Image: Pinterest

Pinterest emerged a decade ago as a way for people to make digital mood boards. For a long time, this content curation was more aspirational than transactional. Real talk: How many people actually tried even a quarter of the recipes they pinned?

But now the social platform is growing up, and it’s emerged a clear winner for retailers looking for new ways to boost sales.

A credit card in hand

According to research from Cowen and Company, 48% of Pinterest users in the US use the platform to peruse and purchase products. To compare, only 14% of Facebook users are actively shopping. And as Pinterest continues to up the number of shopping catalogs on its platform, we can expect that type of activity to increase.

Pin it to win it

A number of big brands have already harnessed Pinterest’s power to sell. The Home Depot, Lowe’s and IKEA have glommed onto the DIY craze to connect with aspiring Joanna Gaineses…and their wallets.

The Tie Bar, meanwhile, saw big returns just a month after launching on Pinterest Shopping. The company advertises its ties through inspiration boards aimed at those planning for weddings, special events, and work wardrobes.

And Pinterest isn’t stopping at shoppable pins

Last week, Pinterest launched its augmented reality-powered ‘Try On’ feature. A camera feature called Lens that lets users see how specific beauty products—currently limited to lipstick—will look on them before they commit to buying. Because Pinterest doesn’t alter images in terms of color correction or skin-smoothing, it gives a pretty good idea of how each lipstick shade will look IRL. It’s basically a makeup counter, without all the smudgy mess.

Several cosmetic companies, including Sephora, Estée Lauder, Neutrogena, bareMinerals, Urban Decay, and Lancôme already have partnered with the platform, which claims to see 52 million users actively engaging with beauty content each month.

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