Pinterest introduces shoppable TV feature
Pinterest keeps rolling out new e-commerce tools.
The visually-oriented social media network is unveiling Pinterest TV, a series of live, original and shoppable episodes featuring creators on Pinterest. Pinterest TV episodes are refreshed each weekday and will be recorded and available for users to view on-demand, as well as save and re-watch later.
Beginning Monday, Nov. 8, episodes will air Monday-Friday at 3 p.m. PT 6 p.m. ET in the U.S. on iOS and Android. Each Friday, products will drop in a live shopping setting, featuring discounts from brands including All Birds, Crown Affair, Melody Ehsani, Outdoor Voices, and Mented.
On Pinterest TV, creators can showcase and tag products so consumers can shop and purchase on the retailer’s site. Hosts will have a shopping toolbox to enable live shopping experiences including a product drawer with prices and product details, product drops and brand collaborations, a display of how much is left, and a limited-time-offer module to offer discounts.
To view Pinterest TV, users can click the TV icon in rhe upper left corner of the Pinterest app to view episodes, interact with hosts, ask questions via chat, and get answers live. Pinterest TV will launch with Pinterest creators and brands. Along with Pinterest TV, Pinterest is also launching a virtual studio where Pinterest producers work directly with each creator to develop unique content, provide “backstage” audio/visual support, and go live with episodes.
According to Pinterest, creators who have hosted Pinterest TV episodes during the pilot phase have “substantially” increased their following on its platform, with some creators more than doubling their followers after a live episode.
The launch of Pinterest TV follows the recent release of a new suite of digital commerce capabilities. These include several new features of its Idea Pins, which are shoppable video pins initially rolled out in July 2021.
Pinterest is integrating Idea Pins with its augmented reality (AR)-based AR Try on tool. Released in January 2020, AR Try on enables consumers to virtually try on various cosmetics products. This new capability allows creators to tag their Idea Pins with a new Try on sticker to add lip products, enabling users to try on and shop directly from the Idea Pin. To access the new feature, creators can select the Try on sticker and search over 10,000 Try on-enabled product links to add to an Idea Pin.
The company is also integrating Idea Pins with the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate marketing offering. This will enable creators in the U.S. to add affiliate links from an assortment of millions of Amazon products and earn commission on qualifying purchases.
Additionally, creators now have the option to make their Idea Pins automatically shoppable by enabling shopping recommendations on their Idea Pins. The new “shop similar” feature uses Pinterest's visual search technology to recommend Product Pins that are visually similar to the content within the Pin, giving Pinners the ability to shop what they see.
With this new feature, Pinterest is enabling visual search on video content for the first time. Also, new “watch” and “browse” tabs are full-screen feeds of Idea Pins that consumers can scroll through, tailored to their tastes and preferences.
And a new feature called Takes enables Idea Pin creators to engage with consumers. User responses will link back to creators’ original Idea Pins, and creators can also highlight select responses. build more meaningful engagement with their communities and to inspire action.