Pinterest adds his and hers searches | HT Tech

Pinterest adds his and hers searches

It may seem like a small tweak, but allowing users to filter search results by gender could have a big effect on Pinterest's growing male user base and is a clear sign of things to come.

By:AFP
| Updated on: Jan 27 2015, 11:22 IST
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It may seem like a small tweak, but allowing users to filter search results by gender could have a big effect on Pinterest's growing male user base and is a clear sign of things to come.

To some, it will always be inextricably linked to recipe sharing, interior design ideas and wedding planning tips, but be that as it may, Pinterest is starting to prove a hit with men in the US and beyond, a state of affairs that the site really wants to build on.

According to the latest data from the Global Web Index published in November 2014, Pinterest is currently the world's second-fastest growing social media destination.
Between June and November it saw its membership rise by 55% and achieved a 111% rise in active users too. The only social media site to experience more aggressive growth over the same period was Tumblr.

Pinterest's own data shows that one third of new sign-ups in the US are men and that over the course of 2014 the number of active users of the masculine persuasion doubled, making men the site's fastest growing demographic group.

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And looking beyond the US to its newest markets, namely India, South Korea and Japan, Pinterest is proving equally popular with both sexes, with active user numbers split almost exactly 50/50.

In order for this new demographic to navigate the site and find what they want more easily, Pinterest users can now filter search results via gender so, for example, a search for luxury watches will throw up results for men's rather than women's timepieces. That feature will also be useful when looking for inspiration for a new short haircut which, according to Pinterest's own data, is currently the leading search term for male users.

However, all users will be able to search for both men's and women's products and pins -- Pinterest is fully aware of the role it serves in helping people find gift ideas.

In a blog post announcing the changes, Pinterest engineer Pei Yin promises that the change is 'just the tip of the iceberg' and that many more improvements are on their way.

Many of the improvements will also make the network more attractive to advertisers. Pinterest's head of operations, Don Faul, told the Wall Street Journal that the network is actively looking to boost its profile with advertisers and is considering offering more data, such as users' 'intent' data -- ie the things that they want to buy.

'Pinterest is not a traditional user-generated content platform, it's a place where people are coming to discover new businesses, new brands and new products,' Faul told the Journal. 'Our users are expressing their future intent. It's not the shoes they bought last week, or where they went on vacation six months ago.'

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First Published Date: 27 Jan, 11:01 IST
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