Pinterest continues to expand its shopping capabilities

Pinterest recently announced the acquisition of AI-powered shopping platform The Yes – the onslaught of social commerce now continues with the launch of several social commerce features. According to the company, the number of users interacting with shopping surfaces on Pinterest increased by more than 215 percent in 2021. In addition, 89 percent of weekly users on Pinterest will find inspiration on their way to a purchase. The new functionality aims to simplify procedures for retailers and make the shopping experience as pleasant as possible for users.

“Our goal at Pinterest is to turn inspiration into action. Our vision in shopping is to empower people to buy anything that inspires them on the platform. New shopping features, such as the Shopping API, enable brands and retailers to reach high goals,” said Jeremy King, Vice President Senior Head of Engineering at Pinterest: “Consumers are at their closest to the exit with the latest catalog data.”

These are the new shopping functions at a glance:

• Pinterest Shopping API: The Pinterest Shopping API makes it easy for merchants with a business account to create and upload catalogs, making it easier to reach Pinners with their products.

• Product labeling on pins: Product tagging allows retailers to add products from their catalog to their lifestyle photos. Initial testing found that Pinners showed 70 percent higher purchase intent for inline product pins in staged brand images than for pure product pins without context.
• Video in the catalogVideo assets in product catalogs can give Pinners different perspectives on a product before making a purchase decision.
• Business Profiles Shopping Tab: Using the new Shopping tab, merchants can view purchasable products on their company profile. Cover images and descriptions can be created for product groups.
• Inspirational Merchant Badges It has been extended to the UK, Germany, Canada and Australia. Merchant details allow merchants to add special badges to their profiles that represent their values ​​and attitudes.

Inspiration rather than pure product search: Pinterest wants to establish itself more and more as a personalized shopping destination – and thus stand out from other platforms. In an interview, Philip Messler, President of Europe, explained how retailers and advertisers can benefit from this.