According to a new report, Pinterest revealed its platform now boasts 320 million monthly active users (MAUs), who have pinned a total of 200 billion items across 4 billion boards to date. Collectively, these users combined perform over 2 billion searches roughly every four weeks.
‘Trends’
In the spirit of this increase in active users and in the interest of learning more from their behavior, the tech giant unveiled a new feature, ‘Trends,’ targeted to reveal the most popular search keywords from the past year. With its own dedicated mini-site, the list focuses on ten overarching categories based on search and general use trends. Comparable to Google Trends and Bing’s Keyword Research Tool, the Trends list is algorithm-driven highlighting key terms that peaked over the course of the 12 months by volume.
“Because people come to Pinterest to save ideas and plan for the future, we can understand unique and emerging tastes, preferences and interests that have powered our algorithm over the years, and are now available for brands to learn more from.” A few possible use cases include better informing marketing budgets and validating assumptions when it comes to anticipating trends and refining search queries by offering advertisers more guidance as to which words to include or avoid when mapping their campaigns.
The ‘Pinterest 100’
The debut of Trends coincides with the release of Pinterest 100, a newly published report that outlines Pinterest’s top emerging trend predictions for 2020. The first is available now with additional editions to come in 2020 and annually thereafter. For this year’s report, Pinterest looked at global search volumes between August 2017–July 2018 and August 2018–July 2019. Based on the results, data were organized into 100 rising trends narrowed into 10 cultural themes.
Here’s a quick overview of the categories:
Responsible Travel
When it comes to travel, more and more people are eager to lessen the impact but not at the extent of enjoying themselves. To achieve this, they’re looking to fly less and identify opportunities to reduce their carbon footprint when going from point A to point B. Top searches included ‘train travel,’ (+107%), ‘zero was travel essentials’ (+48), and ‘reduce carbon footprint tips’ (+86%).
Internationally Inspired
Thanks to the digital age, it is easier than ever to learn about and trade different cultural influences and traditions. Over the past year, Pinterest has evolved into a hub for those eager to experiment with region-specific design and get art inspiration that is outside of their comfort zone.
Beyond Binary
Our society is seeing a shift towards more products and serving moving beyond gendered labels and structured options. In particular, Pinterest’s roundup saw leading searches such as ‘gender-neutral names list,’ (+301%), gender-neutral party themes (+35%), and unisex nursery gender-neutral’ (+527%).
Space Everything
People are developing a growing fascination in the universe – including planets, climate change, and extreme nature. This was not only reinforced in searches on Pinterest throughout the last year but across other platforms like Twitter. From birthday parties to clothing and makeup to DIY galaxy-theme crafts, Pinterest saw a buzz around searches for ‘galaxy-themed birthday party,’ ‘pipe cleaner constellations,’ ‘STEM space activities for kids,’ ‘NASA hoodie,’ and ‘planet makeup.”
Re-wilding
We’ve all heard the term “digital fatigue.” In 2020, Pinterest is looking to help us counteract this notion by encouraging trends and conversations around taking in scenery, learning new outdoor hobbies and finding new activities to get us outside (even if it’s just on our patios or at an outside bar). Specifically, a few ways people are heading outdoors to be reacquainted with nature and seek adventure include lake fishing (+274%), rockhounding (+185%), outdoor bars (+2795%), and bushcraft camping (+1069%).
Finding Balance
Pinners realize the importance of taking care of themselves. Much of this year’s search activity revolved around self-care tips and products including ‘self-discovery journal prompts’ (+147%), ‘social media detox,’ (+314%), ‘mood booster playlist,’ (+85%), and ‘feng shui decor,” (+137%).
Pampered Pets
People love pampering their pets. This isn’t breaking news, but Pinterest’s 100 shines a light on just how far some people are willing to go to treat their pets like royalty. The term ‘pet resort,’ for example increased 260%. Other terms with noticeable upticks include ‘dog patio ideas apartment” (+131%), ’cat playground outdoor ‘(+512%), and ‘dog safe cake recipe’ (+167%).
Home Hub
Whether you’re a new homeowner or simply looking to make improvements, there are always tips for honing your organization and make your space more functional. In this vein, leading terms in this category include ‘brewing equipment’ (+411%), ‘garden room’ (+104%), ‘audio room’ (+803%), ‘home theatre design’ (+368), ‘home coffee stations’ (+751%), and ‘indoor water fountains’ (+917%).
90s Re-Run: 90s inspired fashion
“For many, it’s a nostalgic rewind back to a more lighthearted era,” according to Pinterest. “As millennials get older, they’re reliving fond memories and bonding over shared experiences. Meanwhile, Gen Z is discovering ‘90s culture for the first time and putting their own twist on the trends.”
Trending on the site are ‘90s cartoons, hip-hop parties and the clothes you’re wearing including Y2K fashion and streetwear, hair clips, scrunchies, and more. As heritage brands like FILA continue to reach younger audiences, these terms continue to gain traction. ‘Grunge,’ for instance, saw a spike of 292 percent from last year and ‘streetwear’ increased 272 percent.
Conscious Consumption
This category, as its title implies, emphasizes a push for adopting more eco-friendly habits in our everyday lives spanning big to small decisions. Examples of top search items feature sustainable tips and living tools including ‘thrifted home decor’, ‘second-hand fashion’ and ‘thrift store crafts,’ and ‘low-waste wedding.’
As Pinterest reiterates, in the digital age where information more often than not distracts and divides us, having a shared set of ideas and experiences to bring us together is profound and extremely important for both business and our progress as a society.
“In a time when so much seems to divide us, these ideas represent what we share in common—from everyday inspiration to the epic dreams-for-someday stuff.”
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