Recently I discussed three unique brand page examples on Pinterest and how brands are engaging their followers. Upon finding those unique examples, I wondered about the effectiveness of Pinterest brand pages and their potential to lead followers to purchase products. It’s true that brands are doing a great job on Pinterest to attract followers and brand advocates – check out Vera Bradley’s Pinterest page for example.
The page incorporates a variety of boards that not only feature their products, but also feature categories that make up the style and culture of the brand. The Vera Bradley website also features social icons to encourage sharing products with your friends. But are these efforts leading to purchase?
The answer is yes! There are numerous surveys and lots of data to support the notion that Pinterest users are likely to purchase products based on what they see on their channels. According to the Social Shopping Survey from SteelHouse, Pinterest users are more likely to purchase items they see on the channel than Facebook users who see items in their newsfeed or on a friend’s wall. In fact, Pinterest users are 79% more likely than Facebook users to purchase items they saw pinned versus items in a Facebook ad or newsfeed. The survey also noted that 59% of Pinterest users have made a purchase based on something they saw on Pinterest. Bizrate Insights found that 32% of online buyers have purchased something after seeing an image on an image sharing site (like Pinterest) in their Social Image Sharing and Online Shopping Series.
Interestingly, 37% of online buyers said no they haven’t purchased, but only because they were unable to find the product or did not have time to purchase the product. This is good news for online retailers though. Since so many people are at least interested in items they see on image sharing sites, retailers can work to implement new tactics to make purchasing the products less time-consuming and more intuitive.
Bottica.com, a jewelry, bag and accessories designer, did some research with statistics from their site over a one-month period from both Facebook and Pinterest. In analyzing the data they learned five important things about the habits of Facebook and Pinterest users. They found out that not only does Pinterest drive more sales than Facebook, but Pinterest users are also higher spenders than Facebook users.
So why are Pinterest users so likely to make purchases? And why are they more likely to make purchases than users on other social networks? Well, perhaps Daily Finance says it best: “Visual Story Telling Prompts Purchases.” Unlike on Facebook or Twitter where you only see a tiny preview, on Pinterest you can actually see the whole product and all of the product information. Then you *usually* can click through to the site where you can order right then and there. More and more retailers are entering the Pinterest space every day – and rightfully so! Pinterest makes it quick and easy for people to see products they love, click to the original source and purchase.
Have you purchased anything after finding it on Pinterest? What types of products have you purchased and what was your reason for purchase?
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