Dive Brief:

• Ikea U.S. yesterday unveiled an interactive quiz on Pinterest to help consumers update their home with pieces that evoke feelings of summer vacation, per details emailed to Marketing Dive. Based on their answers to three questions from a chatbot, shoppers will receive a personalized Pinterest board with product recommendations and home inspiration.
• The "IKEA Renocations" quiz on Pinterest asks users questions such as, "If you could be anywhere IRL [in real life]... Where would you be?" and "Is there a room in your house where you also feel that free and relaxed?" to serve up home furnishing content inspired by trips to the beach, mountains and parks.
• Tapping into Pinterest's design-savvy audience of more than 85 million, many of whom turn to the platform for home inspiration, Ikea can help to inspire decor purchases and remove shopper friction by suggesting items tailored to one's preferences.

Dive Insight:

The new tie-up this week marks another step in Ikea and Pinterest's broader journeys toward linking content with commerce. Ikea two years ago began testing an app with a shoppable feed and augmented reality (AR) tools alongside lookbooks and product recommendations that give the app a Pinterest-like feel.

Meanwhile, the duo's personalized board format ties into how many consumers have turned to home improvement projects during the health crisis. Pinterest saw record levels of renovation-related searches over the past year as homebound folks spent more time online seeking inspiration for ideas to freshen up their spaces. Eighty-nine percent of users go to the image-sharing platform to browse ideas on their path to purchase, according to GfK data cited by Pinterest. While travel is steadily climbing amid mass vaccinations and easing restrictions in many areas, some consumers may opt to channel their spring fever into upgrading their home with cheery, vacation-inspired furnishings.

Pinterest and other online platforms — already a favorite consumer engagement channel before the pandemic — have seen their popularity skyrocket under the health crisis. Almost half (46%) of business executives in a recent survey expect their company's social media marketing budgets will increase up to double over the next three years, while 91% forecast any lift to social budgets.

However, Pinterest differentiates its service from the likes of Facebook and Instagram by eschewing the traditional social media label, opting to position itself as a platform for product discovery. Marketers like Ikea are tapping into this consumer insight with efforts to ease people's design and shopping processes.

"Ikea Renocations" isn't the first time the home retailer has used interactive quizzes in its social media marketing. Ikea Canada in August 2020 was the first brand to try Pinterest's new ad unit that customizes a board based on a user's responses. The quiz aimed to relieve some burdens of back-to-school preparations, asking students about the nature of their living space, priorities and personal design aesthetic. Aside from serving up furniture recommendations, the customized boards included content like tips for living in small spaces, studying and sleeping well.

As for Pinterest, the chatbot-powered quiz format lets it sweeten the deal for brands looking to link social content and shopping. Pinterest in the past few years has expanded its e-commerce offering in a broader effort to appeal to advertisers. The company in March hosted its first global advertiser summit to promote its role in helping people to plan purchases. Adoption of its shoppable ads surged sixfold in 2020's fourth quarter while revenue jumped 76% year-on-year to $706 million, bolstered by new ad offerings and expanded shopping capabilities.