Enabling online retail has always been one of Pinterest’s biggest goals. No longer just a place for cataloguing and sharing content, the site is now expanding its e-commerce features. So how will new updates assist the buying process, and drive sales for brands?

One of the platform’s crucial new updates is that it will be allowing users to discover multiple products in one image. Visual search on the platform currently lets shoppers discover one product within an image, but the update will identify however many are displayed. So for example, if a user is searching for a particular pair of shoes, he or she will also be able to shop whatever other garments are shown too, such as a pair of jeans or socks. Entitled “Shop the Look”, the feature will also generate small circles over each product for users to tap and shop within Pinterest, or from the brand’s site should they prefer. So far, partnering brands include the likes of Neiman Marcus, Target, and Macy’s. Pinterest has also added another “circle” feature to its pins, allowing users to discover related content. This has been named, “Instant Ideas”, and will let users immediately see similar products, recipes, and other inspirational images or articles.

The platform’s updates sound very similar to Instagram’s, who have been testing their shoppable images feature since late last year. This will see photos contain tags over each product, which will reveal the description, price information, and a “Shop Now” button once tapped by the user. Clicking on the tag will then take him or her to specific product pages within Instagram itself, with purchases also made in-app. So far, twenty retail brands have already partnered to trial this, with the feature expected to roll out later this year. With this in the works, it seems as though both platforms will be neck and neck in the challenge to lure brands and users.

But perhaps Pinterest’s most exciting and unique update (and where it will surely have an advantage), is “Pinterest Lens”. Lens is the platform’s new camera feature that will enable users to point at real life objects and discover related ones on the site. The technology is currently in beta, but this feature will be an incredible way to aid easy discovery of pretty much anything and everything. For instance, Pinterest states on its blog that users will be able to point to food items in order to see recipes, furniture, and even patterns and colours to discover similar designs.

So how will brands benefit? Firstly, we see Pinterest Lens attracting a greater number of users to the site’s mobile app. This will likely give the platform a huge boost if current figures are taken into account- eMarketer found that 84% of smartphone users in the U.S. now “browse, research or compare products via a web browser or app.” It’s clear that brands on the platform will hope to benefit from increased mobile traffic as users take advantage of the useful and fully-integrated new camera feature. We like the fact that with “Shop the Look”, brands will have the choice to let users to make on-site purchases, or direct them to their website instead. Here, sales figures have the potential to double, or at least grow significantly thanks to this option.

Do you use Pinterest for considering online purchases? And do you think brands will be able to drive additional revenue when the updates take effect? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.