Pinterest

Pinterest is giving its image-based search engine an upgrade.   Pinterest introduced Lens in February. Since then, users have been pointing their mobile cameras at objects they see out in the real world, from apparel and accessories to decor, and Lens serves up similar styles or related information on their mobile device’s screen.   

Despite social media’s growing presence in many consumers’ lives, it is not the ideal platform for brand interaction.   That's according to the “2017 Generational Marketing Insights Survey,” from Campaigner, the email marketing brand of j2 Global. According to findings, less than a quarter (24%) of online shoppers use social media as one of their preferred channels for brand interaction. And it seems that not all social media channels are created equal.  

Michaels and Pinterest are merging crafts and digital promotions to get artisans’ creative juices flowing.   The two companies are teaming up to sell a kit that can inspire newbies or the most experienced crafter to create one of the most trending projects on Pinterest. The co-branded Make It Kits were developed using Pinterest insights and trends, along with Michaels’ product expertise and e-commerce capabilities, according to Michaels.  

Google hopes its new visual search tools will become a new accessory for its fashion shoppers.    To assist customers eager to buy merchandise featured in online lifestyle images, Google introduced two new mobile image-based search tools this week that will help customers locate their desired pieces more easily.   

Pinterest’s visual search capabilities just got broader.   On Monday, March 6, the social media site expanded its visual search technology into its browser extensions — a move that enables pinners to save images found online and use them as a jump-off point for discovering similar ideas on Pinterest, the company said.   Chrome is the first extension to receive the functionality.  

While supermarket shoppers engage with their primary grocer on one or more digital platforms, social media sites are not a priority.    This was according to the “U.S. Supermarket Shopper Digital Update,” a report from the Retail Feedback Group (RFG). The new study, an offshoot of RFG's “U.S. Supermarket Experience Study,” focuses specifically on the digital aspects of shopper engagement with supermarkets.   

Buying merchandise on Pinterest just got even easier.   On Wednesday, Feb. 8, the social media site rolled out a new service called “Shop the Look.” An extension of the company’s Buyable Pins program which enables “pinners” to buy a specific item directly on Pinterest, Shop the Look users can “click on and even buy products they find inside fashion and home decor Pins,” Tim Kendall, Pinterest’s president, explained in the company’s business blog.  

Pinterest is taking its search program to the next level.   The social media site now offers Search Ads, a feature that enables retailers to run ads as “pinners” type keywords into the search bar. The program, which started as a limited test, is now comprised of a full suite of features, including keyword and shopping campaigns that are shown in search results, as well as new targeting and reporting options, Pinterest’s head of global sales, Jon Kaplan, said in the company’s blog.