It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

I mean, not in terms of snow and colored lights just yet, but definitely in terms of the steady stream of new features being rolled out by social media platforms as they seek to tie their new updates into business holiday planning and marketing strategy.

This week, Pinterest has added some new considerations into the mix, with the addition of Shop the Look collection ads, along with an updated profile format which enables users to include video as their cover image.

First off, on Shop the Look collections - Pinterest is expanding its shoppable post format into paid ads, enabling businesses to showcase multiple, buyable items within each Pin.

As per Pinterest:

"It's the easiest way for retailers to feature multiple products in a single ad so Pinners can discover great products in the context of a Pin’s image and click to checkout on the retailer’s site."

As you can see in the example above, Shop the Look collections will essentially expand into product catalogs, with the capacity to display a range of products. Advertisers will be able to tag up to 25 items in a Pin image, while a preview showcase of four items will be shown along the bottom of the Pin.

Pinterest first launched Shop the Look Pins with selected brand partners back in 2017, then expanded them to all businesses in September last year. Pinterest then took them a step further back in February with the launch of automated Shop the Look Pins, which use Pinterest's advanced image identification processes to link products to immediate buying options.

The addition of these expanded Shop the Look ad options will provide more ways for brands to drive direct purchases from Pinterest, which could help maximize shopping potential among browsing consumers. Pinterest says that the new Shop the Look ads will be rolling out in the U.S. "over the coming months". 

Pinterest is also rolling out a new business profile format, which enables brands to use custom images, or even video, in their header section.

As you can see here, the new profiles also include a dedicated 'Shop' tab, providing another way to showcase your products, while Pinterest also notes that the new profiles will include an "updated messaging feature for quick customer support and feedback".

That's particularly interesting given that Pinterest is also rolling out a new messaging option on Group Boards, which aligns with broader messaging trends in the industry, while also harking back to the platform's more social roots.

In recent times, Pinterest has repeatedly noted that it is not a social network, that it's now a product discovery platform, but the addition of more, and improved, direct messaging features seems like an acknowledgment that modern shoppers do also desire that immediate connection. As such, providing capacity to link users with sellers, and their friends (via group boards) makes a lot of sense.

And lastly, Pinterest has also announced that it's bringing its 'Catalogues' feature to select partners in France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

"We’re also bringing Shopping Ads to these countries so retailers can automatically create Pinterest ads from an existing product catalogue at scale." 

Pinterest launched its product Catalogues with selected brands in the US earlier this year.  The option enables businesses to upload their full product listings to Pinterest, and then convert them into dynamic Product Pins, making more of their Pin content shoppable, and showcasing their expanded offerings.

The additions will provide more considerations for brands heading into the holiday shopping period, with new ways to better showcase your offerings, and maximize your opportunities. And given Pinners tend to come to the platform in a shopping mindset, it's worth considering the potential fit for your promotional efforts.