Inside Pinterest’s Trend Prediction Machine

Nearly 40% of Gen Z now chooses Pinterest over traditional search engines, and a growing number of this demographic is shifting to the platform to escape the chaos found in other social apps. The company’s VP of Ads Product Marketing, Julie Towns, reveals why this cohort’s innate desire for creative expression and curation is also driving this shift. Another growing audience for Pinterest? Men who now represent over a third of the platform's users, seeking everything from Pilates routines to parenting advice.Plus, we dig into how the platform's "taste graph" of 500 billion human-curated pins predicts trends a year in advance, and what brands can expect to drive Spooky Season sales. Where Shopping Is Calming AgainKey takeaways:Gen Z chooses Pinterest for visual search and identity discovery over doomscrolling platformsMen comprise over one-third of users, redefining masculinity through wellness and parenting contentPinterest's trend predictions are 80% accurate, forecasting cultural shifts nearly a year aheadPinners are 7x more likely to purchase saved products than unsaved itemsPerformance Plus campaigns deliver 15%+ increases in return on ad spend for brands[00:09:48] "Pinterest is providing an antidote for Gen Z to the intensity and kind of doomscrolling experience that they're having on other social platforms... Gen Z are coming to Pinterest specifically to discover who they are through this act of curation." - Julie Towns[00:19:43] "We predict trends almost a year out because we have these trendsetters, trend spotters who are doing the pre-curation months and years in advance... our trends often last two times longer than the trends you see on other social platforms." - Julie Towns[00:15:28] "Men are really redefining masculinity, and they're doing that through self-discovery... searches for things like Pilates workouts are up over 300%, father and child activities up almost 400%." - Julie TownsIn-Show Mentions:Future Commerce's New Modes Report (77% of AI-using shoppers include Pinterest in their journey)Pinterest Fall Trend Report (uncommon Halloween costumes up 200%, Pilates searches up 300%)Insiders #210: Spooky Commerce - What Halloween Shopping Trends Tell Us About Modern CultureMarshall McLuhan on the Future Commerce PodcastAssociated Links:Check out Future Commerce on YouTubeCheck out Future Commerce+ for exclusive content and save on merch and printSubscribe to Insiders and The Senses to read more about what we are witnessing in the commerce worldListen to our other episodes of Future CommerceHave any questions or comments about the show? Let us know on futurecommerce.com, or reach out to us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. We love hearing from our listeners! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.