Pinterest is unique compared to any other social media site.  Simply put, Pinterest is a visual discovery engine for finding new ideas.  Whether it’s health and wellness, recipes, beauty products, or home decor related, Pinterest users seek inspiration and actively search for new products to buy in order to make those ideas a reality.  The platform is a key online shopping destination.

Shopping patterns on Pinterest

Because Pinterest is used for active research and inspiration, users take more time on the platform to make sure they are getting their purchase right.  As the company noted, “while other sites hurry people to convert, Pinterest invites them to browse and consider.” 

The slow shopping phenomenon on Pinterest ultimately drives better results.  Research shows that giving people time to browse, plan, and enjoy their shopping experience, compared to rushing them to make a purchase, results in a significantly higher spend.  According to Pinterest Business, when people take a week or more to make a purchase decision, they spend 50% more a month.  Furthermore, users on Pinterest are 35% more likely to take a week to make their purchases and spend 2x more per month than people on other platforms.

It is evident that online shopping is a key aspect of Pinterest’s platform.  Pinterest Business mentions that users are 74% more likely to say they are always shopping compared to other platforms.  It is important for brands to build a presence on Pinterest and take advantage of the slow shopping experience in order to reach people who spend more time and money on the platform.

Pinterest content created for Pillsbury via Social Native

How to connect organically with slow shoppers

Pinterest has expanded its eCommerce tools in order to help brands advertise their products and help users find the right products.  In order to reach slow shoppers on Pinterest, brands need to connect with their consumers organically.  

To start an organic channel, set up your brand’s shop on Pinterest by uploading your product catalog.  Brands can upload their entire catalog onto Pinterest and turn their products into dynamic Product Pins that make the content more accessible to users.  When uploading product pins, your product will appear organically across shopping surfaces and allow the ability to reach pinners during their shopping experience.  

Brands should also install the Pinterest tag.  By adding the Pinterest tag to your site, your brand will be able to track purchases.  The Pinterest tag will also help optimize and target ads to shoppers while they are browsing or buying.  

By employing a product catalog and installing the Pinterest tag, your brand can take advantage of the organic opportunities to get discovered by slow shoppers on Pinterest.

How to convert slow shoppers faster with ads

In order to convert slow shoppers faster, brands should take advantage of paid media on top of their organic presence.  Shopping ads on Pinterest have 2X return on ad spend.  Shopping ads will allow your brand to reach slow shoppers when they are browsing or looking to buy.  Below are the types of paid media that your brand can take advantage of to convert slow shoppers: 

Shopping ads Once you set up product pins in your catalogs, you can promote them through shopping ads in order to reach more slow shoppers when they are most likely to purchase a product.  

Collection ads – This ad format allows you to showcase your product in a large image, but also showcase up to 25 adjacent products.  This allows your brand to stage your product with others as you would in a store to motivate more purchases.  

Dynamic retargeting ads – In addition to shopping and collection ads, dynamic retargeting ads allows your brand to target high intent customers.  Dynamic retargeting ads allow you to reconnect with your customers based on what they have been looking at on your site.  

Automatic solutions – Automatic bidding allows Pinterest to adjust your bids over time to deliver the maximum number of conversions for your budget.  

Shopping is essential to Pinterest.  When using tools across both organic and paid channels, your products are able to be seen by slow shoppers at every phase of their journey.

Pinterest content created for Rust-Oleum via Social Native