Anthropologie unveils first digital-only catalog on Pinterest

Dive Brief:

Anthropologie, the clothing and home furnishings retailer owned by Urban Outfitters, created the first digital-only catalog for its AnthroLiving collection on Pinterest. Visitors to the photo-sharing platform will see an immersive and interactive look at Anthropologie's spring home assortment, per an announcement emailed to Marketing Dive.
The digital catalog lets people browse Anthropologie's selection, pin their favorite items and create a digital pinboard of products to buy immediately or later. Pinterest in the past year has seen 80% growth in engagement with shoppable items amid the broader growth in e-commerce during the pandemic.
Most top searches (97%) on Pinterest aren't for brands, but there are signs that some of its users are interested in Anthropologie's products. Searches for "Anthropologie home décor inspiration" jumped almost elevenfold from a year earlier, while those for "Anthropologie mirror" rose 375%, per Pinterest.

Dive Insight:

Anthropologie aims to convert Pinterest users into shoppers with its first digital-only catalog on the photo-sharing platform. Although consumers are growing more comfortable with the idea of returning to brick-and-mortar stores and shopping malls as the economy reopens from the pandemic, online shopping likely will remain popular among consumers who are looking ways to save time or are concerned about safety. Anthropologie's digital-only catalog has some advantages over print versions in letting people collect images on Pinterest's digital pinboards, creating a "look book" of design ideas before making a direct purchase.

"No matter how much shopping has changed, inspiration will always play a critical role in helping consumers decide what to buy for their homes, which is why we chose Pinterest for Anthropologie's new digital-only catalog," Barbra Sainsurin, executive director of e-commerce, said in a statement.

The company's rollout of a digital-only catalog on Pinterest is among the latest efforts by parent company Urban Outfitters to adapt to changing shopping habits. It last month began testing a paid membership program called UP that includes its Anthropologie, Free People and Urban Outfitters store brands. The company may extend the program, depending on how many people sign up for it during its first six to 12 months, management said this month in a quarterly earnings call.

Anthropologie is the latest retailer to create a digital-only catalog on Pinterest. Last year, Crate & Barrel launched "Crate&kids" on the platform instead of sending out a print version. At that time, Pinterest had seen growing interest in children's furnishings among parents looking to organize their living spaces or prepare a setting for distance learning as many schools limited in-person attendance.

Pinterest in the past few years has expanded its e-commerce offering as part of a broader effort too appeal to advertisers. The company this month hosted its first global advertiser summit to tout its role in helping consumers to plan their purchases. Adoption of its shoppable ads surged sixfold in the fourth quarter last year, a sign that brands had sought new ways to reach holiday shoppers. In January, Pinterest introduced a customizable ad format to let marketers automate the process of building personalized creative for target audiences.