Pinterest is giving a handful of brands special gift-finding tools to help with their holiday strategies on the platform. Macy’s, Lowe’s and Kohl’s have all launched Pinterest “gift globes,” and the company partnered with Etsy to develop “The Etsy Gift Guide” — all tools designed to deliver a personalized shopping experience.
Retailer Gift Globes. Pinterest partnered with Macy’s, Lowe’s and Kohl’s to design a special gift-finder tool to help users find gift ideas. Users enter who they are shopping for, and the gift globes deliver a personalized list of gift options from the retailers based on criteria.
Macy’s Pinterest gift globe search by interests:
To surface more gift ideas, users can shake their phone on the mobile version of the app, and the gift globe will display new product options. Clicking on the “Buy now” button listed under the product will launch a purchase page within Pinterest.
To promote the gift globes, each of the three brands used Pinterest Promoted Videos at maximum width or Promoted Pins to drive more users to their customized gift globe platform.
The Etsy partnership. Pinterest has also designed an “Etsy Gift Finder” to help Pinterest users find items from the handmade-centric marketplace. Similar to the gift globe, the Etsy tool lets shoppers complete a virtual gift tag that helps narrow the type of gift they’re looking to find.
The virtual gift tag leads to an Etsy personalized product page where users can purchase items directly from the marketplace.
Like Macy’s, Kohl’s and Lowe’s, Etsy is using maximum-width Promoted Videos and Promoted Pins featuring the gift finder to drive more Pinterest users to the platform.
Why it matters. In a March 2018 winter holiday survey of Pinterest users conducted by Toluna, 87 percent of participants said Pinterest helps them find the right products for the holidays. Pinterest’s partnerships with these brands highlight the need to deliver more personalized shopping experiences for the 87 percent of consumers looking specifically for holiday gift ideas.
By offering up a customized gift list with product options that lead right to a purchase page, the platform makes online browsing and purchasing nearly effortless, potentially shortening the customer journey.
About The Author
Amy Gesenhues is Third Door Media’s General Assignment Reporter, covering the latest news and updates for Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs.com, SoftwareCEO.com, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy’s articles.