52pc of Pinterest users consult app in-store to guide purchases: report (mobilemarketer.com)

Pinterest users are open to brand marketing

Pinterest users should be prime targets for marketers’ budgets, with many of these consumers being early adopters who love to try and buy new things yet are increasingly difficult to reach on traditional media outlets, according to a new report from Ahalogy.

With Pinterest having just introduced its first paid advertising product, Promoted Pins, the report reveals some important marketing opportunities for brands. For example, 52 percent of daily Pinterest users are pulling up the app in-store to guide their purchases.

“Pinterest is becoming a universal in-store shopping list,” said Bob Gilbreath, co-founder and president of Ahalogy, Cincinnati, OH. “Many Pinterest users claim to pin items at home and then pull up the app in store, for example, to remember that dress from Nordstrom that she pinned, or find the ingredients for a recipe that she pinned.

“We’ve now got data to prove this is a common task: 28 percent of users claim to pull up the Pinterest app on their smartphones while shopping, and 52 percent of daily Pinterest users do this,” he said.

“Only 27 percent of active Pinterest users claim to be following any brand on Pinterest, yet most believe that marketers can add value to the platform. Too many brands have been on the sidelines of Pinterest.”

Adding valueThe study was conducted by Ahalogy and AcuPoll Precision Research Inc. during a two-week period in February and March of 2014 with 1,300 males and females in the United States over the age of 15.

Key findings include that Pinterest users are open to brand activity and marketing as long as it adds value to their life.

The findings include that 83 percent of active users would prefer to follow their favorite brand on the platform than their favorite celebrity. However, only 27 percent of active users are currently following any brand or business on Pinterest.

For marketers trying to reach Pinterest users, it is important to keep in mind that this is a very mobile-oriented crowd with 75 percent of Pinterest activity happening on mobile.

Traditional media shift The findings also suggest that Pinterest users are shifting away from consuming media through traditional advertising outlets. These consumers watch up to three fewer hours of television each week than non-users.

Additionally, and almost half of the time, they are replacing magazine reading and catalogue browsing with Pinterest use.

These consumers are also often using Pinterest in place of traditional search engines such as Google.

“We now have enough data to be confident that the Pinterest audience is large, compelling and looking to engage with brands,” Mr. Gilbreath said. “ But brands need to think differently about the platform - it’s more search than social, and winning depends on providing content in the form of ideas and inspiration.

“If their audience fits with Pinterest, brands should establish their accounts and begin pinning now, so that they are ready for further opportunities during the holiday season when billions of dollars in purchases will be planned through Pinterest,” he said.