Is Pinterest Changing the Way You Shop?

Pinterest is changing the game called social media for many people. Now we have an even better way to organize our online surfing and idea-gathering, and to share our interests with our friends. If you’re like many consumers, chances are likely that Pinterest has changed the way you shop online, too.

Pinterest changes the online (and even in-store) shopping game in several ways. Have you used the latest social media craze in any of these ways recently?

Following Retailers on Pinterest

One recent Daily Finance article states that the average Pinterest user follows just over nine retailers, compared with 6.9 for a Facebook user and 8.5 for a Twitter user. More and more brands are using Pinterest as a way to connect with shoppers, and sometimes you can even get good deals from the brands and companies you follow.

Interestingly enough, Pinterest boards for various brands aren’t just filled with those brands’ goods. Old Navy’s pinboard, for instance, is full of inspirational pins from all sorts of areas, sprinkled in, of course, with pins from its own collections of seasonal clothing.

Because the Pinterest experience is like window shopping, only online, following your favorite brands can keep you up-to-date on their latest fashions, styles, and sales – all without ever having to set foot inside your local mall.

Our favourites include: Oscar PR Girl, GAP, Anthropologie, Kate Spade, Burberry, Net-A-Porter and Bergdorf Goodman.

Organizing Your Shopping List

Perhaps one of the most popular ways for Pinterest users to use the service is for organizing shopping lists. Creating a look for your summer wardrobe is easy when you can pin all your “must-haves” onto a pinboard, seeing how this pair of shorts from GAP can go with that shirt from Banana Republic. Even if you’re a less traditional shopper and prefer handmade items, you can use Pinterest to organize bespoke clothing and accessory items from Etsy or even blog tutorials for DIY fashion.

The visual aspect of Pinterest makes it ideal for organizing must-have shopping and wish lists for weddings, proms, everyday clothing, business casual clothing, and more. And since you can divide all your pins up into neat little pinboards, you can have an even deeper element of organization when you put your shopping list online with Pinterest.

Getting Ideas from Friends

But, of course, we can’t forget that Pinterest is primarily a form of social media, from which you simply can’t remove the social component. Even if you’re really just making your pinboard for yourself as a shopping list, you can’t help but share the items you love with your friends and Pinterest followers.

And Pinterest is a fantastic way to get ideas from friends. Want to snag some of the looks of your favorite fashionista from the office? Chances are likely that if you follow her on Pinterest, you’ll get a glimpse of some of her planned fashion purchases for next season.

The comments feature of Pinterest also makes the shopping experience more social. You can comment on things that your friends have picked out, and they can do likewise for you. It’s a great way to get opinions on that new pair of heels that you aren’t quite sure you can pull off.

Personal Shopping on Pinterest

More adventurous Pinterest users can user personal shopping services on Pinterest, as well. Sites like Nearly Newlywed will check over your inspirational pinboards for various occasions (your wedding, in this case) and will suggest new items for you to check out. It’s the ideal personal shopping situation because you don’t have to just turn your credit card over to someone else, but you can get inspiration and suggestions from fashion goddesses with more resources than your own.

If you are interested in finding a personal shopper to shop for you in real life, though, Pinterest can be a great place to do it. Many professional personal shoppers keep pinboards of inspirations and ideas, so that you can get an idea of their styles before hiring them to shop for you.

When you’re considering hiring a personal shopper in real life, be sure you have the right credit card to use for the experience.

Pinterest is certainly a game changer for the world of online shopping, and it may even change the way you shop in stores by giving you new ideas and a new way to connect with brands.

Are you a Pinterest addict who uses this hot social media site for Pin-spiration? 

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By Daniela Baker, a social media advocate from New York. She’s interested in journalism and new media and part of the editorial team at Credit Donkey.