Pinterest has launched Visual Search Ads, a new advertising format designed to help brands reach users through visual search as they research products and move closer to purchase decisions.
The announcement was made on September 17 at Pinterest Presents, the platform’s annual global advertiser summit.
Visual Search Ads will give advertisers placements in Pinterest Search Results and Pin closeups, combining keyword relevance with a visual format. The ads are designed to support lower-funnel objectives and will be compatible with Pinterest Performance+, the platform’s AI-powered performance advertising suite.
Pinterest said users conduct more than 80 billion searches on the platform each month, with the vast majority being visual and more than half having a commercial intent. Advertisers will be able to bid for a top response and direct users to their websites.
“Traditional search advertising has long relied on keywords, but in an AI-driven world, people are expressing themselves in much richer ways. Visual Search Ads allow marketers to tap into this new and rapidly growing form of AI-powered search with a prominent placement at the critical decision points where people see, save and decide,” said Bill Ready, CEO of Pinterest.
“Powered by Pinterest Intelligence – our AI-enabled visual understanding of images, products, taste and intent – we make those signals actionable for advertisers through visual search,” he said.
The Visual Search Ads format will initially be available in beta to eligible advertisers across Pinterest’s advertising markets in the coming weeks.
More control for advertisers
Pinterest is also expanding its Performance+ advertising suite with new tools aimed at giving advertisers greater control over automated campaigns.
One of the new features, Priority Products, will allow advertisers to specify product groups they want to prioritise within a campaign, including during seasonal launches, promotions or category pushes.
The company is also introducing self-serve A/B testing, allowing advertisers to test campaign strategies across creative and targeting and within Pinterest Performance+.
For brands seeking mobile-app growth, Pinterest is introducing App Promotion, a dedicated objective for driving app installs. The feature is now in global beta with qualified advertisers and uses Pinterest Performance+ automation and privacy-safe measurement.
Pinterest said one advertiser in early testing recorded an improvement of up to 85% in cost per install compared with previous workarounds.
AI moves into consumer discovery
Pinterest is also expanding the use of Pinterest Intelligence, which the company describes as a combination of first-party signals, visual understanding and purpose-built AI.
A new feature called Restyle will allow users to upload a photograph of a space and use Pinterest’s technology to reimagine it, test ideas and compare different options.
Restyle will launch in beta in the US and Canada in the coming weeks.
Pinterest is also bringing back Bring My Pinterest to Life for a second season. The premium CTV series pairs Pinterest users with creators and brands to turn ideas saved on Pinterest into real-world spaces, experiences and looks.
Digital creator Tay BeepBoop Nakamoto and fashion editor and author Caroline Vazzana are among the creators returning for the second season.
The latest announcements underline Pinterest’s effort to connect its visual discovery experience more directly with commercial intent, while using AI to help users move from discovering ideas to evaluating and acting on them.
