When we think of Pinterest, we think millennial tablescapes, nursery room interior ideas and wedding inspo boards. But the platform has come a long way since then.
We tend to exclude Gen Z when thinking about which audiences frequent Pinterest, and for what reasons they do so. But what if we told you that Gen Z are currently the fastest growing cohort of Pinterest users?
Being able to visualise trends and explore new identities are non-negotiables at the top of Gen Z’s priority list when it comes to platform interaction. This is why we see them gravitating towards the likes of TikTok, which offers visual, short-form video content. Similarly, Pinterest Boards, Pins, Predictions e.t.c., are able to offer Gen Z exactly this and is why we now see hoards of younger people flocking to the platform.
If, like us, you trust the opinions of tech-savvy Gen Z’ers to tell you what’s hot right now, you’ll be pleased to know that you can continue ticking Pinterest off of your list. 30% of adults under 25 associate Pinterest with “cool” and deem it one of the least fake and invasive platforms out there. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.
In this article, we’ll explore exactly why Gen Z loves Pinterest and why it’s become a go-to platform for self-expression. We’ll also delve into its standing among other social media platforms and how leaning into its unique features is ultimately the way forward for younger audiences leveraging social media.
WHAT MAKES PINTEREST “THAT GIRL”?
Pinterest describes itself as a place that’s “about your self, not your selfie”—a site for finding inspiration and ideas. Because of this, the platform boasts engaging aesthetics and seamless navigation. Industries that rely so heavily on visual representations—such as fashion and beauty—thrive on a platform like Pinterest as creators within these fields can lean into features such as Boards and Pins to promote products, highlight trends, create trends e.t.c.
But Pinterest isn’t a one-stop shop. There’s a reason why Gen Z loves Pinterest and chooses to come back armed with new ideas and expectations time and time again.
Pinterest is home to an elite search engine
As surprising as it may seem, Pinterest is home to an incredibly developed search engine. Even Google is given a run for its money.
Think about how many times you’ve typed something into Google and not been met with what you were looking for. Too many, we presume.
Unlike other major search engines, Pinterest is able to understand complex search terms like ”edgy” and “whimsical” and appropriately generate results perfectly matching what the searcher was looking for. For a generation like Gen Z who are so sure about what they want, utilising such a developed search engine must feel like a breath of fresh air.
More importantly, being able to so easily access specific search results lends itself well to up-and-coming trends circulating the internet. Looking specifically at the “cores” trends – blokecore, coquette core etc – which are a lot more complex in both name and aesthetic, it’s no wonder Google struggles to pull up accurate results. On Pinterest, however, is where they thrive and are so easily integrated into users Boards.
Trending content on Pinterest does more than just look forward. It takes off faster, inspires audiences and is built for longevity. A recent study concluded that Pinterest trends take off 20% faster than those on any other platform in their first six months. Thanks to this, Gen Z gets to stay ahead of the curve and continue the cycle of creating and discovering fresh content.
The ability to implement niche trends and aesthetics into a Pinterest Board speaks to why Gen Z loves Pinterest, as it feeds into their desire for identity experimentation online. The platform houses a treasure trove of aesthetics from the 80s or 90s mixed in with modern “insta fit pics” and fashion newness. Having a breadth of options at their fingertips, Gen Z are able to hone their love for remixing different aesthetics and putting their own modern twist on eras gone by.
Pinterest’s search engine and diverse catalogue of results isn’t all it has to offer. The platform has proved time and time again that it’s at the forefront of innovative technology creation. To accompany its implementation of skin-tone technology, Pinterest upped its dedication to plus-size representation across the platform. Using AI-led technology, a more diverse range of body types is now put forward when a user searches for certain fashion, beauty, wellness and sport images.
An online platform reflecting the world we live in is an important factor when looking at why Gen Z loves Pinterest. This dedication to representation allows users to see more examples of people who align with their body type.
Pinterest allows Gen Z to plan for the future
Gen Z are often hailed as the generation practising self-care and organising every aspect of their life to a T. Being present in online spaces is also hugely important to them. Why Gen Z loves Pinterest is because the platform is able to bridge the gap between the two by offering up ways to creatively plan for future endeavours.
Where older users typically leverage Pinterest’s features for creating moodboards to best represent their aspirations, Gen Z are a tad more proactive. Their creation of Boards and the images they choose to Pin, only serve as stepping stones in a devised purchase path guaranteed to end with the acquisition of their dream outfit, holiday etc.
Pinterest’s recent implementation of shoppable content on the platform is responsible for the boom in user actionability. Before this, Pinterest Boards only served as an aesthetic, despite more than half of Pinterest users saying they were there to shop. Now, the style-obsessed Gen Z’ers are able to use Pinterest as a go-to fashion destination, driving engagement and increasing ad revenue.
For retailers and brands looking to target this young generation, leveraging the answers as to why Gen Z loves Pinterest presents a major opportunity to capture that intent by helping guide the Pinner from top-of-the-funnel discovery to decision making and finally, a purchase. Chief Content Officer, Malik Ducard, believes Pinterest’s ease of access to a purchase path can drive the platform onwards to becoming the next big thing in online fashion, should it uphold its commitments to amplifying the diversity and inclusion representation that plays a significant role in Gen Z’s buying habits.
WHAT’S THE CATCH?
Given Pinterest’s picture-perfect interface and opportune environment for trendsetting, trend discovery and identity exploration, it’s easy to view this platform as an “everything” platform. A super platform, if you will.
However, as much as we understand why Gen Z loves Pinterest, the platform isn’t the total ticket.
Where it tends to get siloed is in its lack of integration capabilities with other platforms. The visual nature of Pinterest encourages users to want to share their creations with the rest of the internet, but with no streamlined pipeline in place to do so, this isn’t possible.
If Pinterest were to adapt to facilitate a more streamlined sharing process, users would be able to freely bounce between platforms and cross-promote their findings and creations. As previously touched on, Gen Z desires staying ahead of the curve. Being able to share up-and-coming trends to their accounts on other platforms would aid this. Likewise, giving brands and advertisers the same opportunity to stay ahead of the trend curve will put them at the forefront of digital culture and improve future prospects.
For the time being, Pinterest is firmly rooted as Gen Z’s preferred platform, offering up a range of creative opportunities for setting trends, discovering new identities and dabbling in a world abundant with inclusive and diverse folk. What’s not to love? Brands and advertisers taking note of exactly why Gen Z loves Pinterest and their regular visits to the platform can cash in on their frequency and use it as an opportunity to delve deeper into their whimsical world. Given how well Pinterest speaks to this young generation, we can only expect it to go up from here.
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