Behavioral retargeting

Behavioral retargeting, or retargeting, is a form of online marketing whereby e-commerce sites place cookies on visitor’s computers when certain items for sale are viewed but not purchased. In conjunction with ad providers, ads for these items are displayed on participating websites whenever the visitor surfs the internet.

This form of marketing targets potential customers and constantly reminds them of purchases that they may be considering. While some who have experienced retargeting may feel that their privacy is being invaded, most e-commerce providers will allow you to turn this function off (if you think to ask) and visitors are generally free to change the security settings on their browsers regarding cookies. Most advertisers also assert that no personally identifiable information is transferred or stored through the use of retargeting cookies.