
Greater matches and more possibilities are what will hopefully bring Pinners returning, and if Pinterest can increase sales for the businesses that use its listings, things will continue to head in the right direction. Simplified onboarding is critical to bringing more products into Pinterest's ecosystem, and with Pinterest also aiming to enhance its search and discovery features, this is a critical component of the platform's development as a central eCommerce hub.

Pinterest spread its in-app shopping tools to 13 international markets in 2021 (Pinterest claims user engagement with shopping surfaces in the app increased 20% YoY), and it also focused on making it relatively easy for sellers to publish their product catalogs to present their products as shoppable Pins. However, increasing revenue per user essentially reduces advertiser interest, and if Pinterest's growth momentum continues to wane, it will find it difficult to retain these gains in the following year.


That may still be the case for its most devoted users, but if Pinterest's significance isn't being passed on to new audiences, as evidenced by its retention and growth statistics, it may be missing out on the opportunity to gain a larger market share for the many brands hoping to engage their target buyers through the app. Pinterest's monthly active user count has dropped from 478 million at the start of 2021 to 431 million presently, a drop of 47 million active users over the year.Īlthough 431 million active users is still a great deal, the idea that Pinterest no longer has most of its growth momentum over the last two years (Pinterest reached 416 million MAU in Q2 2020) isn't a great indicator of the users’ perspective of the app’s functionality or worth, for it wasn't able to retain these individuals on as regular users even as it delves into new areas for expansion.ĭespite Pinterest not having as many users as other social media platforms, those who are regular Pinners see great value in the platform, with 90 percent of weekly active Pinners using the app to help them make purchasing decisions.
