Think one-size-fits-all advertising still works? Think again.
Each industry has its own quirks, and a generic ad strategy will fall flat faster than you can say “abandoned cart”. Travel, fashion, electronics—these are all completely different animals. A person booking a vacation behaves nothing like someone shopping for sneakers or a new smartphone. So why try to reach them in the same way?
In this post, we’ll show why tailoring your approach by vertical could be the key to better performance.
Ready to jump in? Let’s get vertical.
Why tailored strategies work better
Consumers today expect relevance.
In fact, 71% of consumers expect personalized experiences and 67% of them feel frustrated when they don’t get them. At the same time, a whopping 98% of shoppers leave a site without buying on the first visit. So it’s essential to capture their attention while you have the chance.
Tastes, timelines, and buying habits vary wildly between a beach-loving traveler, a trend-chasing fashionista, and a spec-obsessed gadget geek. It’s no surprise, then, that an ad campaign that works wonders for one vertical might fall totally flat for another. Generic messaging just can’t hit the right note for every audience.
But there’s good news: Personalization pays off.
With consumer behavior shifting and cross-device browsing becoming the norm, you need to meet people where are with what they care about. By tailoring your strategies to each specific industry, you can turn today’s complex shopping journey into conversions.
Ad strategies for travel
Booking a trip isn’t exactly an impulse buy.
According to our Spring 2025 Travel Pulse report, in late March 2025, air travel bookings took 9 days while hotel bookings took 12 days on average from first search to purchase.
Travel shoppers often dream, compare, and wait—browsing multiple sites over weeks (or months) and hunting for the best deals.
They have long consideration cycles and high price sensitivity. So, a tailored travel ad strategy should cover the full funnel, from inspiration to booking confirmation.
Start by wooing travelers early with aspirational content. Think destination video ads or dreamy travel guides that spark wanderlust. Mid-funnel, keep them engaged with personalized reminders and limited-time offers. And when they’re ready to book? Hit them with exactly what they browsed—real-time prices, updated availability, and urgency messaging like “only 2 seats left.”
Criteo’s predictive AI knows when someone’s ready to buy and serves the right message at the right moment. It also connects their journey across all devices, making sure you never miss a beat if they jump from phone to laptop to tablet.
Here’s how to land more bookings:
- Run full-funnel campaigns. Inspire with travel content, nurture mid-funnel, and convert with timely, personalized offers.
- Use dynamic retargeting. Serve real-time, product-specific ads that reflect the traveler’s browsing history.
- Go omnichannel. Maintain a consistent experience across devices and platforms so customers can book on their terms.
Ad strategies for fashion
Fashion today moves at the speed of Instagram.
One week it’s summer dresses, the next it’s retro sneakers. Shoppers hop from trend to trend, with 84% of consumers visiting fashion sites now doing so via mobile devices.
To capture these fast-moving, style-conscious consumers, your ads have to be as dynamic as the trends.
Visuals are everything. Eye-catching video ads, immersive lookbooks, and shoppable Instagram Stories turn window shoppers into outfit buyers. Personalized retargeting lets you show users exactly what they loved, plus accessories or coordinating pieces they didn’t even know they needed. And if your brand has an app? Use it. Apps drive loyalty, and re-engaging users with push notifications or app-exclusive promos is a move worth making.
Criteo makes this seamless with dynamic product recommendations, creative formats built for mobile, and a full toolkit to engage your best customers wherever they scroll.
Want to turn style into sales? Try this:
- Activate social and video ads. Meet shoppers where they are, with scroll-stopping visuals on Instagram, TikTok, and more.
- Personalize retargeting. Highlight the exact products users browsed and complement them with smart styling suggestions.
- Focus on app engagement. Reconnect with app users through targeted in-app ads and exclusive mobile experiences.
Ad strategies for consumer electronics
Now for the gadget gurus and spec obsessed.
In consumer electronics, purchases are high-consideration and spec-heavy. Shoppers are likely comparing the nitty-gritty: Which TV has the better contrast ratio? Is this laptop’s battery life worth the extra $200? They might read reviews, watch unboxing videos, and visit a store to see the product in person—all before hitting the “buy” button.
So, forget the one-size-fits-all discount banners.
What works here is education and relevance. Start with helpful, informative content that guides users through complex decisions. Buying guides, spec explainers, and reviews can boost confidence. When it’s time to retarget, go deep—not just category-level ads, but the exact SKU they viewed (ideally with the updated price and availability).
Criteo’s catalog feed integration and real-time product updates make SKU-level retargeting a breeze. And when it comes time to measure success, omnichannel attribution ensures you get credit for sales that start online and finish in-store (or vice versa). That’s critical in electronics, where customers often cross the digital and physical aisle before buying.
Here’s how to connect with tech-savvy shoppers:
- Lead with educational content. Use ads that inform: Buying guides, how-tos, or spec breakdowns build trust.
- Retarget at the SKU level. Show the exact product they viewed with real-time details, images, and perks.
- Track across channels. Attribute sales accurately with tools that connect digital engagement to offline conversions.
Say goodbye to one-size-fits-all
At the end of the day, taking a tailored approach by vertical is worth it.
Why serve the same bland ads to everyone when you can speak to travelers, fashion lovers, and tech aficionados each in a language that resonates? By investing a bit of strategy upfront, you’ll reap higher engagement and conversion rates, plus valuable customer loyalty in the long run.
And you don’t have to go it alone.
Criteo brings deep industry expertise and knows how to shape your strategy around the specific challenges of your vertical. Whether you’re in retail, travel, tech, or somewhere in between, our experts are ready to show you what’s working, what’s next, and how to get there—benchmarks, solutions, and all. Get in touch and our experts will show you how.
