The market size of cross-border e-commerce (EC) is expanding year by year, driven by the global spread of smartphones and travel restrictions due to the coronavirus. In the background, there is probably the influence of “globalization,” which increases the mobility of people, goods, and money. According to one survey (*1), as of April 2022, there will be 5 billion Internet users worldwide, which is equivalent to 63% of the world’s population. It is also known that 4.65 billion people, or more than 93% of Internet users, use social networking services, and it is important to utilize social networking services when developing cross-border e-commerce.
Here, we will discuss “Pinterest,” which is used by 400 million people worldwide every month, from the perspective of cross-border EC marketing to overseas markets.
A Quick Dive into Pinterest
Pinterest is a service that allows users to organize and share images and videos that interest them by saving (pinning) them to a corkboard.
It is used as a content to get inspiration for ideas by collecting images and videos, and to find triggers that inspire action. Unlike Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, which are used to upload current and past events, Pinterest is “a tool used to expand your horizons for your future self.
Compared to other social networking services, Pinterest has a slightly lower level of recognition in Japan. However, the number of monthly active users (MAUs) worldwide exceeded 433 million as of the second quarter of 2022, surpassing Twitter’s MAUs.
According to Pinterest Japan’s Growth Operations Japan Representative, Takayuki Funakoshi, MAUs in Japan exceed 8.7 million, and research shows that women account for about 6:4 of the total. The age range of users is almost the same between 20s and 40s, and the number of users in their 50s, 60s, and above is not extremely small.
It can be said that the “disappearance of language barriers” and “strong image sharing” through images and videos, with few text elements, are the reasons for the popularity among users of all ages.
Using Pinterest and E-Commerce with Image Search
Pinterest publicizes their service on their official website as a “Visual Discovery Engine”. In other words, the service is centered on “encouraging visual discovery.
Similar to Instagram in its focus on visuals, Pinterest also plays the role of “search” to gather information that leads to future actions. Another key feature is its superior image search functionality, such as the “zoom-in search” feature, which displays related images simply by zooming in on an image, and the fact that it always shows “similar image displays.
As mentioned above, by specializing in visuals, the language barrier disappears, and the advantage is that the concept and images of one’s products can be conveyed succinctly to people around the world. The ability to display related images may lead to the acquisition of unexpected core fans. Furthermore, if the product or service is visually impactful, it may attract attention again even if the product or service is several years old.
If you can take an approach on Pinterest that catches the eye of users, you can easily achieve results that lead to conversions, and it is highly beneficial to use Pinterest for cross-border e-commerce.
Creating an Account
If you create a Pinterest account, you will be able to see how many users your images are reaching, and if you post links to your site, you will be able to count the number of visits. This will enable precise data analysis and will have a positive effect on your cross-border e-commerce operations. Create an account and post visually focused images and videos to acquire core fans.
There are three advantages to using Pinterest to attract customers to your cross-border e-commerce site.
First, there are “no operating costs” for the account. This is true for other social networking sites as well, but having a free account for publicity and customer attraction allows you to promote your products without incurring any costs.
Secondly, even small and medium-sized businesses can “easily market in the same areas as large companies,” and since Pinterest’s image search displays images that are “of interest to users” and “closest to what they are searching for,” they do not need to worry as much about how many followers their accounts have. In addition, since there are only a few Japanese companies participating in the market, there are few competitors. When you appear at the top of the search image, it will lead to a great sales opportunity.
A final advantage is the ability to conduct precise “targeted analysis” Pinterest has a feature called “boards” that allows you to pin images of interest and organize them by theme. Boards can be named in any way you like. For example, an image of a coffee filter might be placed in a board called “coffee,” while others might put it in a board called “cleaning” or “cooking. This helps the originator of the image to know “which board” the user has categorized it into, which is useful for target analysis.
Merits of Pinterest in International E-Commerce
In Japan, where the domestic market is shrinking, it is important to operate a cross-border EC operation to anticipate demand from overseas. By using Pinterest as a means of cross-border EC PR, you can compete with “products” regardless of the size of your company. Because you can convey your image succinctly with visuals alone, you can reach out to Internet users around the world without incurring any costs. Once the images are prepared, all you need to do is post a link to your company’s purchase site. Research attractive ways to showcase your products and start using them as a lead to attract customers for cross-border e-commerce.