Pinterest enables shopping via photo

If you can snap a picture, you can find and buy products using Pinterest.

The visually-oriented social platform is adding a shop tab to the results of photos users take with the Lens visual search solution in its mobile app. Consumers can click the camera in the search bar, snap or upload a photo, and see a “Shop” tab with a feed of shoppable pins based on the in-stock products Pinterest identifies in the image. Every product pin links directly to the checkout page on the retailer's site.

Pinterest users can also upload a screenshot they have snapped from another app or an older photo from their camera roll, and Lens will tell them what it is and where to purchase it. Lens can take images from offline or online and show similar items for sale, from a range of retailers and price points. 

According to Pinterest, around half of the items snapped through Lens belong to the fashion or home decor category. The top-shopped products with Lens are prints & artwork, shirts & tops, dresses, shoes, jackets, vases, mirrors, rugs, pants and throw pillows. 

Pinterest has been expanding the shopping functionality of the Lens feature since the beginning of this year. In January 2020, the platform introduced an augmented reality-based service called Try On, supported by Lens. Customers can open the Pinterest camera in search, click “try on” to find different lipstick shades, and swipe up to shop. They can virtually try on various products, save for later shopping, or buy through the retailer’s site.