Comparing the Best Retargeting Platforms for E‑commerce Success in 2025

Retargeting in 2025 is equal parts creative, data quality, and privacy resilience. With third‑party cookies fading and consent rules tightening, the winners aren’t just the biggest ad networks—they’re the stacks that can feed clean product catalogs, capture events server‑side, and build smart audiences without overcomplicating your day‑to‑day.

This comparison focuses on how major platforms handle dynamic product ads, audience creation, privacy/compliance, setup complexity, and budget efficiency for Shopify/DTC brands. We group recommendations by scenarios rather than declaring a single “winner,” because the right choice depends on your catalog, channels, geography, and team.

How we evaluated (2025 realities that matter)

• Data quality: Pixel + server‑side APIs (Meta Conversions API, TikTok Events API, Pinterest Conversions API) and Google Consent Mode v2 to maintain audience reach and measurement under consent constraints.
• Dynamic catalogs: Automatic product feed ingestion for personalized retargeting (Meta Dynamic Ads, Google dynamic remarketing via Merchant Center, TikTok Catalog Sales, Pinterest Shopping/Collections).
• Audience creation: GA4 audiences and Customer Match (Google), Custom and Lookalike Audiences (Meta/TikTok/Pinterest), and Shopify Audiences for Plus merchants.
• Measurement: Modeled conversions and aggregated event measurement; run lift tests where possible.
• Setup & integrations: Shopify‑native connectors and partner integrations; balance automation vs control (Advantage+, Performance Max).

Quick picks by scenario

• High‑SKU Shopify store needing fast dynamic retargeting at scale: Meta Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns and Google Performance Max + dynamic remarketing; consider TikTok Catalog Sales for incremental reach.
• Visual discovery and mid‑funnel: Pinterest Shopping/Collections with Tag + Conversions API; strong for image‑led brands.
• Programmatic and retail media: Criteo Commerce Max for onsite/offsite retail media and open internet scale; suited to larger budgets.
• Owned‑channel recovery and LTV growth: Klaviyo (email/SMS flows + Audience Sync) or Attentive (SMS‑first playbooks) to retarget without incremental ad spend; sync segments to paid as a force multiplier.
• Shopify Plus, North America, privacy‑sensitive: Shopify Audiences to generate high‑intent lists for prospecting/retargeting.

Comparison snapshot (what each is best at)

Below we drill into each option with identical capsule fields to stay fair and practical.

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Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram)

• What it is: Meta’s ads ecosystem across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network with robust retargeting via Custom Audiences and dynamic catalog ads.
• Core retargeting features
  • Custom Audiences from website/app events (Pixel + server‑side) and CRM lists; engagement audiences. According to Meta Business Help (current in 2025), see the overview of Custom Audiences.
  • Dynamic Ads using catalog feeds for personalized retargeting, documented in Meta Dynamic Ads (Meta Business Help, 2025).
  • Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns for automated ecommerce optimization (Meta Business overview, 2025): Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns.
  • Server‑side delivery via Conversions API Gateway (Meta Developers, 2025).
• Strengths: Massive scale and versatile formats; catalog retargeting performs reliably; server‑side signals improve resilience when consent is limited.
• Limitations: Privacy‑driven changes (Aggregated Event Measurement, data minimization) reduce deterministic attribution; control trade‑offs in automated campaign types.
• Integrations & setup notes: Shopify offers native Pixel/CAPI connectors; ensure deduplication between Pixel and CAPI.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Auction‑based; no fixed public pricing.

Google Ads

• What it is: Advertising across Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail, Maps; deep GA4 and Merchant Center ties.
• Core retargeting features
  • GA4 audiences that can be shared to Google Ads for remarketing per Create and use audiences (Google Analytics Help, referenced in 2025).
  • Performance Max with Merchant Center feeds; see About Performance Max campaigns (Google Ads Help, 2025).
  • Dynamic remarketing for retail via About dynamic remarketing (Google Ads Help, 2025).
  • Customer Match lists per Customer Match overview (Google Ads Help, 2025).
  • Consent Mode v2 developer guidance at Google Tag Platform Consent Mode (Google Developers, 2025) helps preserve modeling when consent is denied.
• Strengths: Ubiquity across high‑intent surfaces; robust automation and shopping integrations.
• Limitations: Performance Max can feel opaque for granular retargeting; modeled conversions require careful consent implementation.
• Integrations & setup notes: Link GA4, Google Ads, and Merchant Center; maintain feed quality and consent tagging.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Auction‑based; no fixed public pricing.

TikTok Ads

• What it is: Short‑form video platform with growing commerce features; retargeting via Pixel + server‑side Events API and dynamic Catalog Sales.
• Core retargeting features
  • Pixel setup per Get started with Pixel (TikTok Ads Manager Help, 2025).
  • Server‑side event delivery via Events API (TikTok Ads Manager Help, 2025).
  • Catalog Sales campaigns via Commerce Manager to power dynamic product ads.
• Strengths: High engagement, creator‑driven commerce; powerful for product storytelling.
• Limitations: Tooling/documentation fragmented vs Meta/Google; performance hinges on consistent creative testing.
• Integrations & setup notes: Keep the Purchase event unified across web/app; validate events and deduplication when using server‑side.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Auction‑based; no fixed public pricing.

Pinterest Ads

• What it is: Visual discovery network with strong shopping intent in certain verticals.
• Core retargeting features
  • Tag + server‑side signals via Pinterest Conversions API use case (Pinterest Developers, 2025).
  • Shopping and Collections formats from product catalogs; see Pinterest Business creative best practices (2025): Shopping and Collections guidance.
• Strengths: Visual shopping intent and incremental reach; inspiration meets commerce.
• Limitations: Smaller scale than Meta/Google; requires high‑quality creative and catalogs.
• Integrations & setup notes: Validate catalog ingestion; consider incrementality studies when budget allows.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Auction‑based; no fixed public pricing.

Criteo

• What it is: Commerce Media Platform and Commerce Max DSP offering onsite/offsite retail media and open‑internet programmatic with dynamic retargeting heritage.
• Core retargeting features
  • AI‑driven dynamic ads and predictive bidding leveraging commerce signals, described on Commerce Max (Criteo product page, 2025).
• Strengths: SKU‑level retail media at scale; unified onsite/offsite reach; strong commerce signal depth.
• Limitations: Pricing transparency limited; enterprise orientation; typically requires larger budgets and specialist operation.
• Integrations & setup notes: Coordinate retailer partnerships and creative approvals; measure incrementality in retail media environments.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Sales‑led; not publicly listed.

AdRoll

• What it is: Retargeting and cross‑channel advertising platform for SMB/mid‑market; supports web display, social, email, and now CTV.
• Core retargeting features
  • Manage and report across social/web channels in one place, per AdRoll’s product overview (2025): see their cross‑channel capabilities comparison in AdRoll vs DV360.
• Strengths: Ease of use for multi‑channel management; approachable for smaller teams.
• Limitations: Public, precise ads/media pricing not transparent; fewer enterprise‑grade controls than full DSPs.
• Integrations & setup notes: Verify minimums for CTV and creative specifications; align attribution windows across channels.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Platform pricing is productized for marketing tools; media spend varies by campaign.

Klaviyo

• What it is: Email/SMS automation for ecommerce with rich segmentation and Audience Sync to ad platforms.
• Core retargeting features
  • Triggered flows (browse, cart, winback) and predictive segmentation; real‑time audience syncing to major ad platforms per Audience Sync (Klaviyo features page, 2025).
• Strengths: Deep Shopify integration; owned‑channel retargeting reduces dependency on paid; segments can be mirrored to ads for consistency.
• Limitations: Pricing scales with contact count and SMS usage; learning curve for complex automations.
• Integrations & setup notes: Maintain clean event/property data; coordinate suppression rules across email/SMS and ads.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Starts around entry‑level plans and scales by contacts/SMS; see Klaviyo pricing page for current tiers.

Attentive

• What it is: SMS‑first customer engagement platform expanding into email; strong retail playbooks and subscriber growth units.
• Core retargeting features
  • Prebuilt SMS/email automations with AI‑assisted personalization; see Attentive’s resource hub (2025): AI + automation overview.
• Strengths: High engagement SMS; out‑of‑the‑box retail flows; strong subscriber acquisition tooling.
• Limitations: Public pricing gated; email feature set lighter than specialized ESPs; ad platform audience sync depends on ecosystem partners.
• Integrations & setup notes: Align opt‑in compliance and messaging frequency caps; coordinate promo calendars across SMS and email.
• Pricing‑as‑of: Sales‑led; no public price list.

Shopify Audiences

• What it is: A Shopify Plus app that builds and exports high‑intent audiences for ads using aggregated commerce data; generally available for eligible merchants in US/Canada using Shopify Payments.
• Core retargeting features
  • Audience lists for prospecting and retargeting with improvements in recent versions (e.g., Retargeting Boost, exclusion controls). See Shopify’s enterprise blog (2024–2025 updates): Shopify Audiences overview.
• Strengths: Data advantage for Plus merchants; simplifies list building; free for eligible Plus stores according to Shopify’s announcements.
• Limitations: Eligibility constraints (Plus, US/Canada, Shopify Payments); documentation spans blogs and app listing.
• Integrations & setup notes: Export to major ad platforms; confirm geo and eligibility in the Shopify Audiences app listing (2025).
• Pricing‑as‑of: Reported as free for eligible Plus merchants; confirm current status in Shopify’s official materials.

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How to choose (decision checklist)

1. Start with your catalog and channels

   • If your store is catalog‑heavy and social‑led, begin with Meta Dynamic Ads and consider Google dynamic remarketing to cover intent surfaces; add TikTok if your creative pipeline is strong.
   • Image‑led brands in home decor, fashion, or DIY often see incremental gains on Pinterest due to discovery behavior.

2. Stabilize measurement and audience capture

   • Implement server‑side tracking where available (Meta CAPI, TikTok Events API, Pinterest Conversions API) and ensure Google Consent Mode v2 is correctly configured to preserve modeled conversions in the EU/EEA/UK.
   • For readers needing a practical walkthrough on Meta server‑side, this Meta Ads integration guide explains a common approach to connecting Shopify and Meta with Conversions API.

3. Sync owned‑channel segments and suppressions

   • Use Klaviyo or Attentive to run recovery flows (browse, cart) and to share segments to ad platforms; coordinate suppression lists to avoid overserving ads to recent purchasers.

4. Consider retail media/programmatic scale

   • If you’re ready for offsite retail media and premium open‑internet inventory, evaluate Criteo Commerce Max and expect higher operational rigor.

5. Shopify specifics

   • Shopify Plus brands in North America should test Shopify Audiences to augment prospecting and retargeting lists. If you’re building your data foundation, this Shopify integration overview outlines common data connections used in ecommerce stacks.

6. Identity resolution and consent

   • As cookies deprecate, capture more first‑party identifiers with compliant methods. A practical explainer on expanding identifiable visitors is available in this identity resolution and capture approach. Always review your consent posture; this privacy policy framework illustrates typical disclosures and practices for marketing analytics.

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Also consider: data and attribution layer to power retargeting

On many stacks, a dedicated attribution and audience activation platform is what keeps retargeting working across channels as privacy rules evolve.

• First mention: Attribuly — Disclosure: Attribuly is our product.
• Why it’s relevant: It unifies customer journeys and syncs audiences to ad platforms while delivering server‑side tracking for data resilience. Use cases include improving catalog retargeting signals for Meta/TikTok/Pinterest and enhancing GA4/Consent Mode‑aligned measurement for Google Ads.
• Neutral guidance: If you already have dependable server‑side tracking and audience sync via other tools, you may not need an additional layer. If your data is fragmented across channels, a consolidation tool can materially improve retargeting performance.

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FAQs (2025)

• What is Google Consent Mode v2, and why does it affect retargeting?

  • Consent Mode v2 adds ad_user_data and ad_personalization signals to help Google systems model conversions and maintain audience capabilities when users decline consent. See the developer documentation: Consent Mode dev guide (Google Developers, 2025). Without it, EU/EEA/UK advertisers risk losing remarketing reach and measurement fidelity.

• Are dynamic product ads still the backbone of ecommerce retargeting?

  • Yes. Meta Dynamic Ads, Google’s dynamic remarketing (Merchant Center), TikTok Catalog Sales, and Pinterest Shopping/Collections rely on clean catalogs and events. Meta’s Dynamic Ads documentation (2025) remains a core reference.

• Do I need server‑side tracking if I already have a pixel?

  • For most brands, yes—server‑side helps preserve event delivery when browsers or consent restrict client‑side tracking. Meta’s Conversions API Gateway (Meta Developers, 2025) and TikTok’s Events API (2025) are canonical starting points.

• What’s special about Shopify Audiences?

  • It’s a Plus‑only app that exports aggregated, high‑intent audiences for ads, reportedly free for eligible merchants in US/Canada. Shopify’s enterprise overview is here: Shopify Audiences (2024–2025).

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Final recommendations

• Begin with Meta and Google for dynamic retargeting coverage, add TikTok for creator‑led reach, and test Pinterest for visual discovery.
• Stabilize data with server‑side event delivery and Consent Mode v2 before scaling budgets.
• Use owned channels (Klaviyo/Attentive) to recover buyers and mirror segments to paid platforms.
• For larger budgets or retailer alignment, test Criteo Commerce Max for retail media.
• Shopify Plus brands in North America should evaluate Shopify Audiences for privacy‑aware list generation.
• If your data stack is fragmented, consider adding an attribution/audience activation layer to unify signals and audience sync.