By 2025, Gartner forecasts that 80% of B2B organizations will be using marketing technology to support personalization, yet cookie consent rules and privacy enforcement are tightening the path to that level of targeting. Meanwhile, research keeps showing a measurable lift when brands use behavioral signals rather than context alone, from click through rate gains to lower bounce rates. Let’s put these impact results next to the constraints and see what behavioral targeting really looks like when the data trail gets harder to follow.
Key Takeaways
- Third-party cookies were used by 73% of marketers for targeting and personalization (survey year 2019)
- Epsilon reported that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase when brands offer personalized experiences (2018 survey)
- A 2020 peer-reviewed study found that behavioral targeting increased ad click-through rates by an average of 2.1x vs. contextual-only targeting (meta-analytic result)
- A 2022 peer-reviewed study in Marketing Science reported that behavioral targeting can reduce ad waste by 15% to 25% for online display campaigns (efficiency estimate)
- A 2021 study in Journal of Consumer Research found that behavioral targeting increased conversion likelihood by 9% relative to baseline contextual targeting in controlled experiments (published result)
- Gartner reported that by 2025, 80% of B2B organizations will adopt marketing technology to support personalization (Gartner forecast)
- In 2024, 91% of marketers reported using some form of digital advertising (platforms commonly enable behavioral targeting)
- In 2023, 61% of marketers said they plan to increase investment in personalization (survey)
- EU ePrivacy rules require consent for storing/reading non-exempt cookies; the enforcement framework is under the EU Cookie Law (Directive 2002/58/EC)
- GDPR fines include the €746 million maximum in a single case amounting to a 2022 record (Meta fined €746 million)
- FTC reported that data brokers covered by the National Do Not Call list are still subject to consumer privacy requirements, and it describes compliance approaches affecting targeting practices
- AppNexus/ Magnite study reported that targeting without third-party cookies can reduce addressable audience size by 20% to 50% depending on publisher/geo (range reported)
- A 2023 report by Gartner on marketing technology estimated that global end-user spending on marketing software would reach $68.7 billion in 2023 (marketing technology market spend; supports behavioral targeting tooling)
- $68.7 billion projected global marketing software end-user spending in 2023
- 56% of people say they do not believe companies keep personal data secure
Behavioral targeting boosts performance, but privacy consent and regulation increasingly shape what marketers can use.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
Third-party cookies were used by 73% of marketers for targeting and personalization (survey year 2019)
02
Epsilon reported that 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase when brands offer personalized experiences (2018 survey)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
As Industry Trends show, marketers still rely heavily on third party cookies with 73% using them for targeting and personalization, while consumer demand for personalization is even clearer since 80% are more likely to buy when brands offer personalized experiences.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics6 stats
01
A 2020 peer-reviewed study found that behavioral targeting increased ad click-through rates by an average of 2.1x vs. contextual-only targeting (meta-analytic result)
02
A 2022 peer-reviewed study in Marketing Science reported that behavioral targeting can reduce ad waste by 15% to 25% for online display campaigns (efficiency estimate)
03
A 2021 study in Journal of Consumer Research found that behavioral targeting increased conversion likelihood by 9% relative to baseline contextual targeting in controlled experiments (published result)
04
A 2019 A/B test study (peer-reviewed) found retargeting increased conversion rate by 0.9 percentage points vs. non-retargeted cohorts (published result)
05
A 2020 paper in Computers in Human Behavior reported behavioral personalization reduced bounce rate by 18% in studied websites (measured outcome)
06
2.7% average improvement in email click-through rate is reported when emails are triggered based on behavioral events (e.g., site visits, opens, or purchases)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics, behavioral targeting consistently improves outcomes, with results like a 2.1x lift in click-through rates and a 15% to 25% reduction in ad waste, while conversion likelihood rises by 9% and email click-through rates average up 2.7% when triggered by behavioral events.
03 · Category
User Adoption4 stats
01
Gartner reported that by 2025, 80% of B2B organizations will adopt marketing technology to support personalization (Gartner forecast)
02
In 2024, 91% of marketers reported using some form of digital advertising (platforms commonly enable behavioral targeting)
03
In 2023, 61% of marketers said they plan to increase investment in personalization (survey)
04
In 2022, 73% of marketers reported using customer data platforms (CDPs) or plan to adopt them (survey)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For the User Adoption category, the clear trend is that adoption of personalization driven by behavioral targeting is rapidly becoming mainstream, with 80% of B2B organizations expected to use marketing technology for personalization by 2025 and 73% of marketers already using or planning to use customer data platforms in 2022.
04 · Category
Regulatory & Privacy4 stats
01
EU ePrivacy rules require consent for storing/reading non-exempt cookies; the enforcement framework is under the EU Cookie Law (Directive 2002/58/EC)
02
GDPR fines include the €746 million maximum in a single case amounting to a 2022 record (Meta fined €746 million)
03
FTC reported that data brokers covered by the National Do Not Call list are still subject to consumer privacy requirements, and it describes compliance approaches affecting targeting practices
04
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) entered into force in 2022; compliance obligations for targeted data use by gatekeepers were framed in DMA alongside GDPR enforcement mechanisms (regulatory timeline)
Interpretation
Regulatory & Privacy Interpretation
For the Regulatory and Privacy angle, enforcement is intensifying as 2022 set a high bar with a €746 million GDPR fine for noncompliant data practices, while EU ePrivacy cookie consent rules and DMA obligations keep tightening how gatekeepers can use targeted data and FTC reporting underscores that even data brokers tied to the Do Not Call list still must follow consumer privacy requirements.
More related reading
05 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
AppNexus/ Magnite study reported that targeting without third-party cookies can reduce addressable audience size by 20% to 50% depending on publisher/geo (range reported)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In cost analysis terms, AppNexus and Magnite found that moving to targeting without third party cookies can shrink the addressable audience by 20% to 50%, which means campaigns may face higher effective costs per reach depending on publisher and geography.
06 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
A 2023 report by Gartner on marketing technology estimated that global end-user spending on marketing software would reach $68.7 billion in 2023 (marketing technology market spend; supports behavioral targeting tooling)
02
$68.7 billion projected global marketing software end-user spending in 2023
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The Market Size for Behavioral Targeting looks strong as Gartner’s 2023 estimate puts global end user spending on marketing software at $68.7 billion in 2023, indicating substantial and continued investment in the tools that enable behavioral targeting.
07 · Category
Regulatory & Risk2 stats
01
56% of people say they do not believe companies keep personal data secure
02
86% of websites used third-party cookies for tracking/targeting in at least one page during the study period
Interpretation
Regulatory & Risk Interpretation
From a Regulatory and Risk standpoint, 56% of people doubt companies can keep personal data secure while the fact that 86% of websites used third-party cookies for tracking shows how widely the same compliance and privacy risks persist in practice.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Behavioral Targeting Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/behavioral-targeting-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Behavioral Targeting Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/behavioral-targeting-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Behavioral Targeting Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/behavioral-targeting-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)