Bored (and Poored) Visitors Jump to Pinterest Boards

Unless we’re deemed essential workers, we’re all Martha Stewart now. (In some states we’re also Snoop Dogg.) Stuck at home, trying to isolate, looking through 45,000 Pinterest boards about how to cut our own hair. Pinterest already surged ahead of Snapchat to become the United States’ third-most-popular social network last year. That’s a whole lot of Whole30 inspo.

What’s Happening Now?

Pinterest shopping, and plenty of it. And now Pinterest has updated and upgraded tools for marketers, in its quest to become a fully-fledged e-commerce platform as it prepares for an IPO. Here are a few new or expanded offerings.

Verified Merchants

Rolled out for the 2019 holiday shopping season, this is Pinterest’s equivalent of Twitter’s “blue check,” verifying that merchants a) actually exist and b) meet criteria for customer service after being reviewed by Pinterest staff. Verified merchants get expanded access to conversion metrics (helloooo, user insight!) and can be showcased where more pinners are looking. Smaller merchants benefit from the legitimacy and can be featured in the @PinterestShop showcase.

OK, What Else?

Glad you asked. According to MobileMarketer, Pinterest has also updated its “conversion insights” to help retailers see more information about its effect on website visits, checkouts and sales, and upgraded Catalogs, which turns product catalogs into shoppable posts, with time-saving features, a scheduler and measurement tools.

Responding to the current covidity, Pinterest has also brought on the “Today” tab … again kinda like Twitter’s “Trending” with hints on homeschooling, yoga, and current COVID-19 info. There’s also a “Stay Safe, Stay Inspired” section with CDC info, mental health resources, and a “Board for the Bored.”

Is Anybody Buying?

Great question! With massive job losses and skyrocketing unemployment, people are (mostly) shopping online for essentials. Nielsen reports a huge spike in buying for pantry preparedness (Where are you, Mr. Bean?), cleaning products, and medical supplies like first-aid kits and cold and flu remedies. Personally, we’re betting that booze is way up there, too.

But I Don’t Sell Beans. Or Toilet Paper.

Assuming we don’t find ourselves in a permanent Stephen King situation, these changes in online shopping behavior may become permanent. At least that’s where Pinterest is pinning their hopes. In the meantime …we’ll be over here tending our sourdough starter. PLEASE stop laughing at our DIY haircut.

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