How Pinterest Is About to Change the Way we Shop – What Marketers Should Know

Oh, Pinterest. You have been my happy place, my no-pressure discovery escape with a major marketing super power. Promoted pins have done nothing to dampen my spirits. I love the enormous number of repins and the resulting long-term traffic boost for mere pennies. I find many of the “Picked for you” pins just delightful.

Now, it seems, our motto (borrowing from Cynthia Sanchez’s Oh So Pinteresting Podcast) is no longer, “Don’t just pin it – do it!” but, “Don’t just pin it – buy it!” You can be sure many of us will.

Pinterest’s Plan For Online Shopping World Domination

I’m not complaining. I’ve purchased more things because of Pinterest rabbit hole than on any other social network. If you could combine Pinterest and Amazon, I may never need to leave the house. Well, it looks like we are on our way. You can now sell on Pinterest with your Shopify store and the blue Pinterest “Buy it” button.

Making it Easier to Find and Discover New Things (to buy)

Another interesting feature rumored to be in the works is something called Flashlight for Pinterest.  My friend Vincent Ng of MCNG Marketing published an article about the upcoming visual discovery tool. It comes as no surprise to us that Pinterest can look at a photograph and see what is in it beyond the image title and the description we provide. But, to be able to highlight just a part of the image and get related images? That means that if you see a vase in a livingroom image, you can highlight that and see it in other settings and likely find a place to purchase it!

What Marketers Should Do

The life of a pin is nearly endless, so if you haven’t already, start pinning! If you sell items, don’t just upload one image. Upload an image of the product from one angle, from another, in a setting, in another setting. See how this will make it more likely that YOUR pin will show up in a “Flashlight” search one day? I’ve long suggested multiple pins for your online content, but these changes mean it’s more important than ever to give people options for what they choose to pin.

If you sell online, are you going to run out and convert to a Shopify store? Pinterest has been slow to legitimize ETSY stores, so I imagine that’ll be a while, but surely there will be other options soon – PayPal, perhaps? I’m itching to get my hands on an online retailer so I can try this out. Game. Changer. Thoughts?

Related articles across the web

• You Can Now Sell on Pinterest with Buyable Pins and Shopify
• Pinterest has a grand plan to let you instantly buy what you pinned
• Here’s How Businesses Can Use Pinterest’s New Buyable Pins
• Pinterest Expands Discovery with Flashlight

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Alisa Meredith

I've been creating marketing strategies for years - for both B2C and B2B businesses as co-owner and chief strategist of Scalable Social Media and as a consultant for other agencies. I have a passion for businesses that make the world a better place in ways large and small, and the people who run those businesses are the ones I enjoy working with. I am slightly obsessed with Pinterest. Not just because it is fun, but because it works amazingly well for traffic and lead generation. I also enjoy running, swimming in the ocean, kayaking, and spending time with my two dogs, Pepe and Spike. You'll find these themes make an appearance here. 🙂

Latest posts by Alisa Meredith (see all)

• Easy Pinterest Ads with Conversion Campaigns - April 11, 2019
• How to Optimize Your Pinterest Ads - March 4, 2019
• When to Use Pinterest One-Tap Promoted Pins - July 30, 2018