In this day and age, people don’t shop the way they used to. They scroll before they search, and they save before they buy.
And increasingly, they’re shopping where they feel inspired. That’s why Pinterest has become one of the most valuable platforms for creators and e-commerce brands, especially when powered by Shopping Ads.
This guide walks you through Pinterest’s latest ad tools while connecting the dots to critical shifts in shopping behaviour, as uncovered in these Logie insights.
Pinterest Is Changing How People Shop and Search
Why Website Traffic Is Dropping and What Smart Creators and Brands Must Do Next
Step 1: Upload Your Product Catalogue. Your Storefront Starts Here
Your product feed is the foundation of everything on Pinterest. It enables discoverable product Pins, retargeting ads, and personalized shopping experiences.
How to upload:
- Direct Upload: Add your data feed as a .csv or .tsv file.
- E-commerce Integrations: Sync in real-time with Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, or Salesforce.
- Pinterest API: Ideal for extensive inventories that require automation.
Best practice: Ensure your catalogue is updated daily to avoid out-of-stock items appearing in ads.
According to Pinterest, merchants with Catalogues see 5x more impressions than those without. Every item in your catalogue becomes fuel for Pinterest’s algorithm to promote your products contextually.
Pro tip from Logie: As visual-first platforms continue to rise, structured product data becomes critical in SEO for discovery. Pinterest isn’t just a mood board; it’s now a search engine with buying intent.
Step 2: Optimize Your Feed; Visibility Begins With the Details
Uploading your feed is step one. Optimizing it is where you unlock performance.
🛠 Improve metadata:
- Add product titles with brand, colour, and size (ex, “Adidas Cloudfoam Running Shoes – White, Women’s 8”)
- Write detailed descriptions (80+ characters) using relevant keywords naturally
- Use rich visuals that show the product in lifestyle settings (not just white backgrounds)
Use Pinterest’s tools:
- Catalogue diagnostics to fix feed errors
- Scheduled ingestion to refresh your data frequently
- Bulk uploads to grow your SKU base (2,500+ products = 3x ROAS!)
Pinterest’s discovery engine thrives on context. The more data you give it, the more it can match your product to a user’s intent, often before they even search for it.
Learn how Pinterest is transforming visual search and product discovery.
Step 3: Inspire to Convert; Make Every Scroll Shoppable
People use Pinterest to imagine, plan, and dream. Your goal? Seamlessly insert your products into that experience.
Here’s how:
- Product Tagging: Add clickable tags to lifestyle images so people can shop what they see.
- Connect Instagram: Claim your IG account to auto-import Reels and posts as Pins.
- Creative Catalogue: Automate UGC, influencer content, or videos into dynamic ads.
- Shoppable Collages: Combine multiple products into a themed visual board with prices and links.
Pinterest reports that product Pins tagged in real-life imagery show 70% higher shopping intent than standalone product Pins. It’s not just what you sell, it’s how you show it.
Boards also matter. Over 25% of Pinterest SEO traffic leads to boards, not Pins. So curating relevant boards with tagged products helps your catalogue work harder organically.
Explore how to drive traffic without relying on old SEO playbooks.
Step 4: Launch Smart Shopping; Campaigns Scale With AI
Once your catalogue is optimized, it’s time to turn it into results. Pinterest’s advertising ecosystem now supports advanced campaign types that are smarter, faster, and fully optimized for conversions.
Use these tools:
- Pinterest Performance+: AI-powered ad delivery based on buyer behaviour
- Deal Ads Module: Auto-surfaces sales and price drops to highly interested users
- Promotions Integration: Connect with Shopify to auto-pull promotions into your ads
- Mobile Deep Links: Drive users directly into your app for faster checkout
Pinterest reports that advertisers using deep links see up to a 235% lift in conversions and a 34% lower CPA. That’s not just reach, it’s high-intent action.
Use Smart Campaigns for:
- Retargeting visitors
- Converting high-potential browsers
- Scaling catalogue ads across user segments
Step 5: Measure, Learn, Grow And Repeat What Works
Marketing is half art and half science, and Pinterest gives you the tools to master both.
Essentials:
- Pinterest Tag: Track conversions from Pin to checkout
- Conversions API: Collect server-side data for more accurate attribution
- A/B Testing: Continuously refine creative, targeting, and timing
Third-party measurement: Use tools like Nielsen, Oracle, or Google Analytics for full-funnel insight
Pinterest found that advertisers using the Pinterest Tag and Conversions API together saw ~10% improved CPA. That’s compounding performance with data.
Learn how to measure deeper beyond basic analytics
Pinterest is a Social Platform; it’s also a Conversion Engine. With over 500 million monthly active users and unmatched visual-first engagement, Pinterest is redefining the path to purchase.
By correctly setting up Pinterest Shopping Ads, from catalogue to creative to measurement, you’re building an evergreen machine for product discovery and conversion.
Want to take action now?
- Upload your full product feed.
- Tag your products in lifestyle content.
- Launch Smart Shopping campaigns
- Measure and optimize with real-time insights
Your next high-intent customer might already be on Pinterest; you just need to show up right.
