Check it Out: Retailers Enjoy Getting Pinned?

Tired of Twitter? Fed up with Facebook? Forgetting about foursquare? Why not give Pinterest a try? Launched in 2010, Pinterest is an online pinboard that enables consumers to organize and share pictures of the things they love. The fast-growing social media site has caught the attention of retailers, helping Lands’ End and Zappos, among others, engage users in yet another social media outlet.

Pinterest is an invite-only site featuring virtual corkboards where users “pin” photos of interest to the board and make comments. Consumers can follow people and brands as well as pin photos from other websites. These photos are placed on different boards according to their category. When consumers set up their account (their information can automatically be imported from Facebook), they’re given prenamed boards to pin their interests on — For the Home; Products I Love.

The vast majority of Pinterest’s users are female, so it makes perfect sense that women’s apparel brands would be eager to use the site to reach savvy shoppers, early adopters and brand evangelists, especially on the “Products I Love” board.

Lands’ End has been at the forefront of Pinterest adoption. The retailer launched its brand page on Nov. 17, 2011, a “Pin it to Win it” campaign in December 2011 and added a “Pin It” button to its website on Feb. 3.

“Once we joined [Pinterest], we realized images from Lands’ End Canvas were already being pinned and circulated,” says Michelle Casper, director of public relations for Lands’ End. “As a result, we committed to creating and activating our own presence within this community to join our current fans and attract new ones.”

Pinterest isn’t just engaging fans, it’s gaining them. Marketing optimization technology firm Monetate found that Pinterest’s unique visitors have increased 329 percent from September 2011 to December 2011. Total same-store referral traffic to five speciality apparel retailers rose 289 percent from July 2011 to December 2011. What’s more, the average user spends 98 minutes per month on Pinterest and it’s been deemed the fastest U.S. site of its kind to hit 10 million monthly unique visits.

The heavy referral traffic generated from Pinterest is due to the fact that under a product photo there’s a link that will take you directly to the e-commerce website (if applicable) that sells that product. While searching through a friend’s board, for example, I found the “Best Flip-Flops Ever.” When I clicked on the pin, I saw a photo of Reef-brand flip-flops with a Zappos.com link directly below it. I clicked and went straight to Zappos’ site, where it would only take me a few more clicks to buy what my friend deemed the “Best Flip-Flops Ever.”

But it hasn’t been all good news for Pinterest. The site is under fire for how it’s monetizing its user base. Pinterest “modifies its links” to e-commerce sites by adding its own affiliate tracking links, according to digital marketer and blogger Josh Davis. So if I click on and buy the “Best Flip-Flops Ever” from Zappos, Pinterest gets a percentage of that sale. Pinterest doesn’t disclose this information to users.

All in all, Pinterest is quite addicting — even if there isn’t a viral component to it. While there are a fair share of pins featuring food and drink items, pieces of artwork, and puppies and kittens, women’s apparel is well represented as well. Pinterest is driving tons of traffic. I ask any retailer that wants to be top of mind, “What are you waiting for? Get pinned!"