Pinterest adds in-app checkout and personalized shopping recommendations

Pinterest is expanding on its shopping capabilities with in-app checkout and a new personalized recommendations feature, the company announced at its Pinterest Presents event on Thursday.

Pinterest Checkout. Currently in beta, the ability to purchase items within the Pinterest app is now available for certain U.S.-based Shopify retailers. The platform expects to roll out this feature to more U.S.-based  retailers over the course of this year.

Your Shop. Billed as a “personal shopping concierge, powered by a taste-driven algorithm,” the newly announced “Your Shop” feature is a recommendations engine designed to suggest products, brands and creators to users based on their activities and preferences.

Like Pinterest Checkout, Your Shop is also currently in beta in the U.S., with plans for a wider release later this year.

Why we care. Soon, Pinterest users will be able to complete transactions without leaving the app, which can decrease friction and potentially bring in more conversions for eligible retailers. The Your Shop feature may help Pinterest compete with Instagram, which added its own shopping tab last year.

Together, these retail-oriented features can help strengthen Pinterest as a shopping destination, providing merchants with more channels they can use to sell to audiences.

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