Cheat Sheet: Why Pinterest is expanding its Shopify partnership to more countries

The key details:

• The expansion will allow 1.7 million Shopify merchants around the world to place products on Pinterest; 50% of Shopify merchants are located outside the U.S., according to Shopify.
• Pinterest currently has over 459 million monthly active users, with around 361 million located outside of the U.S., according to the company’s Q4 2020 earnings.
• Any retailer with a Pinterest business account as well as Shopify merchants will be able to add up to 20 product “catalogs” to their account.

Growing ads

The expansion and new features are a part of Pinterest’s continued investment in shoppable infrastructure.

Pinterest says 97% of searches on its platform are unbranded, an opportunity for brands and retailers of all sizes to have a more level playing field when vying for potential customers. 

That infrastructure, in turn, will help drive continued growth for its ad business and its expanding international popularity. International revenues for the platform were up 129% year over year from 2019 to 2020.

“Our vision for Pinterest is to make every pin shoppable,” said Bill Watkins, global head of mid-market and small business sales at Pinterest.

Pinterest generated $12.50 in ad revenue per user in 2019 and is forecast to reach $21.83 per user this year, according to eMarketer data.

E-commerce for all

Like other social platforms, Pinterest is working to bolster its e-commerce capabilities. In April of last year, the company added a “Shop” tab that appears across the site. Pinners can find shoppable pins on their home feed, within a search and on their boards.

Pinterest is looking to capitalize on consumers who Watkins describes as “fundamentally different” from users on other social platforms because Pinterest users typically come to the site for inspiration and are more open to making a purchase.

“Our clients see Pinterest as an opportunity to diversify channels and capture user intent early in the consumer journey,” said Katya Constantine, ceo of Digishop Girl, a media agency that works with DTC brands. “Pinterest expanding into new markets is an interesting offering and opportunity for diversification.”