Skip to main content

From Pin to Purchase: What You Need to Know About Buyable Pins

July 16, 2015by Erin Holzbauer

Move over Amazon and Google Shopping. Pinterest recently launched “buyable pins” with select partners, paving the way for pinners to purchase hot apparel, décor and products to their hearts’ content while perusing their Pinterest feed on mobile.

Identified by a blue button, buyable pins are available on iPhone and iPad with a number of big retailers (Neiman Marcus, Michaels, Nordstrom, Macy’s, etc.), designers (Kate Spade, Cole Hahn, etc.) and e-commerce platforms (Shopify, Demandware).

For e-commerce brands with an already-robust presence on the platform, the Buy It button presents a faster, more consolidated user experience, removing clicks and barriers to purchase. With credit card information already on file, 10 clicks become only 2. Retailers and brands with targets who tend to make impulse purchases will see a far lower barrier to conversion.

This move comes during a time when Pinterest is skyrocketing above other platforms in terms of conversion and on-site time. Recent research from Shopify indicates 93% of Pinterest users use the social platform to plan their purchases. And the social platform has seen a 140% increase in purchases via mobile devices over the past two years.

So how does it work?

Buyable pins show up in all of Pinterest’s features, like recommendations and search. The new service functions by pulling data from rich pins, so pinners can filter by keywords, price and even color. At a time when data security is a must, Pinterest has partnered with trusted payment processors and distanced itself from its users’ credit card information.

As with most social platforms, it was only a matter of time before Pinterest began leveraging promoted pins and advertising to monetize its business. While there are no current plans for fees directly associated with buyable pins, the move will definitely increase promoted pin revenue for Pinterest as advertisers pay to promote their new buyable pins.

So where do we start?

Businesses using Shopify and Demandware can enable buyable pins upon launch with the click of a button. If you’re not currently using those services for your e-commerce platform, join the waitlist for future integration opportunities. We’ve already done so, and you should too.

The launch video announcing the service last month tugs at the heartstrings, showcasing buyable pins as going beyond simply “people purchasing things”; instead, it’s about fulfilling dreams and creating memories. After all, as marketers and brand storytellers, isn’t that what we’ve all set out to do?

Let us know in the comments how you might leverage buyable pins for your brand.

 

Subscribe to Blogworthy
Stay fueled.

Sign up for Hiebing Marketing Fuel, our monthly newsletter, and we’ll send even more real-world inspiration and information straight to your inbox.