Pintrest makes an excellent gift registry for all occasions.
I’m planning a party for my younger sister. Usually, I flip through magazines or ask friends for ideas. However, this time I went straight to Pintrest.
As I feverishly pinned for the party, I found so many cute things that I started an alternate board to collect things I wanted. It isn’t that I’m super creative. It was that almost every other person had a “Want it” or “Love it” board and I hate to be left out.
After I finished collecting ideas for my sister’s party, I went through the “Want It” boards of my friends. I honestly felt like I had tapped into some sort of arcane knowledge about people I had known for years.
I now know Marnie’s favorite wine, Elizabeth’s preferred towels and geek gadgets that Eric covets. No longer will I be anxious over what to take to a dinner party, house warming, or birthday bash.
Instead, I can go straight to my friend’s boards and see what they like. In fact, I was so enamored with this discovery that I drag my husband away from the Cubs game to show him the “Want it” boards including mine. We laughed about some of the bad gifts we’ve given each other and shared a collective sigh of relief.
The Retailers Dilemma
While this is great for gift purchasers, retailers are left questioning how to capitalize on this trend. No longer is it enough to just hand people a scanner and set them loose in the store. Moreover, as your customers pin items to their boards, there is no guarantee their friends are going to know where it came from or buy it from you.
Traditionally, the gift registry was for weddings, babies and housewarmings. Now people celebrate many and varied occasions.
Let’s faces it, you’d feel (and look) like a moron going to register for your Cinco de Mayo party. However, now I know exactly what to get Margaret when she invites the entire family over to celebrate with her famous enchiladas. What I don’t know is where to get those cute margarita glasses from her “Love it” board.
So how does a retailer capitalize on this trend?
Make sure that content you share has excellent photography and displays your brand in a subtle way. Big ‘in your face’ branding typically doesn’t get shared as frequently. However, by putting a subtle logo or link to the website in the coner you make it easier for the gift giver to say ” Anne wants this bread maker and I see you can get it at Buns in the Oven.”
Show products in creative ways especially if they are items that people can get anywhere. One of the was to ensure that your branded picture is the one that gets pinned is by making it aesthetically interesting.
Share content frequently but don’t be seen as screaming like you are in the markets of Marrakesh. Instead, have a conversation about trends or ideas. Also use topics that are timely and relevant like “Here’s how to beat the heat wave” and pin coolers, swimsuits, fans, etc.
Provide a tablet or kiosk in your store so that shoppers who are there looking for gifts for friends and family can find their boards on Pintrest. It is hard to go through all of that content on a mobile phone. This also helps bring the social experience into the bricks and mortar store.
Summary
Pintrest is an excellent tool for retailers to have conversations with customers. It also makes it easier for friends and family find gifts for their loved ones that they actually want. As a retailer, you need to ensure that your content and product pictures are interesting and sharable. Also, don’t forget to brand every photo in a subtle way so that customers know where the items came from when perusing friend’s boards for gift ideas.
