Pinterest Takes On Facebook With Event Planning Tools

Pinterest has launched new collaboration tools to allow users to plan parties and projects on the site. Launching on group boards, users are able to have conversations with other members of their board through the new group activity feed.

“The activity feed helps you keep track of what’s happening on the board, like when someone saves a new Pin or adds a new section, or a new member joins,” the company wrote in a press release.

Pinners can easily engage in conversations “with a quick ‘like’ or comment, @-mention a collaborator or reply to start a new thread.” And since privacy is key, only members of the group can see the conversations.

The features — available across all platforms, mobile and web — are in response to requests from users and just one of the latest updates the company is offering. Last month, the company said that it plans to offer a promoted video tool, which allows marketers to gain more real estate than the platform’s typical grid-style layout. In addition, Pinterest is expanding its Shopping Ads tool to reach hundreds of marketers and advertisers. The tool, which places advertisements in customers’ Pinterest search feeds, was tested last year with a handful of retailers.

“It goes back to the core mission of helping people find and discover new products that they would love to buy,” said Jon Alferness, senior VP of Ads & Commerce at Pinterest.

Shopping Ads allows brands to upload their product catalogs, as well as showcase select products, so consumers can simply click through and purchase items directly on the retailer’s site.

“The goal is to align with the visual nature of the platform — that’s what makes Pinterest stand out, that discovery mindset,” Alferness said. “With products on a white platform, there’s no inspiration. You’ve got to bring it to life.”