In the summer of 2022, Pinterest quietly launched a new iOS app called We mix which allowed people to put together collages using photos and image clippings from her website. The app took off with Gen Z users and the functionality was later integrated into Pinterest itself. Now the company says its collage feature, which is powered by artificial intelligence and computer vision technologies, is seeing three times the engagement of its traditional Pins.
The newest format allows users to curate content from around the web and from Pinterest combined with images they optionally take using their phone’s camera to express their style, interests or tastes. In the early days, users made collages like mood boards or ones dedicated to a specific interest, like a favorite pop star, and then posted them on TikTok where they set them to music.
But today’s Pinterest users are just as likely to create collages of style inspiration, such as home decor or outfit ideas, similar to what you might have seen on the glossy pages of women’s fashion magazines back in the day. Others use collages to compose groups of favorite products, such as skincare or makeup items they want to try. Most of the images can be purchased directly on Pinterest.
Image Credits: Pinterest
Although collages require more work than simply saving a pin to a Pinterest board, the feature is on the upswing, the company told investors on its Q1 2024 earnings calls.
“Users are about three times more likely to save collage pins than other pins on Pinterest, and a significant portion contains clickable products,” said CEO Bill Ready. “We also continue to see collages gaining traction with Gen Z, who are nearly 70% of collage makers. Additionally, improving the actionability of Pins is another key tenet for improving user satisfaction, deepening engagement and growth [monthly active users].”
It is worth noting that the collages work because of their design with artificial intelligence and computer vision. Instead of simply saving a photo, such as a .jpg or .png, to a Pinterest board along with a link or note, an object from a photo can be identified and then “cut out”, the way you can cut the subject of a photo using a pair of scissors in the real world. This feature is similar to iOS’s Image Cutout feature that lets you do things like cut your dog out of a photo and then paste it into an iMessage conversation. But Pinterest’s use case for cutouts focuses more on getting people to curate groups of items that fit together.
This human-centric curation could also help power Pinterest’s AI in the future, the company said.
As Ready explained, the AI-powered mode has a “flywheel effect of feeding us more and more signals that allow us to train our AI to do unique things that don’t happen on other platforms.” That, he says, will help Pinterest be more competitive as the AI race heats up.
Driven by increased usage by Gen Z — a demographic that now exceeds 40% of Pinterest users — and the performance of brand ad spend, Pinterest easily beat estimates for Q1 2024 earnings. The company delivered faster revenue growth from 2021, CNBC noted, as the stock soared. In the quarter, Pinterest posted revenue of $740 million, up 23% year-over-year, and adjusted EPS of 20 cents, above the 13 cents analysts expected.
Pinterest says it aims to better serve its Gen Z user base, which is now, unusually, the fastest-growing demographic on its site.
“Pinterest is aging — a rarity in consumer web applications, which typically age as they mature,” Ready said.
