On June 29, Pinterest announced the rollout of Buyable Pins, a new feature allowing users to purchase products right from the Pinterest app, without being redirected to a retailer website.
How it works
Buyable Pins are currently only available to iPhone and iPad users, with Android and desktop availability coming soon.
During a search, buyable items will appear with a blue price at the top of the search results. Filter options include price, color, size, etc.
The user taps on the image to access more details, a Pin It button, and a Buy It button. The Pin It button will save the image, like any other pin. The Buy It button allows the user to purchase the item via credit card or Apple Pay from within the Pinterest app. The payment info is saved securely by the merchant for even quicker future purchases.
Users who are just browsing can use the “Shop” category to see the latest buyable pins and the “Shop our Picks” category for Pinterest’s featured buyable pins. To view all buyable pins from a certain retailer, users can click the “Shop Pins” button on that retailer’s profile.
The major plus for users is that they no longer have to navigate outside Pinterest to the retailer’s website to make a purchase. The caveat is that only one item can be purchased at a time, but more shopping options are undoubtedly on the way.
Buyable Pins for Business
So, should you allow users to bypass your website and buy your products on Pinterest?
Here’s why Pinterest thinks you should: “Buyable Pins work so seamlessly on mobile, they’ll help you close the sale right when someone has the impulse to buy.” This may be a biased statement, but if it turns out to be true, it implies some major benefits for businesses.
Benefits
Making mobile purchases easy – This is huge because creating a mobile-friendly ecommerce site can be a challenge. If your site is clunky or hard to navigate by phone, you could lose a customer altogether. Let Pinterest take care of responsive design for you, enabling you not only to make a sale, but to have your products spread like crazy on a platform with nearly 50 million users.
Perfect timing – Pinners are in a buying state of mind. They use Pinterest as a product research platform and a visual checklist of things to do, places to go and products to buy. A recent study from the Millward Brown Fund revealed that, even without a buy button, nearly 90% of pinners have made a purchase because of Pinterest. And…pinners have been asking for this feature. You can be there at the exact moment a pinner has the impulse to buy, making it super simple to see it, want it, buy it rather than taking the chance that they’ll pin it and forget it. If a customer notices that your company consistently offers products they like, chances are, they’re going to visit your website to take a closer look and perhaps make a larger purchase.
It’s FREE! – Pinterest currently does not charge businesses to sell products and they do not take any cut from sales.
You’re still in control – Shipping and customer service are still completely controlled by the retailer. From the business end, purchases from the Pinterest site will look the same as a purchase made on your own website.
Want to sell your products on Pinterest?
If your business uses Shopify, log into your account and add the Pinterest channel. You can enable Buyable Pins in just a few clicks!
If you use Demandware to power your store, you can get Buyable Pins in the coming weeks. Contact your Demandware customer success manager to learn more.
All other businesses… Get on this list for Buyable Pins.