Examples of retargeting ads: 8 live ads and the pattern behind each
Eight retargeting ads that run on Meta right now, from Bloomingdale's to VIVAIA, taken apart: the reason each one answers, what to copy, and which visitor it fits. Plus the audience rules on Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
Marián Cabadaj
9 min read
Most retargeting ads say one thing: "You forgot something." Shoppers leave for a reason, and an ad that ignores the reason follows them from site to site with the same product photo.
The retargeting ads worth copying answer the reason. This post shows eight that run on Meta right now, from brands like Bloomingdale's, VIVAIA and Collegium, and takes each one apart: the reason it answers, what to copy, and when the pattern fails. We took them from Meta's public Ad Library in October 2026. Every one has copy written for people who already visited ("Still thinking about it?"). The Ad Library does not show who an ad targets, and we do not know how each one performed.
What makes an ad a retargeting ad?
A retargeting ad is an ad shown to people who already visited your site, viewed a product or added to cart, but did not buy. The audience decides it, so any format can be a retargeting ad. Meta describes its catalog ads as a way to "remind them about products they viewed but didn't buy" (Meta Business Help Center, Advantage+ catalog ads, 2026). Google's dynamic remarketing does the same on the Display Network: it shows "previous visitors ads that contain products and services they viewed on your site" (Google Ads Help, 2026).
The pool is big. Baymard Institute puts the average documented cart abandonment rate at 70.22%, from 50 studies (Baymard Institute, 2025). What this means for a DTC brand: for every 10 carts, about 7 leave without buying. A retargeting ad is your second try with each of them.
The reason they leave decides the ad. In Baymard's survey of US shoppers, 42% abandoned a cart because they were "just browsing / not ready to buy", 40% because extra costs were too high, and 18% because the site wanted them to create an account. Each reason needs a different ad.
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Add as preferred sourceWhich retargeting ads bring the product back?
The simplest pattern shows the exact product the visitor looked at. It works for the 42% who were not ready yet: they liked the product, and the ad brings it back when they are.
Example 1: Bloomingdale's, the catalog reminder. One sofa on white, the product name and price line from the catalog, and one line of copy: "Still thinking about it? Come back and take another look at these amazing styles!" The ad has multiple versions, which is what a catalog ad looks like in the Ad Library: one template, filled with whatever each visitor viewed.
What to copy. Let the catalog do the work. Set up a product feed once, and every visitor sees the product they viewed, with its real name and price.
When it fails. When the product photo is the only creative. A white-background packshot the visitor saw ten minutes ago gives them no new reason to come back.
Example 2: Naturepedic, the benefit reminder. The copy names the reason the visitor came: "Still thinking about healthier sleep?" The picture shows a mother and daughter on an organic mattress, with the product name under it.
What to copy. Name the outcome the visitor wanted. For a considered purchase like a mattress, the reason to buy outlasts the memory of one product page.
Which retargeting ads answer the reason they left?
These ads guess the objection and remove it in the copy. They fit the 40% who left over extra costs and anyone who stalled at the price.
Example 3: VIVAIA, the discount code. "Still thinking about it? Here's a little nudge: use code VIV15 for $15 OFF your order. Don't let your favorites sell out." The picture is one shoe on grey.
What to copy. A fixed amount off ($15) reads as more concrete than a percentage on a mid-priced product. Put the code in the copy so the visitor does not need to search for it.
When it fails. When every visitor gets the code. If people learn that leaving a cart earns a discount, some will leave carts on purpose. Show the code only after a few days, or only to cart abandoners.
Example 4: Collegium, pay later. "Still thinking about it? Shop Collegium today and pay later!" The picture is a black and white high-top sneaker. The ad answers a price objection without cutting the price.
What to copy. If you offer instalments, a premium product can answer "too expensive" with "not all at once". It keeps your margin, which a discount does not.
Example 5: Ayada Maldives, the upgrade. A resort retargets people who looked at a stay: "An Exclusive Upgrade Awaits You. Still thinking about Ayada Maldives? Now's the perfect time to book." The offer is a free villa upgrade, not a lower price.
What to copy. For a high-ticket purchase, add value and keep the price. An upgrade, a gift or free shipping protects the price the visitor already saw.
Which retargeting ads use urgency without lying?
Urgency works on people who already want the product. It also breaks trust fast when it is not true, so use only urgency you can back up.
Example 6: BloomChic, the reserved cart. "Still thinking about these items? We have reserved your cart! Your new stunning outfit is just a few clicks away!" The picture is the exact pair of jeans, on a model.
What to copy. "We saved it for you" turns a reminder into a service. It works if the cart really keeps the items when the visitor comes back.
Example 7: Pins and Aces, selling fast. "Still thinking about it? Your favorites are selling fast." The picture is one bold golf shirt, with the price in the headline.
When it fails. When the shirt is still in stock in every size a month later. Visitors who come back and see nothing has changed learn to ignore the line. Use stock-based urgency only when your feed can show the real stock level.
How do you show the product in use?
The last pattern does not remind or discount. It shows the visitor what owning the product looks like.
Example 8: Galixo, the job site. "You looked at this. Now imagine using it on the job." Then the kit, item by item: a heavy-duty tensioning gun, 100+ stainless steel ties, cutters, gloves and a pouch, for electricians, HVAC techs and mechanics.
What to copy. "You looked at this" is honest about why the ad appears, and "now imagine" moves the visitor from browsing to owning. Name who it is for, so the right buyer sees the ad is for them.
Which pattern fits which visitor?
Match the pattern to what the visitor did. A product viewer and a cart abandoner left for different reasons.
| What the visitor did | Likely reason they left | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewed one product | Not ready yet | Catalog reminder | Bloomingdale's |
| Read about the category | Still deciding | Benefit reminder | Naturepedic |
| Added to cart | Extra costs or price | Discount code or pay later | VIVAIA, Collegium |
| Looked at a high-ticket item | Price | Added value | Ayada Maldives |
| Added to cart, came back once | Timing | Reserved cart or real stock | BloomChic, Pins and Aces |
| Viewed a technical product | Cannot picture the use | Product in use | Galixo |
Our Instagram ad examples cover the patterns for cold audiences, the people who have never visited.
How long can you retarget a visitor on each platform?
Every platform caps how long a visitor stays in an audience, and some also set how big an audience must be before it can serve.
| Platform | Audience rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | A website visitor stays in a custom audience 1 to 180 days | Meta for Developers, 2026 |
| Google Ads | At least 100 active users in the last 30 days; membership up to 540 days | Google Ads Help, 2026 |
| TikTok | At least 1,000 matched users in a custom audience | TikTok Ads Help, 2026 |
| At least 300 member accounts | LinkedIn Help, 2026 | |
| Lookback of 7, 14, 30, 60 or 180 days | Pinterest Help, 2026 |
What this means for a DTC brand: a small store can retarget on Google and Meta first, because LinkedIn and TikTok need a bigger list before an ad can run. Meta itself suggests a retention window of 30 or 90 days (Meta Business Help Center, 2026). After that, most visitors have bought elsewhere or forgotten you.
How do you know if a retargeting ad still works?
Watch the click-through rate on the retargeting ad set over time. A warm audience is small, so the same people see the ad again and again, and the CTR drops when they stop noticing it. Check it with the free calculator below, and change the creative when it falls.
Your numbers
Add this to see what share of your clicks turned into something, which is the number that decides whether a high CTR was worth having.
Your click-through rate
CTR
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Impressions per click
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Click to conversion
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The formula
CTR = (clicks / impressions) x 100
CTR Calculator: the full tool, with the benchmarks and the FAQ
What retargeting costs per click and per sale is a separate question. Our guide to retargeting ads cost covers the prices on Meta and Google and why a small audience costs more per thousand.
Do retargeting ads work?
The published results are old but clear. In a Google case study, Storkie Express saw a 119% higher conversion rate from dynamic remarketing than from its regular remarketing campaigns (Google, 2012). Watchfinder's remarketing ran at a 34% lower CPA than its non-brand search campaigns (Google, 2014). What this means for a DTC brand: the visitor who already knows you is often the cheapest sale you can buy. The creative decides whether you get it.
How Selzee makes retargeting ads like these
Every example above is a pattern with one idea: the catalog reminder, the code, the upgrade, the reserved cart. Selzee finds those patterns for you. It reads what is winning in your market, including what your competitors run in the Meta, TikTok, Google and Pinterest ad libraries, and recreates those ads for your brand, with your products, logo, fonts and colours.
Each ad comes with the angle and the insight it is built on, so you know which objection a retargeting ad answers. You approve the ones you want and publish them in one click. See how it works on the AI ad generation page.
Examples of retargeting ads: FAQ
What is an example of a retargeting ad?
A Bloomingdale's ad that shows a visitor the exact sofa they viewed, with the line "Still thinking about it? Come back and take another look", is a retargeting ad. So is a VIVAIA ad that offers $15 off with a code to people who left their cart. Selzee recreates ads like these for your brand.
What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?
In practice the words mean the same thing: showing ads to people who already interacted with your brand. Google calls its product remarketing. Meta and most DTC teams say retargeting. Some teams use remarketing for email to past customers. Whichever word you use, Selzee makes the ads for your brand.
What should a retargeting ad say?
It should answer the reason the visitor left. Not ready yet: bring the product back. Too expensive: a code, pay later or added value. Cannot picture it: show the product in use. A generic "You forgot something" answers none of them. Selzee builds each ad on one angle, so you know which objection it answers.
How long should you retarget someone?
Meta suggests a window of 30 or 90 days, and it keeps website visitors for up to 180 days. Google allows up to 540 days. Start with 30 days, and extend the window only while the ads still convert. Selzee makes fresh ads every day to keep a long window varied.
Do retargeting ads annoy people?
They can, when the same ad follows someone for weeks. Change the creative as the CTR drops, cap the window, and exclude people who already bought. Selzee recreates ads winning right now for your brand, so you always have a new one to rotate in.
The short version
A retargeting ad works when it answers the reason the visitor left. The eight live examples use five patterns: the catalog reminder, the benefit reminder, the objection answer (code, pay later, upgrade), honest urgency, and the product in use. Match the pattern to what the visitor did, keep the window short, and change the creative when the CTR falls.
If you want new retargeting ads like these for your own brand every day, see how Selzee works on your own brand.