Dive Brief:

• Pinterest has mocked up “Action” buttons for developers to work on, which could lead to its API adding Buy, Wish List and another clickable functions. 
• The platform’s “Buy” button would click through to an external site or app where the user would be able to complete a purchase. 
• Pinterest’s examples include multi-buy features, such as ordering ingredients for a pinned recipe from a grocery service for immediate delivery. 

Dive Insight:

Tim Kendall, Pinterest’s head of partnerships, gave a peek at Pinterest’s hand during MIT’s Emtech Digital conference Monday, showing off detailed mockups of “Action Buttons” the site plans to add to its developer platform. The action buttons could be used to complete a purchase, create a shopping list and other functions.

Pinterest doesn’t offer a “Buy” button yet, but the curatorial nature of the online bulletin board makes it a natural — and potentially lucrative — extension. Partner businesses have so far only been able to access data from products that get pinned. The new buttons could change that relationship and benefit retailers looking to capitalize on Pinterest's popularity.