How to Use Pinterest Visual Search and Shopping

Pinterest releases five new ways to find products and ideas using visual search. While we can all enjoy the fun discovery made possible with these releases, we’re going to take a look at how retailers and marketers can make use of them as well.

Pincodes Connect Pinterest with the Real World!

Pinterest is coming to stores and magazines near you! At some retailers (Nordstrom’s and Home Depot are early adopters) and in print ads such as December’s issue of REAL SIMPLE, look for Pinterest Pincodes! Just point your Pinterest camera at one and see where it takes you! Some will take you to a particular board for some in-the-moment Pin-spiration!

You can create a Pincode for your own account by going to your profile on mobile and tapping your profile photo. Click the “Create Pincode” button, and it will be saved to your camera roll! It doesn’t appear we can create a Pincode that goes to a particular board or Pin – yet.

While Pincodes work in a manner similar to QR codes, which never really took off in the US, the ability to use an app you’re already familiar with and possibly already using while you’re in a store or browsing a magazine does remove some of the friction that stops many of us from scanning QR codes. It should be noted as well, that in other parts of the world, QR codes have been widely adopted. Since more than half of Pinterest’s users are now outside the US, this move makes a lot of sense!

Here’s what happens when you use my code (thanks, Melissa!):

How marketers and retailers can use Pincodes:

Create a Pincode for your account, and use that anywhere you can’t have a clickable link. At the entrance to your store, in print ads, on fliers, and on business cards – the possibilities are endless!

Lens Your Look

Use Pinterest lens to create a new look based on something that’s already in your closet! Start with a text search, and click the “+” next to the search field to add a photo of your item to your text search to get new ideas!

Lens your look gives you a personal stylist in your pocket. Rather than returning items that look like your favorite jacket, as in previous versions of Lens, it suggests outfits or other items that might look nice with it. This feature appears to be rolling out now.

How Marketers and Fashion Retailers can use Lens your Look

Make sure to post lifestyle photos of your products. Preferably more than one! Zoom in, zoom out, take different angles of the same look to increase your chances of appearing in results. Those can show up in “Lens your Look” results – when people are ready to purchase!

Shop the Look with Shopstyle

Have you ever found the perfect look online and then spent hours trying to track down the store that carries it? Well, now ShopStyle is bringing five MILLION shoppable products from 25 thousand brands to Pinterest. I tried it out..

Easy, right?

How fashion retailers can use “Shop the Look” with Shopstyle:

Consider becoming a Shopstyle partner along with 25K other brands and 1.5K retailers.

Responsive Visual Search

Pinch and zoom in on something you like to find more visually-similar Pins! Previously we’ve had to use the cropping tool, so this just makes search a bit simpler! This should be rolling out in a few weeks, starting on iPhone. Keep your app updated!

How marketers and retailers can use Responsive Visual Search:

Just keep posting beautiful, clear lifestyle photos! Your products in real-life settings convert better than a straight product photo.

Pinterest Visual Search on Firefox!

According to Pinterest, visual search is the most-used feature of the Pinterest browser extension for Chrome. Now it’s available for Firefox, too!

If you haven’t tried it yet, go to any website with images on it and look for the icon in the upper-right corner of the photo. Click on it and zoom in on any item on the image to get visually-similar Pins! It’s a great way to do some comparison shopping, or when you find something in an online store that is close but NOT QUITE what you want. Buyable Pins appear, Promoted do not (yet).

How marketers and retailers can use Responsive Visual Search:

Post beautiful lifestyle AND product images, including photos from different angles so your items show up!

In Conclusion

Pinterest released some very user-friendly shopping options for Pinners on the hunt for holiday purchases, but most of these new features have big implications for even smaller retailers. Review the ways you might use them to promote your business this time of year (and any other time of year!) and get to work on the ones that make sense for you – now!

I was thrilled to be invited on to Social Media Examiner‘s Live show to talk about these changes. I come on at 20 minutes in.

Which are you excited to try?

Pin Me: