According to the National Retail Federation, shoppers funneled $83.6 billion in back-to-school purchases last year, most of which came from college-oriented merchandise, at $54.1 billion.
So it’s no surprise if younger Millennials and their families flock to social media for shopping inspiration, especially around b-t-s season.
According to Pinterest, about 47 million people scoured the site for b-t-s ideas in 2017. Pinners were 1.4 times more likely than others to buy kids’ clothes or home decor items, and they tend to plan earlier than others: Research can start as early as May, with high growth in July, before peaking in early August.
Perennial staples like backpacks, home goods and groceries are no-brainers for students, but the company’s blog also offers advice for fashion brands and retailers.
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“Give harried parents some help with simple ways they can refresh their kids’ style, like piecing together mix-and-match outfits,” wrote Eric Alessi, Pinterest’s insights solutions analyst. “Staples like denim, trainers and solid tops paired with statement pieces like dusters, boho dresses and kimonos are what’s in right now.”
Overall, 90 percent of Pinners hit the site for ideas on what to buy, the social bookmarking service said. It also claimed that 50 percent of college-age students in the U.S. flock to the network, as well as 80 percent of American moms and roughly 40 percent of American dads.
If true, that’s a lot of potential eyeballs and clicks. And Pinterest’s computer vision powers, which makes use of increasingly powerful smartphone cameras, ups the convenience factor for all those consumers. Users can open the app and point the camera — typically for clothes, home decor or food — and the app suggests similar things they may want to pin. Companies like CB2, Curalate, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Olapic, Project September, Refinery29, ShopStyle, Target and Wayfair already use this feature.
Beyond inspiration, retailers like Nordstrom have already laid a foundation for consumer outreach on the platform. Last year, in the lead-up to the holiday season, Nordstrom implemented Pincodes, Pinterest’s proprietary version of squared-off QR codes. Users could launch their cameras, snap the store’s Pincode — as posted on signage, ads or other media — and go straight to its specially curated product boards.
Brian Hovis, Nordstrom’s vice president of marketing, called it “an example of Nordstrom trying to creatively blend digital and in-store experiences,” to make shopping more inspiring and exciting for its customers.
Such features look particularly helpful now, as harried shoppers prepare their b-t-s game plans. That bodes well for Pinterest, at least for now. But soon, another social media player may be making its way into visual search territory.
Snap Inc. is reportedly working with Amazon on a new feature that flows visual search results from the marketplace when Snapchatters capture product photos or barcodes. It’s not clear if or when the change will go live, but either way, one thing is clear: Shoppers have a new array of tools for dealing with b-t-s prep and other shopping pursuits. And those tools are expanding.