: Engagement or purchase frequency starts declining.
• Churned customer: Has not bought or engaged for a long time.

Remarketing strategies design separate campaigns for each stage to keep customers moving forward instead of dropping out.

1. Define objectives: Decide if your focus is repeat purchase, upsell, reactivation, or referrals.
2. Audit existing data: Review customer lists, tracking, and current campaigns.
3. Segment the audience: Group users by lifecycle stage, purchase value, and behaviour.
4. Plan journeys and touchpoints: Map what messages each segment will receive and on which channels.
5. Create content and offers: Prepare emails, SMS copy, ad creatives, and landing pages.
6. Set automation workflows: Configure triggers, delays, and branching logic in your tools.
7. Launch and test: Turn on flows, watch early performance, and test variations of subject lines and offers.
8. Measure and refine: Analyze campaign metrics and adjust segments, content, and timing.
9. Scale and integrate: Extend successful flows to new channels and deeper customer segments.

Example: Subscription Box Brand Setting Up Remarketing

A monthly snack box company wants to improve renewals and reduce cancellations. They analyze churn patterns and find that many users drop off after the third box. The brand segments customers by tenure (month 1, 2, 3+) and designs different remarketing journeys: onboarding education for month-1 users, surprise bonuses for month-2 users, and loyalty rewards plus “skip a month” flexibility for month-3 users. They automate email and SMS flows around billing dates and renewal reminders. Over time, churn decreases and average subscription length increases.

Goal: You run a small ecommerce or service business and want a simple, always-on remarketing engine that works in the background to recover lost revenue and grow lifetime value.

Step 1 – Capture contacts properly

Add clean signup forms, checkout opt-ins, and lead magnets (guides, discounts) to collect email and phone numbers with proper consent.

Step 2 – Connect CRM and tracking tools

Sync your website, payment gateway, and support tools with a CRM or email platform so that behaviour and purchase data flow into one place.

Step 3 – Define key lifecycle segments

Start with simple groups such as new subscribers, first-time buyers, repeat buyers, cart abandoners, and inactive customers (no purchase in 90 days).

Step 4 – Design core remarketing journeys

Plan basic flows: welcome series, cart recovery, post-purchase cross-sell, review request, and win-back campaigns.

Step 5 – Write concise, benefit-led messages

Keep emails and SMS clear, with one main action, simple language, social proof, and a strong call-to-action button.

Step 6 – Add supporting ads

Upload customer lists or sync audiences to ad platforms so the same segments see matching ads on social and display networks.

Step 7 – Set timing and frequency

Space messages reasonably: for example, 3-cart recovery emails over 3–5 days, then a pause. Avoid daily offers that feel like spam.

Step 8 – Test subject lines, creatives, and offers

A/B test subject lines, email layouts, CTA text, and different incentives (free shipping vs small discount) to see what works best for each segment.

Step 9 – Review performance monthly

Track how much revenue each flow generates, where drop-offs occur, and which cohorts respond best. Add or remove steps based on results.

Example: Local Cosmetics Brand Using Remarketing

Step 1: A cosmetics brand adds newsletter signup and checkout opt-ins with a “10% off first order” offer.

Step 2: Website, payment system, and email tool are connected so each order updates the customer profile.

Step 3: The brand segments users into new subscribers, first-time buyers, regular buyers, and inactive customers.

Step 4: New subscribers receive a three-email welcome series with brand story, bestsellers, and testimonials.

Step 5: Cart abandoners get reminders showing the exact products left behind, plus free shipping within 48 hours.

Step 6: First-time buyers receive post-purchase care tips and cross-sell offers for complementary products.

Step 7: Inactive customers (no order for 90 days) receive a win-back sequence with a limited-time coupon.

Step 8: Matching remarketing ads run on social media for cart abandoners and inactive customers.

Step 9: After three months, the brand finds that remarketing flows contribute a significant portion of monthly revenue and improve repeat purchase rate.

• Improves repeat sales and strengthens customer loyalty.
• Monetises leads and visitors that would otherwise be lost.
• Supports personalised communication at scale.
• Increases profitability by focusing on known, higher-converting audiences.
• Creates structured data for long-term customer insight and planning.
• Integrates well with CRM, loyalty programs, and performance marketing.

• Requires clean, accurate, and consent-based customer data.
• Overuse can feel intrusive and lead to unsubscribes or complaints.
• Automation tools and CRM platforms can be costly for small firms.
• Poor segmentation may send irrelevant messages to the wrong users.
• Privacy regulations (GDPR, etc.) limit how data can be used and stored.

Example 1: Online Bookstore

An online bookstore sends a welcome series to new subscribers with curated reading lists based on genre preferences. Customers who buy once receive recommendation emails for similar authors, while those who have not purchased for 120 days get a “We miss you” discount. Combined with retargeting ads, this remarketing program steadily lifts repeat order rate.

Example 2: B2B Software Company

A software firm offers a free ebook in exchange for email addresses. Remarketing emails educate leads on problems their software solves, share case studies, and invite them to webinars. After the webinar, a sequence offers product demos and limited-time discounts. Many customers originate from this remarketing funnel rather than the first ebook download.

Example 3: Fitness Studio

A fitness studio collects numbers of trial visitors and current members. Trial users receive follow-up calls and SMS offers for membership. Members who have not checked in for 2 weeks get personalised “We haven’t seen you” reminders plus referral offers. Remarketing keeps members engaged and reduces churn.

Example 4: Edtech Platform

An education platform sends course completion emails with certificates and encourages learners to join advanced modules. Students who have not logged in for 30 days receive study reminders and “catch-up” plans. A win-back series invites past learners to enroll in new programs at a loyalty discount, using remarketing ads to reinforce emails.

Example 5: Travel Services Company

A travel agency stores customer data for each destination booked. Before major holidays, the agency sends destination-specific offers to previous travellers (for example, winter trips to those who booked hill stations earlier). Remarketing campaigns on email and social media highlight relevant itineraries, driving cost-effective repeat bookings.

1. Remarketing primarily focuses on:
   a) Completely new audiences
   b) Search engine algorithms only
   c) Existing or previously engaged users
   d) Only offline customers
   Answer: c
2. A common remarketing channel is:
   a) Billboard advertising
   b) Email automation
   c) Radio jingles
   d) Product packaging
   Answer: b
3. Which metric is most directly linked to remarketing performance?
   a) Domain authority
   b) Open rate and repeat purchase rate
   c) Manufacturing cost
   d) Warehouse size
   Answer: b

• Remarketing strategy re-engages past visitors, leads, and customers with targeted follow-up messages.
• It uses email, SMS, push notifications, and ads based on behaviour and lifecycle stage.
• Core goals include repeat purchases, upsells, renewals, and reactivation of inactive users.
• Segmentation and automation are essential to send relevant communication at the right time.
• Remarketing and retargeting are related but remarketing has a wider lifecycle focus.

1. Define remarketing strategy. Explain its importance in customer lifecycle management.
2. Discuss different types of remarketing with suitable examples.
3. Explain the role of segmentation and automation in remarketing campaigns.
4. Differentiate between remarketing and retargeting on the basis of channels, data, and scope.
5. Describe the key steps in building a remarketing strategy for an ecommerce business.

Students can use the above points, tables, and examples to write short notes or descriptive answers depending on the marks allotted.