Pinterest announced plans to launch a new ‘buy button’ and Pinners around the world simultaneously cheered and checked their bank accounts. The new buy feature will allow users to directly purchase items featured in pins without leaving the site and it’s not only an exciting announcement for online shoppers but also an important one for brands utilizing the platform.
Pinterest is a popular social site notorious for housing images and links to everything from DIY projects to trendy products and it’s always been a critical channel for ecommerce retailers. 93 percent of active Pinners said they use Pinterest to plan purchases and 87 percent said they’ve bought something because of Pinterest (source). Social ecommerce has been top of mind for brands and social media managers, PR agencies included, since Facebook, Twitter, Google and most recently Instagram, have all integrated some sort of buy feature. However, given Pinterest’s purchasing power this latest announcement is reason to make sure your brand is prepared for social ecommerce.