How to Use Behavioral Data to Improve Media Targeting

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Here's the simplest rule in media targeting, and it's surprisingly easy to forget: what people do beats who they are.

A 45-year-old who bought sparkling water three times last month is a better prospect for your new sparkling water than a 28-year-old who's never touched the category, even if the 28-year-old matches your "target demo" perfectly.

Behavioral data, meaning purchases, searches, browsing, engagement and timing, is the closest thing marketers have to reading intent. And for commerce brands, especially those using retail media, it's never been more accessible.

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The behavioral signals that matter most

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Not all behavior is created equal. Here's a rough hierarchy, from strongest to weakest signal for most commerce brands.

Purchase behavior. What people actually buy, how often and at what price. Category buyers, competitive brand buyers, lapsed buyers, heavy buyers. This is the gold standard, and it's what retail media networks are built on.

Search behavior. What people type into a retailer's search bar or a search engine. Someone searching "high protein snacks" is telling you exactly what they want.

Browsing and engagement. Product pages viewed, items added to cart but not purchased, content engaged with. Useful, but a weaker signal than purchase or search.

Timing and context. When people shop, how often they reorder, which seasons spike their buying. Often overlooked, and often where the easy wins are.

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Build audiences around behavior, not assumptions

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Instead of one broad "target audience," build a set of behavioral audiences, each with its own job.

Category buyers who don't buy you. Your biggest growth pool. They already buy the category; they just haven't picked you yet.

Competitive buyers. People loyal to a specific competitor. Harder to win, but valuable if you have a clear reason to switch.

Lapsed buyers. People who used to buy you and stopped. Often cheaper to win back than to win new.

Loyal buyers. Your regulars. Worth protecting, but usually not where your trial budget should go.

Adjacent buyers. People who buy complementary products. Chips buyers for a salsa brand, pasta buyers for a sauce.

Each audience gets a different message and a different budget priority. Talking to your loyal buyers like they've never heard of you is a waste. Talking to competitive buyers like they already love you won't work either.

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Use retail media for what it does best

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Retail media networks are where purchase-based targeting lives for most CPG brands. They can reach shoppers based on real buying behavior, on and off the retailer's own site, and close the loop by reporting on sales.

A few practical tips. Go beyond the default audiences: many networks offer more granular options than the basic "category buyers" segment, so ask your account team what's possible. Exclude where it makes sense: if your goal is new buyers, keep current loyal buyers out of the trial campaign. Watch frequency: behavioral targeting can find great prospects, but it can also bombard them. Cap it.

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Respect timing

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Some of the best behavioral targeting is about when, not just who.

If data shows that shoppers in your category reorder roughly every few weeks, time your ads to land right before they're due to buy again. If your category spikes before holidays or big sporting events, build up spend ahead of the peak instead of during it. If shoppers search for a product on weekday evenings but buy on weekends, plan your placements around both moments.

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Keep privacy and trust front and center

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Behavioral targeting works best when it feels helpful, not invasive. Use data you're legitimately allowed to use, follow each platform's rules and keep the creative relevant without being creepy. "We noticed you bought this exact item on Tuesday at 3:14 p.m." is not the vibe. Privacy regulations also differ by region and keep evolving, so check with your legal team before building new data uses.

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Test, measure and refine

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Behavioral audiences aren't set-and-forget. Run tests comparing audiences to see which actually drive incremental sales, not just clicks. Track how new-to-brand rates change by audience. Retire segments that don't perform and double down on the ones that do.

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A quick scenario

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A coffee brand has been running retail media against a broad "coffee buyers" audience. Sales are steady, but most of the attributed purchases come from shoppers who already buy the brand.

The team splits the campaign into three behavioral audiences: competitive buyers of two premium rivals, lapsed buyers who haven't purchased in six months, and current loyal buyers. Loyal buyers get a low-cost reminder campaign timed to their typical reorder cycle. Competitive buyers get a taste-focused message with a trial offer. Lapsed buyers get a "we've missed you" message highlighting a new roast. The new-to-brand share of sales goes up, and the budget stops paying for purchases that would have happened anyway.

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The bottom line

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Target behavior, not stereotypes. Build audiences around what people actually buy, search and do, give each one a job, time your messages to real buying rhythms, and keep testing.

Five Eighty builds behavior-based audience strategies across retail media networks and digital channels. If your targeting still starts with a demographic box, let's put your media where the buying actually happens.