Personalisation on Pinterest: the new AI-driven feature tailored to you

9 June

If you've never used Pinterest before... I'm not sure we can be friends (I'm really sorry). Pinterest defines itself as a 'visual discovery engine', but I see it as a visual haven where creatives can go to work, or to rest. It has a plethora of categories to discover. This is my homepage, for example:

Nail art? A cat drinking and iced beverage while at work? Pikachu?

Don't tell me I don't have range. Because that is range.

With 60% of users logging on to 'view pictures', it's no surprise, then, that Pinterest have launched new features to enhance user's search choices: using images.

The what.

Typically, most searches start with words. However, Pinterest acknowledge that words can be rather limiting when trying to describe a vibe, style or aesthetic.

The new feature is super easy to use. Currently only available to the U.K., the U.S. and Canada in the Women's Fashion category, there are plans to roll it out to more over time.

All you need to do to test this feature out (providing you reside in one of the above locations) is press and hold on a fashion pin, and it'll generate three words like the below.

If you like the sound of one of those words, you can click one or click the sparkling magnifying glass. Either way, it will take you to a screen where it has further inspiration and more words, similar to the below. But what about when you click on one of those words?

This is where the real magic happens.

The next screen lets you refine your search even further, so it is completely personalised to you.

Different colour? Done.

Different fabric? Fine.

A specific occasion? Easy.

This feature might be revolutionary. As a monochrome-loving girly, I very rarely wear colours that aren't black, white, blue or neutral. This taking 'does it come in black?' to the next level.

And searching by occasion? It's like a personal stylist in your pocket.

The how.

The 2024 Forbes State of Customer Service and CX Survey found that 81% of customers prefer companies that offer personalised experiences.

Did you know when searching for inspiration on Pinterest, you can refine by skin tone, hair pattern and body type? Pinterest lives and breathes personal expression. And these new features only consolidate that further.

But it's not just your bog standard, human personalisation. 92% of brands are investing in AI-driven personalisation. The rich search experience utilises Pinterest's Visual Language Models (VLMs) to give users more visual options, that they can use to refine their style preferences. It gives the user the power to choose and hone in on exactly what they want.

Dana Cho, Pinterest VP of Design, mentions that the 'visual search technology represents a shift in how users discover inspiration', and that the new features 'curate a personalised journey of discovery that empowers individuals to find their unique style'.

Why the feature is exciting.

There have been countless times when I've been working on a deck or a concept where I have headed to Pinterest to find an image. However, sometimes the vision is harder to describe. But with an image? I instantly know whether or not it matches the vibe I am trying to create.

Currently the feature is only available for Women's fashion. That said, there's also the option to refine your search by tapping on the different elements of the outfit, for example, the bag. This part of the feature actually does work on other items too, such as furniture and pets.

For example, imagine you're an upcoming fantasy writer, and you're writing about a knight. But maybe you're not an expert on suits of armour, and might not know what pauldrons are. You might not have played Oblivion (remastered or not), so you maybe you've not heard the terms greaves used before. But this feature might unlock that learning and others too.

Not only that, but visual search is just the beginning.

Despite describing itself as a 'visual discovery platform', which implies images; video content dominates the platform. 1 billion videos are watched daily. Thus, it will be interesting to see how video content, and video search (if it's possible) continues to shape the future of the tool.

How brands can use this feature:

Out of the 2 billion searches per month, 96% of searches are unbranded.

For fashion brands, it's not about using the feature to search for personal clothing suggestions (although you can definitely do that in your own time. I encourage it). It's about identifying what other users and your potential audience are searching for. Especially when it comes to your own content, and especially when users aren't using branded terms. These terms can become part of your Pinterest content strategy, SEO strategy and beyond.