Pinterest makes ads shoppable for CPG partners
CPG companies promoting their products on Pinterest have a new option to drive direct purchases.
Pinterest is rolling out "where to buy links," which make standard image ads instantly shoppable by helping to surface multiple in-stock retailer options for a single product directly from an ad. With one tap from an in-ad link, Pinterest users can immediately view retailer options, enabling them to choose their preferred retailer and add the item to their cart for purchase.
"With where-to-buy links, we can offer our CPG advertisers the best of both worlds: a seamless shopping experience for consumers and richer, more transparent purchase intent signals for brands," said Julie Towns, Pinterest VP for product marketing and operations. "By helping advertisers connect inspiration directly to lower-funnel action and gain the actionable insights they need, Pinterest is unlocking new ways for brands to grow and measure success."
According to Pinterest, early testing shows these links deliver higher user engagement and stronger performance compared to campaigns using external where-to-buy landing pages. Advertisers also gain access to consumer signals such as purchase intent clicks and purchase intent value to help them understand the impact their Pinterest ad dollars without needing to track on retailer‑owned sites.
Pinterest is providing where-to-buy links in partnership with two e-commerce enablement platforms, MikMak and Pear Commerce. Both collaborations enable advertisers to launch where-to-buy links directly through the self-serve Pinterest Ads Manager tool.
Pinterest expands advertising functionality
Pinterest has been enhancing the capabilities it offers advertisers using its platform. Recently, the visually-oriented social media platform began partnering with Instacart to let advertisers promote their products to Instacart first-party audience segments built from real-world retail purchase behavior.
A second phase is expected to introduce closed-loop measurement, which would tie Pinterest ads to actual product sales across the Instacart retail marketplace and help prove campaign impact with real purchase data.
Pinterest ads will become directly shoppable via Instacart, giving Pinterest users the ability to complete a purchase in just a few clicks, while advertisers will gain the ability to target and reach Instacart consumers based on their actual purchase behaviors.
[READ MORE: Instacart, E.l.f. Cosmetics enter partnerships with Pinterest]
In addition, E.l.f. Cosmetics, an E.l.f. Beauty Inc. brand, is introducing "color e.l.f.nalysis" — a global, immersive digital experience for personalized beauty. With this tool, users can discover makeup shades that harmonize with their unique features and get matched with a curated Pinterest board featuring shoppable E.l.f. products tailored to their individual color matches.
Where-to-buy links will be available to all U.S. advertisers in the coming weeks.
