Compare 8 ecommerce retargeting platforms by channel, price and fit, then learn which audiences to retarget, what creative works and how much to spend.
The ad platforms that specialize in ecommerce retargeting are Madgicx and Meta's own ads for social retargeting, AdRoll, Criteo and Socioh for display and product ads, and AdScale, Ad360 Media and Akohub for smaller stores. Which one fits depends on where your shoppers are, how big your catalog is and how much you spend. Madgicx fits advertisers whose retargeting runs on Facebook and Instagram.
Retargeting shows ads to people who have already visited your store or engaged with your brand but did not buy. They are your warmest audience, so they are often your cheapest sales. This guide compares eight platforms, then covers audiences, creative and budget. Where we give a price, it was checked in November 2026.
Audience Launcher builds retargeting audiences in a few clicks, and Cloud Tracking sends Meta more events.
The 8 ecommerce retargeting platforms at a glance
| Platform | Where it retargets | Best for | Price (Nov 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madgicx | Facebook and Instagram, with AI recommendations you approve | Stores whose retargeting runs on Meta | From $45 a month, priced by ad spend; 7-day free trial |
| Meta Ads | Facebook and Instagram, with custom audiences and product ads | The baseline every store starts from | No tool fee; you pay for the ads |
| AdRoll | Websites across the open web, plus social | Small and mid-size Shopify stores | See its pricing page |
| Criteo | Retail media and the open web | Large retailers with big catalogs | Ask the vendor |
| Socioh | Branded dynamic product ads | Brands where look and feel matter | See its pricing page |
| AdScale | Google and Meta campaigns built from a budget and goal | Online stores that want AI to place budget | From $149 a month, priced by ad spend |
| Ad360 Media | Quick campaign setup | Small teams short on time | See its pricing page |
| Akohub | Retargeting ads with loyalty and rewards | New Shopify stores | See its pricing page |
What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?
The two words are used interchangeably, and most platforms treat them as one. Many marketers use "retargeting" for paid ads shown to past visitors and "remarketing" for emails or messages to past customers. This guide covers the paid ads side.
Which channels work for ecommerce retargeting?
Retargeting runs on three kinds of channels, and most stores combine them.
- Social. Facebook and Instagram let you build a custom audience from website visitors (tracked by the Meta Pixel), a customer list, catalog activity, video views or lead forms. You can have up to 500 custom audiences per ad account.
- Display and video across the open web. Platforms such as AdRoll and Criteo buy ad space on many sites, so you reach shoppers outside social apps.
- Search. Google search retargeting reaches past visitors who are searching again, which suits high-intent shoppers.
Cross-channel retargeting adds reach, and it adds work: one more set of audiences, reports and attribution to reconcile. If your buyers mostly come from Meta, start there and add a second channel once the first one pays back.
Why server-side tracking matters for retargeting
A retargeting audience is only as good as the data behind it. Browser tracking loses events to ad blockers and privacy settings. A Conversions API connection sends events from your server, and Meta's own research says it can recover up to 20% more conversion data than pixel-only tracking. 54% of brands now rely exclusively on first-party data for their retargeting.
Madgicx Cloud Tracking hosts Meta's Conversions API Gateway and Signals Gateway for you, so Meta sees and attributes more of your conversions and your audiences fill with the right people.
The 8 best ecommerce retargeting platforms
Madgicx
Madgicx is the agentic AI advertising platform for Meta ads. For retargeting, its Audience Launcher deploys prebuilt and AI audiences in a few clicks, including retargeting, prospecting and retention segments, and Audience Studio mixes lookalikes and interests. AI Marketer audits your account, shows what is working and prepares actions, such as shifting budget toward the retargeting ad sets that bring purchases, for you to approve in one click.
Creative Insights flags creative fatigue so you know when a retargeting ad has run too long, and One-Click Report puts Meta, Google Ads, TikTok, Shopify and Klaviyo data in one place. Madgicx optimizes Meta ads only.
- Best for: stores that retarget on Facebook and Instagram and want AI to prepare the work.
- Price: from $45 a month, priced by monthly ad spend, with a 7-day free trial (current plans).
Meta Ads
Meta's own tools are where most stores start. Custom audiences from pixel events, customer lists and catalog activity cover the audience side, and ads with product media show each person the products they viewed or added to their cart, using events data from your pixel. Meta says Advantage+ audience isn't recommended for retargeting campaigns, so build retargeting audiences yourself.
- Best for: the baseline to compare every other platform against.
- Price: no tool fee; you pay for the ads.
AdRoll
AdRoll is a programmatic platform: it buys ad space automatically across many websites, so you can retarget site visitors beyond social media. It is known for being easy to use, which makes it a common first step for small and mid-size Shopify stores.
- Best for: stores that want display retargeting without a large team.
- Price: see its pricing page.
Criteo
Criteo is built for large retailers with big product catalogs and a lot of data. Its AI bidding works on product-level retargeting at scale, across the open web and retail media. It needs real traffic and budget to pay off.
- Best for: enterprise retailers.
- Price: ask the vendor.
Socioh
Socioh turns your product catalog into branded dynamic product ads that look like a curated collection instead of a generic feed. It suits brands where design carries the sale, such as fashion, home decor and beauty.
- Best for: design-led brands.
- Price: see its pricing page.
AdScale
AdScale is for online stores connected from Shopify, WooCommerce or BigCommerce. You set a budget and goal, and its AI builds, launches and optimizes Google and Meta campaigns, with dynamic bidding and budget allocation. It works from learned patterns, not rules you write.
- Best for: stores that want AI to place budget across Google and Meta.
- Price: $149 a month up to $1,000 of ad spend, $199 up to $2,000, $299 up to $3,000, then about $100 more for each extra $1,000. Its pages mention a free trial but disagree on its length.
Ad360 Media
Ad360 Media is built for speed and simplicity. Its streamlined setup gets a small team from zero to a live campaign quickly, which suits solo owners who have little time.
- Best for: small teams that need a fast launch.
- Price: see its pricing page.
Akohub
Akohub combines retargeting ads with loyalty and rewards features for Shopify stores. That lets you win back lost shoppers and nurture them into repeat buyers from the start.
- Best for: new Shopify stores building a loyal customer base.
- Price: see its pricing page.
Which ecommerce audiences should you retarget?
Split your audience by how close each person got to buying, and give each group its own message.
- Cart abandoners. The warmest group. Show the exact product they left.
- Product viewers. Show the viewed item plus related ones.
- Site visitors. A broader group; use a reminder of what makes you different.
- Past buyers. Cross-sell a related product, and exclude them from ads for the item they just bought.
- Video viewers and lead-form openers. Meta lets you build these from engagement too.
Exclude recent purchasers from your retargeting audiences so you never advertise to someone who just bought. Meta's customer list audiences can be set as exclusion-only for this.
What retargeting creative brings shoppers back?
Good retargeting creative is specific. Show the product they looked at, answer the doubt that stopped them (shipping time, returns, price) and give one clear next step. Refresh it often: the same people see your ads again and again, so fatigue arrives fast. Watch frequency and click-through rate by ad, and replace a tired ad before results drop. Madgicx's AI Ad Generator makes new image ads from a prompt, an image or an ad in the Meta Ad Library, which helps when you need fresh variations.
How much should you spend on ecommerce retargeting?
There is no standard percentage, because retargeting is limited by audience size. Your warm audience can only absorb so much spend before frequency climbs and returns fall. Start small, check cost per purchase against your prospecting campaigns, and raise the budget only while retargeting keeps paying back at or above your break-even. Our break-even ROAS calculator gives you the number to beat, and the ad budget calculator helps size the total.
How to choose a retargeting platform by budget
- Under a few thousand dollars a month in ad spend: start with Meta's own audiences, and try Madgicx free for 7 days to see what AI recommendations add.
- Growing store with several channels: add AdRoll or AdScale for reach beyond social.
- Large catalog and heavy traffic: look at Criteo.
- Design-led brand: test Socioh's dynamic ads against your standard ones.
For more on the wider market, see our lists of ad tech platforms and dynamic audience targeting tools.
Retarget your shoppers on Meta with Madgicx
With Madgicx you can connect your store, send server-side conversions to Meta with Cloud Tracking, launch retargeting audiences with the Audience Launcher and have AI Marketer review the results and prepare the next step for you to approve. Madgicx is an Official Meta Business Partner, trusted by 200,000+ advertisers and rated 4.6 out of 5 on G2 from 220+ reviews.
FAQ
What ad platforms specialize in ecommerce retargeting?
AdRoll, Criteo and Socioh specialize in retargeting outside social apps, and Madgicx and Meta's own ads cover retargeting on Facebook and Instagram. AdScale, Ad360 Media and Akohub suit smaller stores.
What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?
Most platforms use the words as one. Many marketers say retargeting for ads shown to past visitors and remarketing for emails to past customers.
How much should I spend on ecommerce retargeting?
Start small and size it to your warm audience. Raise the budget while retargeting returns more than your break-even ROAS, and stop when frequency climbs and returns fall.
How do I avoid ad fatigue in retargeting campaigns?
Refresh creative often, watch frequency and click-through rate by ad, and exclude recent buyers. Madgicx's Creative Insights flags creative fatigue.
Can I do retargeting without third-party cookies?
Yes. Use first-party data: customer lists, pixel events and server-side events through the Conversions API. Both give platforms a signal that does not depend on third-party cookies.
