Pinterest's Online Shopping Growth

At the start of this wild ride of a year, we wrote about how Pinterest was an emerging platform for businesses. Since then, we experienced a global pandemic; thus, Pinterest has grown to 416 million users. Women have always been a large part of Pinterest users, but there has been a 50% increase among men.

Millennials and Gen Z have also increased their use of the platform, 36% and 50% respectively.

But let’s look at what these groups that have increased so significantly are looking for on Pinterest.

According to a report put out by Pinterest, Gen Z (or Zoomers) is using their platform for “future growth and social good.” Pinterest suggests that Gen Z’s usage is for planning for the future, unlike other platforms that are more about highlighting past activities.

And Gen Z is not only thinking about themselves when they are on Pinterest; many are searching topics about social justice and social good.

What are men doing on Pinterest?

Lots! Also stuck at home, men are looking for new ways to cook, remodel and dress. Searches for “kitchen storage” are up 7x for men and skincare searches are up 9x for them.

And the Millenials?

The millennials have turned to Pinterest to improve their homes and their families’ lives. Searches for “family houseplants” are up 10x, searches for “backyard seating area” 34x, and of course, no shock here, searches for homeschooling ideas are up!

Pinterest saw this growth coming, so back in May they started “Shopping Spotlights.” The idea is to make a personalized catalog using influences and producers. Shopping Spotlights is meant to look like a magazine and feel like a personal shopper.

So What Does All This Mean for Your Ecommerce

One thing to note is that Pinterest shoppers spend more money per order than other social media shoppers. The average order on Pinterest is over $66.

In order to cash in on this, retailers should add a website builder, like Shopify, to their website. This will allow for easy online shopping.

Then it is time to decide if you will use “rich pins.” These are pins that allow buyers to buy the product they see on Pinterest by connecting directly to your website. A rich pin also updates automatically if you change something on your website. This simplifies the process for you significantly.

Pinterest offers “Buyable Pins.” With these, users will not be directed to your website, rather they will buy directly off of Pinterest. This is incredibly convenient for the shopper and allows you to sell more stuff directly from Pinterest.

Pinterest is unique compared to other social media sites since users do not go to Pinterest to get updates on friends. They are specifically going to Pinterest to get ideas, inspiration and tools. They are there because they need something. Y0u can provide them that something.

The Dos of Pinterest Selling

If you do not know what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is, learn about it. Keywords help make your pins searchable. Choose the right ones to optimize the likelihood that buyers will find you.

Repin other pins. Pinterest is a social networking place. When someone repins your post, you will receive an email telling you that they did that. So, if you repin their post they will receive an email highlighting your account name increasing the likelihood of hen visiting your page.

Again, like other social media platforms, the more you interact with other users the more you're favored. Comment on other users’ posts. People who visit their pins will see your comments. This is a great way to lure them to your pins. Be sure to pick accounts that are similar and have the same buyer persona as you

Beautiful images are important. Pinterest is a visual platform. Make sure your pins have an aesthetic and are on-brand.

Online shopping is not temporary. Retailers should definitely invest the time and effort into figuring out how their businesses can capitalize on this!