The start of a new year tends to ring in a symbolic new beginning.
However, since the pandemic, the “new year, new me” mentality is taking on an even greater meaning. The pandemic continues across the US. Most of us have spent the bulk of 2020 indoors and may have to continue doing so. Nevertheless, many have been looking forward to a symbolic and hopeful restart in the new year, even if still indoors, and have been long planning purchases to usher in more hopeful days.
To take advantage of this confluence of factors that will ring in a surge in purchase intent, brands need to identify which of their products are making it onto consumers’ “new year shopping list”, incorporate the trends in consumer behavior they’ve discovered during the pandemic, and figure out how to translate that into “new year, new me” messaging.
Pinterest: A Key Purchase Planning Destination
If you’re like pretty much anyone else, you didn’t spend much time in 2020 browsing the aisles in a store or sauntering through a mall. Instead, you used social media and the internet to discover new products and get inspired, particularly when it comes to projects related to self-improvement and home improvement.
Pinterest, in particular, has become a key shopping destination for stuck-at-home shoppers. The platform is essentially an organizable shopping list that lets you save things for later. When users pin items to their list, they are essentially planning future actions that involve multiple products, which requires research and sometimes visual coordination before each purchase.
Because 66 percent of shoppers say inspiration is influential when considering what to buy—and 83 percent of Pinterest pinners have made a purchase based on content they saw on the platform—this is a channel you don’t want to overlook as your brand sharpens its focus on your 2021 kickoff campaigns.
How to Make the Most out of Pinterest in 2021 and Beyond
It can be tricky to predict the moment when a user will actually end up completing a transaction after discovering a product on a platform. They might see an awesome idea for a way to set up their patio outside in January, pin the content or save to purchase later in their shopping cart, and refer back to it in the spring when they're ready to start spending money on this project.
As you begin to craft your campaigns for the new year, here are some tips to keep in mind that can help you leverage the platform most effectively.
1. Bundling purchases by projects
At the beginning of the year, no one is buying just a yoga mat. They’re buying the whole kit and caboodle—yoga blocks, yoga hand towels, yoga straps, yoga pants, exercise balls, and so on. That’s because the purchase intent isn’t driven by the yoga mat alone, but the investment into a better, more athletic self. Any product that falls into this inspiration category can benefit from the interest in the overall purchase.
In other words, for many self-improvement and home-improvement items, consumers take longer to plan their purchases, and they’ll buy more at once to complete these inspired projects. Capitalize on this tendency, and entice your audience to reach into their wallets by bundling your offerings.
2. Paying attention to leading indicators
What exactly are consumers looking for next year?
There’s no point in guessing. Do some research to find out what people are searching for, which colors are in demand, and who people are searching for. These indicators can help shape your product strategy, your marketing campaigns, and which influencers you opt to work with. Use them to increase the chances your campaigns get the results you’re aiming for.
3. Strategically leverage media across platforms
Different social media channels have different strengths for specific audience groups in their customer journey. Knowing how they combine to form the online shopping journey for your consumers is a key piece of knowledge for brands to have. For example, Pinterest isn’t just about discovering new products. It’s also about planning purchases. That’s why at MikMak we see high purchase intent—but sometimes a longer time to finalize a transaction.
But don’t just focus on Pinterest alone. Other platforms have their own strengths and may have complementary effects with each other. Remember to use similar creative and copy on other social media platforms. By optimizing allocation, taking advantage of what each channel does best, and utilizing the power of product recall, you can reach consumers wherever they are in their journey.
Ready to make the most out of the new year?
The beginning of the year is a great time for brands—particularly those in the self-improvement and home-improvement categories—to effectively engage with consumers who are looking at the new year with a whole different set of eyes. This reality is only compounded by the pandemic.
By creating an eCommerce strategy that connects with audience members where they are—platforms like Pinterest—you can engage them with the right creative at the right time, creating or triggering purchase intent and ultimately driving more conversions.
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