{"id":116149,"date":"2018-11-16T17:32:52","date_gmt":"2018-11-16T17:32:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/?p=116149"},"modified":"2020-02-28T02:45:22","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T02:45:22","slug":"pinterest-visual-search-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/11\/16\/pinterest-visual-search-takeaways\/","title":{"rendered":"Pinterest on visual search: key takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

We invited Michael Akkerman<\/a>, Global Head of Partners Program at Pinterest, to our NY office yesterday evening to speak on visual search<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

He talked about discovery over search<\/a>, audience engagement over audience size, less time more well-spent over more total time spent, and social communities over social networks.\u00a0It was an insightful, instructive, and *obviously* visual-heavy session.<\/p>\n

Here were some of the key takeaways \/ highlights.<\/p>\n

Pinterest is a visual discovery engine — discovery over search<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When people come to our platform, they\u2019re trying to discover new pieces of information. <\/span><\/p>\n

Our Pinners are not looking to connect with friends or post at parties. They\u2019re doing home renovations. They\u2019re in the market for something. They want to go and actually discover something. <\/span><\/p>\n

Google is great for when I know what I want, but it\u2019s really crappy when I don\u2019t know how to articulate it. How do I describe a style I’ve only seen, a city I don\u2019t know, a specific color?<\/span><\/p>\n

Like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Or this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I know them when I see them<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pinterest<\/a> is visual-first. We wanted it to be able to take images instead of words. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pinterest = possibilities<\/strong><\/h3>\n

What do I want to eat? What do I want to wear? How should I decorate my house? What\u2019s my style? We help people understand their taste.<\/span><\/p>\n

Total numbers of pins:<\/strong> 23 billion food and drink. 18 billion home and garden. 8 billion beauty. 23 billion style. 4 billion travel. <\/span><\/p>\n

Are you in one of these categories? Your customers are on Pinterest.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Even if you think your brand\u2019s content isn\u2019t on Pinterest, your customers are probably already bringing it there. Seems like those are people you might want to go and chat with.”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What keeps people from buying? They’re still trying to figure out what they want — they’re still discovering.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For us, the camera is the new keyboard.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let the image be the SERP. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shop the look. Discover products inside an image.<\/span><\/p>\n

Personalization not as a feature, but rather the underpinning of the platform<\/h3>\n

On Pinterest, we understand that every single person has different interests. We don\u2019t want personalization as just a feature. We want it as the underpinnings of the entire platform. <\/span><\/p>\n

The way we\u2019re doing it is we\u2019re bringing what\u2019s called the taste graph. The hipster guy from Williamsburg? His garden board doesn\u2019t look like everyone else\u2019s. My travel board? I want to go to Morocco. Not everyone does. <\/span><\/p>\n

When you interact on Pinterest, it feels like it knows you.<\/span><\/p>\n

What storytelling was on search versus what storytelling is on Pinterest. Driving people closer to an engaging experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

Audience engagement over audience size<\/h3>\n

Content at scale:<\/span><\/p>\n