Australians can now shop directly from Pinterest

If you have been on a social media cleanse, you may have missed Pinterest announcing the introduction of in-platform shopping. Trialed earlier in the US and UK, Pinterest shopping has finally made its way across the pond and landed here in Australia. 

This new feature will allow users to save product pins to create a personal shopping list they can come back to at any time, and plan to introduce price drop notifications so users can still shop the sales. With the update featuring across search, lens and pins, shoppers will be spoiled for choice and competition in the social commerce sphere is heating up.

Pinterest taps into our desire to explore.

Pinterest has had a slow build into social commerce and has created a unique relationship with pinners. It initially started as a source for inspiration and discovery, but now the integration of shoppable pins has meant users can now find the products they want at their own pace, compare similar products easily and purchase without any pressure.

Pinterest users have an appetite to shop and studies have found that people who visit Pinterest monthly outspend non-pinners by twice as much every month. Based on the traditional usability features of Pinterest, the new integration of shopping is a natural progression for users, and doesn’t create a forced experience. Pinterest gives people the time to consider their selections and enjoy shopping, rather than rushing them to a purchase. 

Shopping spotlights will also be made available to showcase expert recommendations and trends from influential fashion and home tastemakers and publishers. This makes the shopping experience feel organic, while tapping into the power of social influence and if historical data is any indication, we know that pinners are ready and willing to convert on the platform. Studies have shown that 90% of weekly pinners make purchase decisions on Pinterest and 98% reported that they tried new things they found on the platform.

The diversity in topics users on Pinterest are looking for creates a unique opportunity for brands. From fashion, to health and fitness and even interior styling the broad interests of pinners mean brands can harness different formats to attract attention. From shoppable product pins to how-to boards with tagged products, the ways to engage new customers are extensive. It’s also important to acknowledge that even with its new social commerce features, the value of using Pinterest for brand awareness campaigns hasn’t been undermined. 

Make the shopping experience seamless.

As is always the case with marketing, there is a difference between doing something and doing something well. If you are interested in trialling Pinterest shopping, similar principles to other social commerce platforms apply. 

Ensure your product pins are accompanied by descriptive, compelling copy that adds value or insight to your consumer. Don’t just recycle the description you used on your website – write something that will make someone stop scrolling, or at least want to come back later by hitting save. 

It goes without saying that quality imagery is important on Pinterest. Also ensure that titles and descriptions feature your keywords naturally because Pinterest still works like a search engine, where SEO practices apply. Given that 97% of searches on Pinterest are unbranded, we know that users are searching for products broadly, so it’s important to make your products easy for them to discover. 

Make sure your shopping feed is up to date and well organised. Pins should at the least have a name, price and their availability clearly displayed for users. 

Where to next?

The introduction of Pinterest shopping is a strong opportunity for marketers to diversify their social media mix. Get in touch with our team if you would like to start trialing Pinterest shopping.