Officially, Pinterest is now a bona fide social media star. Boasting around 150 million users, the once cute platform has grown into a social media powerhouse popular with individuals and businesses alike. And given that it was only released in 2010, it did so with surprising speed.
Long admired by brides-to-be and foodies alike, Pinterest is now much more than a storage space for wedding plans and recipes. Today, the virtual board is home to more than 75 billion ideas representing all types of users and content – from millennials pinning gift guides to music enthusiasts sharing their favorite YouTube playlists.
The primary reason people go to Pinterest is for ideas. Increasingly, people are also going shopping. And oh how they shop. According to the Millward Brown Research, 87 percent of Pinners buy something they see on Pinterest, while 93 percent plan to do so.
Also consider the fact that two-thirds of Pins now showcase a brand or product. Yes, Pinterest is big business for brands. There’s a chance we’ll see more of this trend as Pinterest makes it easier and easier to shop almost anywhere.
So who are these millions of Pinners who make Pinterest successful? Getting smart insights about Pinterest demographics is essential for any social media professional. Sit back, here’s everything you need to know about who’s buying on Pinterest now.
Pinterest gender demographics
While increasingly popular with men, Pinterest is still a lady’s game. In fact, according to a 2016 Pew Research study, of all online adults in the US, 45 percent of women use Pinterest, compared to only 17 percent of men.
As for the top products that caught female Pinners’ attention? Food, home decor and clothing are ranked as the most popular. Interestingly, women also use Pinterest heavily to plan their future.
Millward Brown’s 2016 study found that Pinners are 47 percent more likely to plan a life event (think weddings or outings) in the next six months. What’s more, a remarkable 96 percent of active Pinners use Pinterest for planning research.
For businesses trying to reach women on Pinterest, see ways to use your brand to make Pinner easy to plan. Beauty salon L’Oreal is a great example of a brand that uses Pinterest to do just that with their life events boards. From weddings to trip planning, these curated boards deftly position L’Oreal’s products as event must-haves.
L’Oreal also frequently partners with beauty influencers and other lifestyle brands on various life event boards to expand their reach. In a summer collaboration with popular stylist Katherine Accettura, L’Oreal has cleverly positioned its products as “summer looks” through 97 fun Pins. At the time of this writing, the board has gained an astonishing 930,000 followers.
Pinterest age demographic
So, which age group is most active on Pinterest? Interestingly, the platform is popular across multiple generations – millennials, Generation X, and Boomers all get pinned regularly. However, it is millennials who prefer Pinterest the most, with 36 percent of Pinterest users being between the ages of 18 and 29. Very recently, Generation X makes up 34 percent of Pinterest’s audience. Boomers, who make up about 18 percent of users, rounds out the group.
Given its popularity among millennials, Pinterest is an especially great tool for reaching this demographic. According to a study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (MA), millennials prefer Pinterest over other social platforms for shopping. And by a pretty long shot: 47 percent of millennials on Pinterest bought something they pinned — nine percent and 14 percent larger than Facebook and Twitter, respectively.
Like most Pinners, millennials use Pinterest to help develop their vision of their ideal selves. Research by Chain Store Age found that a remarkable 79 percent of millennial Pinners see Pinterest as a life guide. The study also showed that:
- 80 percent of millennials say Pinterest helps them find what they want to buy
- 72 percent of millennials use the visual board to connect with brands they love
- 71 percent of millennials turn to the platform for recommendations on what to buy
For brands, educational content like how-to Pins or step-by-step Pins is a great way to engage millennials who want to try something new.
Stitch Fix, a San Francisco-based style service, is a great example of a brand using education to drive sales on Pinterest. The brand frequently shares how-to boards to give style tips to its followers. By doing this, Stitch Fix positions itself as a trusted advisor while deftly promoting its services.
Pinterest revenue demographic
And the revenue group running the pack on Pinterest? According to the Pew Research Center, Pinterest is used fairly evenly across all income brackets, with those earning over $75,000 by a slight margin:
- Less than $30,000 per year = 30% of users
- $30,000-$49,000 = 32% of users
- $50,000-$74,999 = 31% of users
- More than $75,000 = 35% of users
As a note to luxury brand marketers, the majority of millennials plan to one day roll in the dough. According to the Schullman Research Center’s 2016 Millionaire Trilogy, 49 percent of millennials plan to become rich (compare that with just six percent of Gen X and 14 percent of Boomers).
And like most things they touch, millennials seriously distort the meaning of luxury. Millennial luxury, which once meant designer bags and shoes, is all about experience, the memory and feel a brand evokes.
Provide a shopping experience to remember for luxury brands trying to capture these future players on Pinterest. Burberry is a terrific example of a luxury brand that does just that. In the lead up to the release of the brand’s bio, the Tale of Thomas Burberry Pinterest board does an incredible job of giving readers a memorable viewing experience. Filled with seductive images of the movie’s stars, each Pin presents a memorable moment while also highlighting Burberry’s outfits.
Pinterest location demographics
Wondering where these Pinners live? They are likely to be from the city. The Pew Research Center found that 64 percent of Pinterest users live in a city or ‘burb’, while 25 percent live in rural areas. With these stats in mind, your best bet is to direct your Pinterest marketing to bustling urbanites.
And what does any self-respecting city dweller most dream of? Of course to escape from the city. Brands like Aritzia and American Apparel are excellent examples of brands using Pinterest to capitalize on city dwellers’ dreams of escapism. Mixing snapshots of exotic regions with products, the brands cleverly position their clothes as the private key to adventure.
Have you mastered your demographics and want some actionable tips on how to use Pinterest for your business? Next, head over to our How to Use Pinterest for Business post.
Save time managing your Pinterest presence using Moyens I/O. You can create, schedule and post Pins, create new boards, pin to multiple boards at once, and run all your other social media profiles from a single board. Try it for free today.
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