Pinterest Pushes Online Shop

Pinterest has taken another step forward in its efforts to turn its popular social media platform into an eCommerce destination as well. The evolution started with the introduction of Buyable Pins and is now expanding to the newly announced Pinterest Shop.

Going forward, the trends-focused shopping section will rotate collections daily with listings curated by Pinterest editors. Those collections are meant to be something of a mix, according to the firm, with some items culled from major chains and others representing smaller shops.

Using the shop involves downloading a mobile app (sorry, desktop devotees — so far, the new shop is mobile-only) and tapping the “explore” icon.

And, in further expansion of Pinterest’s efforts to monetize completely, Buyable Pins are finally coming to Android OS phones.

Pinterest, with its focus on curated visuals and products, has always been the most natural fit for adding a shopping function to a social media network. After all, the point of Pinterest is to go and look at really cool stuff (as opposed to share your opinion or look at cat pictures) and “pin” those things one especially wants. But monetizing that isn’t as easy as simply flipping over the “Open” sign on a shop. However natural a fit between Pinterest and shopping there is, consumers still have to get used to the idea of buying there.

Pinterest, however, remains confident that the shop — designed to reflect the trends of the day — will fit naturally into the site and into its users’ lives.

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