This may come as a bit of surprise — but you may want to give more attention to Pinterest when promoting your products on social media.

Yes even if the platform no longer offers an in-app shopping option. Even if it isn't among the top social media sites in terms of total number of users.

And here's why.

"While Instagram, TikTok and Snap are likely to see the highest rates of Gen Z usage, more than 200 million Gen Z users are coming to the platform every month," says a recent trends report released by Pinterest in May.

"They're our fastest growing audience, making up more than 40 percent of our global monthly users," explains the report. "And they're even more engaged than other generations, searching and saving at higher rates."

The trends report, which tracked users between the ages 12 and 27, a demographic also known as Zoomers, showed that 63 percent of weekly Gen Z Pinners are "always shopping."

"Pinterest is where people find their favorite products. And when they find something they love, they're willing to pay more. Two times more per month than people on other social platforms."  

Look Again

Social media and e-commerce specialists are taking notice of Pinterest's potential value for businesses looking to reach the teens/young adult audience, as well as other age groups.

The number of Pinterest users is on the rise, the platform reports. Its first quarter 2024 performance update showed 518 million monthly active users, up from 498 million from the previous quarter, writes Andrew Hutchinson for Social Media Today, a publication operated by Industry Dive.

According to Pinterest, Gen Zers are the platform's fastest-growing audience, making up more than 40 percent of its global monthly users. "And they’re even more engaged than other generations, searching and saving at higher rates."

Pinterest says 46 percent of its users are aged 18-24, 40 percent are 25-34, and 39 percent are people between 35 and 44.

"It remains a place where people research products, so your e-commerce store will also want to have a presence there," says a post by Chloe West for a SproutSocial how-to on "social commerce," which basically is the ability to promote and sell products on social media.

How to Leverage Pinterest to Boost Your Brand, and Your Sales 

Even without an in-app shopping option, there are ways to increase attention to your brand and "sell” products.

"Pinterest, when used right, can add immense value to e-commerce brand success," writes web design and marketing specialist Atul Jindal in a Search Engine Journal post.

"Pinterest bursts with potential, but it also has its own playbook. It is different than other social platforms, and requires a unique approach to win."

In all, Gen Z's searches are up 30 percent year on year on Pinterest, according to the trends report. "They’re increasingly using Pinterest as a search engine, and they search at much higher rates than other generations."

According to Pinterest, businesses can make Pinterest "shoppable” by providing easy ways for Pinners to go from browsing to action from their Pins.

For example, Pinterest suggests using Catalogs to turn your entire product catalog into product Pins, which shows products that are available to buy from the merchants listed in the Pins and can direct users to the merchant's website.

Or, if you have a Shopify or WooCommerce store, you can use their apps to connect your accounts to Pinterest.

Other Gen Z Trends on Pinterest

Gen Z saves nearly 2.5 times more Pins and makes 66 percent more boards than other generations on Pinterest.

Also, the platform says, they're 7 times more likely to purchase a product they previously saved on Pinterest.

Since research indicates users visit Pinterest to research products, businesses should try to optimize their descriptions for Pin search trends.

You can check Pinterest trends by typing in keywords using the search bar on the Pinterest Trends page, which also lists trends with the highest search volume in the last 30 days.

"Gen Zers who use Pinterest weekly are 1.3 times more likely to have purchased online in the last week, compared to people who don't use Pinterest," the trends report adds.