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Pinterest Introduces ‘Rich Pins’ for Products

Pinterest recently introduced a new feature called “Rich Pins” that should be especially helpful to merchants. It allows companies to include key information such as pricing, product availability, and where to buy to pinned items. The information can be updated daily. Rich Pins are also available for recipes and movies, according to Pinterest.

Rich Pins uses a data feed of sorts from a merchants’ websites so that when information such as product availability is updated, it will be dynamically reflected on Pinterest.

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Example of Rich Pin from online retailer Wayfair.

Example of Rich Pin from online retailer Wayfair.

Advantages to Rich Pins

Rich Pins provide five distinct advantages.

  1. Product accessibility. In the past, when a Pinterest user found an item that sparked his or her interest, there was no convenient way to note a location — such as a URL — where the product could be purchased. Now, when users click a pinned item, they can see the product’s availability and purchase location without leaving Pinterest.
  2. Greater relevance. Including product price, availability, and where to buy notifications can help potential customers make more informed purchase decisions.
  3. Increased traffic. More information, such as availability, can lead to more clicks to the merchant’s website.
  4. Seamless integration. Rich Pins integrate content from a merchant’s website with Pinterest so that information is updated seamlessly and automatically.
  5. Time savings. Because key product information is updated automatically, this reduces the need to write lengthy descriptions for each pinned item, which saves time.

Steps Required to Use Rich Pins

Several large retailers already use Rich Pins. These include eBay, Target, Walmart, Wayfair, Anthropologie, and Etsy. Merchants who wish to employ the feature must first apply to Pinterest.

Three steps are required:

  • Prepare the ecommerce website with meta tags;
  • Test out the rich pins using a validation tool;
  • Apply to get them included.

Pinterest will automatically pull information from the participating website once an application is accepted.

Pinterest notes that, due to the technical requirements associated with including meta tags, merchants may need the help of a developer or someone with knowledge of HTML. Learn more about these steps on the Pinterest developer site.

Rationale for Using Pinterest

A 2012 survey from Bizrate, a provider of rating tools for retailers, found that “69 percent of online consumers who visit Pinterest have found an item they’ve purchased or wanted to purchase as compared to only 40 percent of online consumers who visit Facebook.”

In addition, Bizrate found that 43 percent of Pinterest members stated that they use Pinterest to “associate with retailers or brands with which I identify,” compared to just 24 percent of Facebook users.

Despite the technical requirements, Rich Pins give merchants a direct way to link their products with pinned items. The inclusion of product-related information can mean the site becomes more than just a place that inspires product purchases, but one that leads to increased purchase activity, as well.

Rich Pins only work on the new Pinterest design. Merchants will need to click “Get It Now” located at the top of the newsfeed to update their pages.

Paul Chaney
Paul Chaney
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