The company has already trialled ‘classroom’ events using Zoom in 2020, but the new trial sees Pinterest take the experience to its own platform and aims to add to its crafty collection of merchandise with a growing round of masterclasses from experts. The initial trail between 24 and 26 May will focus on food, cooking, design and style.
According to reports in TechCrunch, lifestyle coach Jonathan Van Ness will cover morning rituals and self-care and fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff will show Pinners how to style their summer wardrobe. Others featured during the event include food creators GrossyPelosi and Peter Som, showcasing favourite recipes; Women’s Health magazine will talk about using vision boards to achieve goals; Jennifer Alba will show how to communicate the Zodiac through sign language; and Hannah Bronfman will offer ideas for creating an at-home spa night.
In total, Pinterest will feature 21 creators throughout the event, in seven sessions per day. Users will be directed to the live event via a new “Live” tab inside the Pinterest app for iOS and Android, where they can view the schedule and join sessions.
Pinterest has also introduced Idea Pins, a multi-page video format, that allows all creators in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland to publish high-quality, long-lasting, save-able content directly to Pinterest.
“The number of Idea Pins created daily has grown by nearly four-fold since January. With these updates, we’re highlighting the people behind the content and encouraging Pinners to follow Creators and engage with the ideas that they find,” says Pinterest.
Live streaming is already huge in ecommerce in China and Singles’ Day 2020 saw many retailers start to push that to western shoppers too. Amazon and Youtube are both expderiementing with the format, while ex-TikTok and Wish execs have founded OOOOO in the UK to bring more live stream selling to the UK.
Commenting on the move. Rachel Lyall, EMEA & APAC Marketing Manager, from omni-channel ad platfrom Mediaocean, says: “Consumers see Pinterest as a place to share their passion and the go-to platform for inspiration, but consumers have also grown used to accessing experiences in different ways due to the pandemic. By providing this initial virtual event Pinterest is giving brands the opportunity to tap into this change on their platform. They are also being smart by not focusing on the long-term vision of livestreaming. Experimentation needs data and repeated high quality feedback to be truly successful and ensure it’s something that will truly propel growth for the platform, and allow marketers to market the way consumers consume.”
