AdRoll

Overview

AdRoll is a marketing technology platform developed by NextRoll, Inc., focused on providing advertising and retargeting solutions, particularly for e-commerce businesses and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMBs). Established in 2007, the platform aims to automate and optimize ad campaigns across various digital channels, including display, social media, and email. Its core functionality revolves around collecting user data via a pixel placed on a website, then using this data to serve personalized ads to users who have previously interacted with the brand but have not yet converted.

The platform offers tools for managing the entire customer journey, from initial brand awareness to customer retention. AdRoll’s system is designed to simplify the process of launching and managing cross-channel campaigns, allowing users to consolidate their advertising efforts rather than managing separate campaigns on individual platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads. This consolidation is intended to improve efficiency and provide a unified view of campaign performance. While AdRoll provides a user-friendly interface for campaign setup, direct API access is available for custom integrations, though it is less emphasized for typical SMB users. The primary integration method involves embedding a JavaScript pixel on the website to track user behavior and collect audience data.

AdRoll's approach to advertising leverages intent data to segment audiences and deliver relevant ad content. This includes dynamic retargeting, where ad creatives are personalized based on a user's browsing history on the advertiser's site, such as products viewed or items left in a shopping cart. The platform supports both prospecting campaigns, designed to attract new customers, and retargeting campaigns, which focus on re-engaging existing leads or past visitors. AdRoll also integrates email marketing capabilities, allowing businesses to send targeted emails based on user behavior, complementing their ad campaigns. The platform adheres to data privacy regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, which is critical for businesses operating in regions with strict data protection laws.

For businesses seeking to manage their programmatic advertising and retargeting efforts without extensive technical overhead, AdRoll provides a managed service layer over ad exchanges. This can be particularly beneficial for e-commerce companies that need to efficiently re-engage cart abandoners or promote specific product categories to interested users. Competitors like Criteo also specialize in personalized retargeting solutions for e-commerce, often focusing on dynamic product ads that display items directly from a merchant's catalog to users who have previously viewed them, aiming for high conversion rates by showing highly relevant content Criteo Retail Media Solutions. AdRoll's integrated approach across advertising and email intends to offer a comprehensive solution for customer re-engagement.

Key features

• Retargeting Ads: Delivers personalized ads to users who have previously visited a website or interacted with a brand, across various channels including web, social media, and mobile apps.
• Brand Awareness Ads: Campaigns designed to increase visibility and introduce a brand to new audiences through programmatic display and social advertising.
• Email Marketing: Integrates email campaigns with advertising efforts, enabling targeted email sends based on user behavior and campaign segments.
• Cross-Channel Advertising: Manages and optimizes ad delivery across multiple platforms (e.g., Google, Facebook, Instagram, publisher sites) from a single dashboard.
• Audience Segmentation: Allows advertisers to create specific audience segments based on demographics, behavior, and intent for more targeted ad delivery.
• Dynamic Creative Optimization: Automatically generates personalized ad content (e.g., displaying specific products viewed by a user) to improve relevance and performance.
• Campaign Analytics & Reporting: Provides dashboards and reports to track campaign performance, including impressions, clicks, conversions, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
• AI-Powered Optimization: Uses machine learning algorithms to adjust bidding strategies and ad placements in real-time to maximize campaign effectiveness.

Pricing

AdRoll offers a tiered pricing structure that combines a platform fee with advertising spend. A free trial is available through the AdRoll Starter tier. Paid plans begin with the Growth tier, which includes a monthly platform fee plus additional ad spend.

For detailed and up-to-date pricing information, including specific feature breakdowns for each tier and ad spend requirements, refer to the official AdRoll Plans page.

Common integrations

AdRoll integrates with various e-commerce platforms, analytics tools, and marketing services to streamline campaign management and data flow. Integration typically involves placing a pixel or connecting through native connectors.

• Shopify: For e-commerce tracking and dynamic product retargeting.
• WooCommerce: Connects e-commerce stores for audience segmentation and ad delivery.
• Google Analytics: Provides deeper insights into website traffic and user behavior, complementing AdRoll's campaign data.
• Facebook: For running social media ad campaigns and retargeting on Facebook and Instagram.
• Google Ads: Integrates with Google's advertising network for display and search retargeting.
• Magento: Enables e-commerce businesses to track user activity and run targeted ads.
• BigCommerce: Supports tracking and ad campaign management for online stores.

Alternatives

Businesses seeking alternatives to AdRoll may consider platforms with similar retargeting, programmatic advertising, or cross-channel marketing capabilities.

• Criteo: Specializes in performance marketing, particularly dynamic retargeting for e-commerce, focusing on personalized product recommendations.
• RTB House: Offers deep learning-powered retargeting solutions, aiming for high conversion rates through personalized ad delivery.
• Google Ads: A comprehensive advertising platform offering search, display, video, and app campaigns, including robust retargeting (Remarketing) capabilities.
• Meta Ads (Facebook Ads): Provides extensive targeting options and ad formats across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network, with strong retargeting features.
• Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads): Offers search and display advertising across Microsoft's network, including retargeting capabilities for audiences.

Getting started

To begin using AdRoll, the primary step involves creating an account and integrating the AdRoll Pixel into your website. This pixel is a JavaScript snippet that tracks user behavior, enabling AdRoll to build audience segments for retargeting and campaign optimization. The following example demonstrates how to embed the AdRoll Pixel into the <head> section of an HTML page. Replace YOUR_ADROLL_ADVERTISABLE_ID and YOUR_ADROLL_PIXEL_ID with the specific IDs provided in your AdRoll account dashboard.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>My Website</title>
    <!-- AdRoll Pixel Code -->
    <script type="text/javascript">
        adroll_adv_id = "YOUR_ADROLL_ADVERTISABLE_ID";
        adroll_pix_id = "YOUR_ADROLL_PIXEL_ID";
        (function () {
            var _onload = function() {
                if (document.readyState && !/loaded|complete/.test(document.readyState)) {setTimeout(_onload, 10);return}
                if (!window.__adroll_loaded) {__adroll_loaded = true;setTimeout(_onload, 50);return}
                var scr = document.createElement("script");
                var host = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://s.adroll.com" : "http://a.adroll.com");
                scr.setAttribute('async', 'true');
                scr.type = "text/javascript";
                scr.src = host + "/j/roundtrip.js";
                ((document.getElementsByTagName('head') || [null])[0] ||
                    document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0].parentNode).appendChild(scr);
            };
            if (window.addEventListener) {window.addEventListener('load', _onload, false);}
            else {window.attachEvent('onload', _onload);}
        }());
    </script>
    <!-- End AdRoll Pixel Code -->
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Welcome to my site!</h1>
    <p>Explore our products and services.</p>
</body>
</html>

After embedding the pixel, you can verify its installation within your AdRoll dashboard. Once the pixel is active and collecting data, you can proceed to create audience segments and launch your first retargeting or brand awareness campaigns. The platform's interface guides users through campaign setup, including ad creative upload, budget allocation, and target audience selection.