The Pinterest iPhone app

It is rare that a company changes the mobile, digital and social space overnight, but Pinterest has made a sudden impact and brands, marketers and retailers have all joined the craze.

Companies such as Pinterest are seeing overwhelming success because they incorporate different channels into their marketing mix. Gone are the days where everything is solely happening on the Web. Nowadays, it is all about that mobile, social, local and digital evolution.�

�Aggregators like Pinterest and Flipboard are proving that people like content that revolves around them,� said Chris Mason, cofounder/CEO of Branding Brand .

�People were already sharing socially, Pinterest just made it easier,� he said. �I don't know if it changed the world, but I can tell you that I like going to Pinterest more than visiting a bunch of Web sites to figure out what's hot.�

Mocial

Since Facebook�s arrival, the social space has never been the same.

Companies such as Twiiter, Flipboard and now Pinterest are looking at ways to make a connection with consumers and have them share that with others.�

Pinterest lets users find and share their favorite pictures from the Web and pin them to digital boards.

Currently, Pinterest�s main focus is on the Web, however, the company has taken strides to be more accommodating to mobile users.

Pinterest has mobile applications and a mobile site.

Additionally, many companies including Sephora and Amazon have all implemented Pinterest into their marketing efforts.

Similar to adding a Facebook Like or Twitter button on product pages, companies are now also adding Pin It buttons.

The Pin It functionality lets consumers share pictures that inspire them and lets them put the photos on their digital boards.

By adding a Pin It functionality, consumers can share their favorite products with friends and family and thus continue to spread the word out.

�Like any overnight success, Pinterest was years in the making,� Mr. Mason said. �Facebook got grandmas sharing socially.

�Pinterest capitalized on this existing � a large audience that could instantly appreciate the value of a social pinboard,� he said.��

�Content aggregation plus a great user interface is a recipe for social disruption. The first group to wrap commerce around this will win big.�

All about social

Pinterest is seeing success because it realized how big the social space is and how consumers are constantly looking to share their favorite posts, items and pictures with friends.

And, by ramping up its mobile and digital efforts, Pinterest is making sure that it is available on as many screens as possible.

Since Facebook, marketers are realizing how important social is to their day-to-day initiatives and Pinterest has realized this as well.

�Social has always been integral to mobile, ever since phones were only used for talking,� Mr. Mason said.

In addition to changing the social space for the better, Pinterest is also changing the mobile shopper.

Consumers are constantly on their mobile devices and by adding Pin It functionality to many of their efforts, brands and retailers are letting consumers buy their favorite products by tapping on the Pin It button.�

For example, Sephora now has Pin It buttons on every of its product pages that lets users pin any of the 14,000 products from the company�s site.

This is a great way for consumers to not only share their favorite items with friends, but also buy them on the spot.

�I definitely think Pinterest is changing the mobile shopper,� said Brian Edwards, search marketing specialist at iProspect.

�Having both a mobile-friendly site and a mobile app is making it easier than ever for Pinterest users to go from someone browsing pictures to online shoppers in seconds,� he said. �The best part is, the extra steps that might deter a potential customer from following the traditional purchasing path have been removed thanks to the structure in place.

�Rather than having to leave the site if an impulse decision to purchase is made, users can click straight through to the product and buy.�

What�s next?

Although Mr. Edwards does not believe that by adding Pinterest buttons to product pages companies will completely change the way users shop for things, the executive does think that it will definitely make it easier for them.

Additionally, Mr. Edwards forecasts that the social space will soon be crowded with ecommerce brands trying to reach the casual fan through outlets such as Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

�With Pinterest becoming the third largest social site, it�s only becoming easier for consumers to shop online without leaving the comfort of their favorite social networks, not to mention the psychological impact it has on a consumer when their peers are shopping, liking, and sharing products that they have a similar interest in,� Mr. Edwards said.

�I definitely feel like there are brands that aren�t seeing the advantages of Pinterest, but it�s not for everyone, and not everyone has content that is shared really well from a Pinterest standpoint,� he said.

�Brands that are aligned with the most shared content on Pinterest definitely stand to benefit from a presence on the social site � that�s not to say that brands should be discouraged if they aren�t currently seeing an impact.

�With ecommerce giants like Amazon and eBay integrating Pinterest buttons directly to product pages, it�s pretty clear that they are interested in capturing any advantage they can. If a major and extremely varied ecommerce site can see success from adding Pinterest buttons on product pages, why shouldn�t everyone utilize them?�

Final Take

Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York

Associate Editor Rimma Kats covers media, television, research and social networks. Reach her at rimma@mobilemarketer.com.

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