Cath Kidston Capitalises on Pinterest’s Lens Tool

British lifestyle brand Cath Kidston’s collaboration with Pinterest leverages the latter’s visual discovery tool Lens. This uses image-recognition tech to directly match whatever a user points their smartphone at to on-site ‘Pins’.

As the first UK brand to use Lens, the move – which connects the brand’s physical spaces to its social presence – exemplifies the type of dual-platform engagement discussed in Social Media to Store.

Promoting the new Colour by Cath Kidston bag collection, Colour QR codes are found on in-store swing tags. Visitors simply hover their phone cameras over the code using the Lens icon in Pinterest’s app (no need to download a separate QR code reader) for redirection to a Pinterest board per bag. These feature styling suggestions and details on the design inspiration behind the entire range.

Adding a link to retail, the board Pins are linked back to CathKidston.com. Adding ‘Buyable Pins’, which allow Pinterest users to purchase directly from within the platform via a ‘Buy It’ button, would take this to the next level (see The Social Sell: Pinterest Reveals Buyable Pins).

Pinterest has become a valuable honeypot for brands, with 175 million global users and revenues projected to reach $500m in 2017 (up from $300m in 2016). Notably, 75% of Pins saved come from businesses rather than users’ own photo libraries, highlighting the appetite among consumers to draw inspiration – and buy – directly from brands.

See also Retail-Relevant Pinterest Updates, Monetising Social Media, 2016 and Solving Retail’s Search Conundrums.