Brands and retailers love social networking site Pinterest, since users love to “pin” their favorite brands and product photos to their boards to share with friends, colleagues, and followers. On Tuesday, Pinterest announced that it would soon offer “buyable” pins, and it’s working with big retailers directly as well as merchants who use select ecommerce platforms.
“Lots of you have said that you’d like to buy the things you discover on Pinterest,” the company said. Soon, users will start seeing the buyable pins, which feature blue prices to indicate the product can be purchased right from the app.
The pins will also feature price and color filters. “See how you feel about the orange sleeping bag, or maybe the black one. Swipe through all your options and pick your favorite.”
Once a user is ready to buy, they tap “Buy it” and pay with Apple Pay or a credit card. “Soon, you’ll be on your way and back to Pinning. Once you enter your personal info, we’ll store it so you don’t have to thumb it in again next time. ”
Pinterest said it won’t store users’ credit card information – instead, it’s working with third-party payment processors including Braintree and Stripe.
The buyable pins will first be available on iPhone and iPad (in a few weeks), and on Android and desktop in future releases.
“You’ll find millions of buyable Pins on Pinterest, from great brands like Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, retailers powered by Demandware like Cole Haan and Michaels, and thousands of Shopify stores like Poler Outdoor Stuff and SOBU,” Pinterest said
It also emailed users with business accounts announcing the news. “Today, we’re supporting direct integration with two commerce platforms. If you’re interested in getting Buyable Pins, you can sign up for Shopify or contact Demandware. For updates on future integration opportunities, sign up for our waitlist.”
Demandware told its merchants they could enable Buyable Pins on product Pins already live across Pinterest. “The transaction is processed by the Demandware platform, leveraging existing business processes and systems, including taxes, payment and shipping. Updates to products and inventory are sent automatically using the Demandware integration framework. Demandware clients will not incur any extra costs and will still own the customer relationship. The result is a seamless experience for both consumers and retailers.”
And Shopify told its merchants, “If you have an online store with Shopify, you can start selling your products on Pinterest by adding the Pinterest sales channel. Once you’re approved by Pinterest, any product that’s ever been Pinned from your online store will automatically become a Buyable Pin and include a “Buy it” button. All of your Pinterest orders, products and customers will automatically be synchronized with Shopify, just like any other sales channel.”
The good news for merchants: the program will be free. “Buyable Pins still let you control the shopping experience – Pinterest doesn’t take a cut from your sales and you still get to handle shipping and customer service the way you always have,” it told merchants on its Pinterest Business blog. “That’s why we’re only working with merchants who care about providing Pinners with the best possible experience.”
