The digital version of an inspo board is the premise behind Pinterest. The social media angle helps you find and connect with other like-minded “pinners” with interests in the same products, projects, and ideas.  Pinterest holds the record for the fastest site in history to achieve 10 million unique site visitors. Rapid growth coupled with a focus on visual search and eCommerce has made the platform prime spot for ad marketing.

The positivity and aspirational feel of pins make Pinterest popular with Millennials, who along with Gen-Z, will comprise the biggest spending groups in the coming years. This article compiles relevant marketing data and statistics on Pinterest and how to best use the platform to market your brand and company.

General Pinterest Facts and Stats

Pinterest has consistently ranked among the most popular social media platforms. Though not in the same league as Facebook’s numbers, Pinterest’s monthly active users drive traffic and revenue not just for the platform itself but for other websites that utilize the recognizable pin icon.

• Pinterest was the fastest growing standalone site to reach 10 million unique monthly users.
• The platform has more than 2 billion pins shared and pinned in over 4 billion boards.
• 65% of Pinterest images have a link that leads back to the source of the pin, a repin generates user content on behalf of the brand.
• The US provides 46% of web traffic to Pinterest.
• The average length of a site visit to Pinterest is 5 minutes, 9 seconds.
• Pinterest ended 2019 by overtaking Snapchat to become the third biggest social network in the US. Facebook and Instagram hold the first two spots.
• Pinterest has 88 million monthly active users (MAU) in the US, an 8% year-over-year (YoY) growth.
• Pinterest has an average of 2 billion searches every month.
• One-third of Pinterest searches are visual, utilizing search by image which is only offered on Pinterest.
• One in three pinners uses Pinterest to follow brands and companies.

Pinterest User Stats

4 out of 5 female pinners are aged 25-54. These women are active users and are constantly on the lookout for new ideas in the categories of food, drink, makeup, and accessories. Women are also the big spenders on Pinterest, using upwards of $500 on personal products alone.

Pinterest users from the US are a quarter of its total users and drive close to half of its web traffic; while international users are 3 out of 4 of the platform’s members.

• Pinterest gained 51 million non-US users in 2019.
• Pinterest’s active user base grew 26% to reach 335 million in 2019.
• Over 50% of Pinterest’s monthly active users log on to the platform at least once a week.
• Pinterest reaches 83% of females aged 25-54 in the US.
• 52% of women pinners on Pinterest used the platform to check for food and drinks and 70% to find accessories and jewelry.
• Women spent more than $500 a month on beauty products discovered on Pinterest in the last six months.
• Male pinners make up 20% of Pinterest’s global users. 40% of US users are dads looking at and shopping for fatherhood related products.
• 45% of US dads with an annual household income of $100K use Pinterest.
• 52% of Millennials use Pinterest monthly.
• 50% of Millennial pinners have an annual household income of $75K.

Pinterest US User Demographics

Pinterest users skew female; male members are outnumbered 3.5:1. American pinners are educated with over two-thirds having a college education or have attended some classes. US pinners have spending power—over 41% have an annual income of 75k and up. The average age for a Pinterest user is 40, but the majority of the social platform’s users are spread in two age groups that overlap: older Millennials and younger Gen-X. These two groups have a combined annual consumer spend of $679 billion.

• 71% of Pinterest’s global users are female.
• About 43% of US internet users have a Pinterest account.
• 33% of Pinterest users are White, Blacks make up 27% while Hispanics are 22%.
• The age groups 18-24 and 30-49 use Pinterest the most – 38% and 35% respectively.
• Four in 10 Pinterest users have an annual household income of $75K.
• 70% of Pinterest users in the US have attended college or are college graduates.
• The average age of a pinner is 40 but the majority of the platform’s MAU are under 40.

Pinterest User Behaviors

9 out of 10 Pinterest users go on the platform to search for ideas and information about the products they plan to make. While originally focused on “pinning” ideas for projects and inspiration, Pinterest has shifted its focus to eCommerce with promoted pins. These pins have led to 47%of pinners buying products through the pin’s site.

Pinterest users are women and outnumber men user 3x across age groups. Marketers are paying attention as these women comprise 80% of the buying power of American households. While women tend to scroll and look at pins that catch their eye, men like to hone in on a product based on their search preferences.

Pinterest use and purchasing are tied together with 55% of Pinterest users admitting to using the platform to specifically search for products. Life moments have a big impact on Pinterest users’ decisions to buy. Millennials are examples of this with 86% of them using the social platform to plan their life moments.

• 89% of US pinners use Pinterest for inspiration for their purchases while 47% use Pinterest to shop directly from a pin’s site.
• 62% of Pinterest dads are active search users and are less likely to scroll.
• 86% of Millennials use Pinterest to plan life moments, both big and small.
• Pins that contain life moments have a 10x increase in awareness and a 22% increase in sales.
• Female pinners aged 25-54 makes 80% of the purchasing decisions in US households by using Pinterest to strategize and plan their purchasing journey.
• Pinterest digital campaigns drive 3.8x more sales than other platforms.
• 28% of global marketers are pinners themselves.
• 50% of people who saw a promoted pin make a purchase.
• 85% of Pinterest users use Pinterest mobile.
• Around 55% of Pinterest users are on the platform to search for specific products.

User Perceptions About Pinterest Activity

The inspirational and aspirational aspects of pins and boards are a big draw for users who follow particular brands. The positivity is a glaring difference compared to how other social platforms are described. Despite the high incidence of failures in expectations vs reality scenarios, 98% of Pinterest users have tried out the ideas they have discovered on Pinterest.

• 50% of Millennial pinners use the platform to inspire them to make dreams a reality.
• 78% of Pinterest users say brand content—including the ads—is useful.
• Pinterest users rate ads 1.4x more relevant and useful compared to ads on other platforms.
• 90% of pinners describe their Pinterest user experience as full of positivity.
• The following ideas are trending searches on Pinterest for the first quarter of  2020:
  – Self-discovery journal prompts (+147%)
  – Gender-neutral names list (+301%)- Social media detox (+314%)
  – Art therapy activities (+444%)
  – Climate change protest signs (+5961%)
• 98% of Pinterest users have tried out the ideas and projects they have discovered on the platform.
• Pinterest is ranked 10th in Prophet’s Brand Relevant Index of top brands in the US, the only social platform to place in the top ten.

Pinterest Marketing, Company Growth, and Revenue

Pinterest raised $1.43 billion in its IPO in April 2019 and currently has a market value of $13.7 billion. Increases in ARPU have been positive across global, US, and international users. The ARPU for international users grew 127% YoY but the money is in US users with an ARPU of $4.

The platform’s growth is positive–surpassing expectations in MAUs (335 million, vs. 331.3 million forecasts) and revenue ($400 million, vs. $371 million projected).

• Pinterest’s global Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) was up 14% YoY from 2018 while the US average was up 26%.
• Global revenue growth was slower for the third quarter of 2019 but still increased by 47% compared to the previous quarter’s 62%.
• Pinterest’s ad revenue is forecast to reach $1 billion in 2020.
• Advertisers have 169 million ad audience on Pinterest.
• The US is 47% of the platform’s ad audience. Rounding up the top 5 are Germany, France, the UK, and Canada.
• Women aged 25-34 compose 29% of Pinterest users and are Pinterest’s largest ad audience.
• Pinterest’s average revenue per user in the US is $4, international users have an ARPU of $0.21.
• Pins of products or services being used are 67% more likely to increase sales.
• Pinterest has a market capital value of $13.7 billion.
• Pinterest’s global revenue for the fourth quarter of 2019 grew 46% YoY to $400 million.

References:

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2. SEC | Pinterest, Inc. Form S-1
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