Pinterest has an advantage over other social media platforms in cornering a retail angle because consumers are already seeking inspiration for purchases. Macy’s and Target are leveraging a new ad feature in which users can shop for individual items they see within a photo, similar to Instagram’s shoppable photos ad capability.

“Because of the search and discovery aspect intrinsic to Pinterest, we believe Shop the Look is in a great position to help further convert shoppers into buyers,” aid Pau Sabria, co-founder and CEO of Olapic. “Inspiration to make a purchase is at a high point when a product discovery is made, and being able to capture that moment and provide a frictionless path to purchase should help to increase sales from the platform.

“Olapic will help brands accelerate the process by automatically distributing lifestyle and product images that have been curated, tagged to product, and permissioned through Olapic – making products more discoverable and shoppable on Pinterest. We will also help increase the volume of shoppable content,” he said.

The platform is powered in part by Olapic.

Buyable pins
Shop the Look is Pinterest’s new feature that will allow brand partners to share photos and allow shopping capability for each item in the images.

The new ad feature comes on the heels of Instagram’s similar ad product launch. Kate Spade, JackThreads and Warby Parker were the first to usher in Instagram’s major move to commerce, allowing users to shop products featured in photos in a way that mirrors user behavior.

Instagram’s ad product could mean social media shopping may finally see the adoption rate previously expected. The social media platform is capitalizing on its users’ behavior by making it easier to shop products directly in the news feed with product pages that retailers can tag in their photos. After the anticipation of the buy buttons rush fell flat to the disappointment of retailers, Instagram’s unique experience may usher in sales and create a platform that ushers in mobile sales through an application that most mobile users are on (see more).

However, Pinterest may have more of an advantage considering consumers are already on its platform usually in the discover portion of a customer journey. Many users are on Pinterest to gather ideas to purchase, whether that is home renovation ideas or outfit inspiration.

Macy’s, Wayfair and Target are a few of the retailers hoping to conquer this new capability, as social media platforms struggle to ascertain a hold on retail.

The ad product will feature a post that mimics a standard pin on Pinterest. However, under the image a list of products available for purchase will be congregated, along with a seamless experience to buy.

Early tests from Pinterest show that users are engaging in the Shop the Look pins three to four times more than standard pins, and also save the pins five times more.

Buy button strategy
As buy buttons on social media have had a disappointing run, Twitter is killing off its own but that does not mean the rest are doomed, as experts say the social site’s disregard for relevancy and focus on convenience had it condemned from the start.

Twitter’s buy button is officially absent from its social application and Web site, which was not a surprise to many after its lack luster performance. But other social apps such as Instagram and Pinterest could still be in the game for a winning commerce angle since consumer behavior dictates long sessions spent within the apps and newsfeeds are fine tuned for each individual (see more).

“Shop the Look helps people track down and buy the specific products they find inside fashion, home decor, and beauty Pins. A blue circle indicates a Shop the Look Pin,” Mr. Sabria said. “All they have to do is tap the circle on each item to find the styles they’re looking for.

“When they’re ready to buy, they can do so directly from the retailer. Early tests have shown that users engage with Shop the Look Pins three to four times more than they do with Pins without the feature, save those Pins five times more, and drive traffic to the brand’s site at double, even triple, the normal rate.”