A recent study has shown that since mid-February, major retailers have begun promoting their Pinterest pages more actively.
In fact, the number has risen from 0% to 24% in just two months.
The new social network has grown in leaps and bounds with women in particular, and it’s no surprise to see major brands attempting to get a head start on the network.
[source: socialtimes.com] Chad White, Research Director at Responsys states that “Pinterest links have appeared in retailers’ emails much more quickly than links to Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or iPhone apps did, a sign that retailer adoption is likely to be very high.” He estimates that Pinterest will overtake YouTube as the 3rd biggest social network promoted in major retailers emails over the next month. That’s a pretty big surprise, as YouTube is such a crucial part of culture, but it does make sense because YouTube is still not really a great destination. It’s unlikely that a big brand would want to send their users over to a YouTube channel given the lack of customization and the general drabness of the page. They’ve improved the pages a bit, but look at the Diet Coke page below to see what I mean.
According to Chad, the reason for the jump is because Pinterest users tend to purchase products through Pinterest more than other networks: “a survey by PriceGrabber found that 21% of respondents have purchased items that they found on someone’s Pinboard.” This makes sense, as Pinterest has a culture of looking at beautiful things, and it’s just a hop step away to want to purchase those items if that option is available. Certainly women are sharing reams of fashion images with one another, and if a user can buy the item with just a few clicks, what’s to stop them?