Accelerating Pinterest's Business Utilization with Two Solutions: Social Commerce and Advertising (Part 1)

Pinterest is a platform that connects users from visual search—finding images and videos of interest in daily life—to purchases. It enables users to discover and organize ideas that enrich their lives, such as recipes, interior design, and fashion. Globally, over 400 million users monthly seek new inspiration on Pinterest.

The movement to leverage Pinterest for business is accelerating. Pinterest's advertising business launched in Japan in June 2022. Then, starting in May 2023, Dentsu Digital Inc. began offering " Pinterest for Social Commerce," a solution connecting Pinterest and e-commerce.In this first part of our interview with Dentsu Digital Inc. project members Nobutaka Suzuki, Sota Aoki, and Takumi Miyagi about these two solutions—advertising and social commerce—they discuss Pinterest's uniqueness, the development background of "Pinterest for Social Commerce," and its key features.

Pinterest is a place to find ideas from a "things and experiences" perspective

Q. Before we discuss solutions utilizing Pinterest, could you first remind us what kind of service Pinterest is?

Aoki: I believe Pinterest can be summed up as an "idea exploration tool." While other SNS platforms strongly emphasize receiving others' real-time updates—like "I'm here now" or "I bought this yesterday"—Pinterest lets you actively seek out ideas about things you're interested in, such as new recipes or fashion. This focus on "for yourself" rather than "for others" is what I see as Pinterest's defining characteristic.

Miyagi: I also think Pinterest users tend to search at an earlier stage compared to users of general search engines or other social media. Rather than "I need this right now," many users seem to utilize Pinterest as a place to explore lifestyles or activities they want to achieve in the near future. Therefore, for companies looking to leverage Pinterest for business, I believe it can serve as a platform to imprint their products or content on users even before serious consideration begins.

Suzuki: The fact that it's a place to find ideas from a "thing/activity perspective" rather than a "person perspective" is significant, right? Another major feature of Pinterest is that the poster's name isn't displayed in the first view. In other words, what matters isn't "who said it," but "whether it's creative content valuable to me." That's a unique aspect.

Aoki: In terms of user demographics, we're seeing rapid growth among younger generations, starting with Gen Z. While monthly active users in the Japanese market are around 9 million, globally, Pinterest boasts over 480 million monthly active users (as of October 2023) and continues to grow, making it a popular social media platform.

Providing a one-stop solution from product purchase to user analysis

Q. Could you explain the "Pinterest for Social Commerce" solution that Dentsu Digital Inc. has started offering?

Suzuki: "Pinterest for Social Commerce" is a service that supports cross-platform marketing between Pinterest and e-commerce. It provides a one-stop solution, not only supporting the management of a company's Pinterest account but also covering everything from awareness building to purchase promotion linked with e-commerce sites or owned sites, and analysis.

Its key feature is its direct integration with e-commerce. Pinterest allows seamless transitions from individual posts to external sites. "Pinterest for Social Commerce" enables analysis of how many users accessed external sites via Pinterest and what actions they took on those destination sites.While tracking user movements across platforms can be challenging, this service not only facilitates product purchases from Pinterest but also analyzes the actual contribution to sales, deepening customer understanding.

Q. I imagine you pursued this solution because you saw potential in building a business centered around Pinterest. What aspects did you find appealing?

Suzuki: I thought it would be well-suited for social commerce because it's a tool for finding ideas and allows seamless transitions to external sites. Also, information drawn from search tools often naturally highlights "what many people are paying attention to now," which can sometimes promote a certain leveling effect. In contrast, Pinterest offers a sense of deepening your own "likes," and that's where I saw its appeal and potential.

Miyagi: In my previous role, I worked in influencer marketing. While social commerce using influencers has gained attention for several years, I felt there weren't actually that many successful cases. That's why I saw significant value in developing a solution that connects directly to commerce. The project launch coincided with Pinterest starting its advertising platform, and since Pinterest was starting to get more attention, I felt the timing was right.

Q. Pinterest for Social Commerce launched in May 2023. How has the response been?

Aoki: We're already in discussions with several companies. We feel industries like apparel, housing, and real estate are particularly well-suited. That said, since this requires ongoing efforts, the barrier to entry isn't low for companies. Therefore, we hope they'll start with Pinterest ads, see the results, and recognize the investment value.

Q. Many companies may not yet recognize Pinterest as "an entry point for commerce that directly boosts business." What message would you like to convey to such companies?

Miyagi: Although still in beta, "Pinterest for Social Commerce" allows you to set up to three conversion points—such as purchase numbers on the destination page—and manage those metrics. Measuring the effectiveness of social media campaigns can be difficult, but "Pinterest for Social Commerce" provides data directly linked to sales. I believe this aspect will also demonstrate its benefits.

Many companies likely find it hard to see results from their SNS management or struggle to formulate effective strategies. Pinterest, where users continuously explore their interests in fashion, interior design, travel, and more, could become a new channel directly driving purchases. In the second part, we'll also introduce Pinterest Ads, which launched in June 2022.