Nordstrom launches Pinterest marketing initiative

Nordstrom’s creative Pinterest initiative

The way that we shop has definitely evolved over the years into a more digitized and social process. Nordstrom has recently begun increasing stock of items that receive the most pins on its Pinterest page, monitoring real-time feedback from users on its social media pages to influence what inventory the store chooses to prominently showcase.

For instance, if a certain dress is receiving a substantially high volume of pins, Nordstrom staff use an app to view these metrics while on the sales floor and then mark the dress (if it is in stock at that particular store) with a “P.”

The new initiative is a trial that is currently being tested in a few Seattle stores and will expand to other locations and end before the start of August. The initiative harnesses the high level of engagement that Nordstrom loyalists regularly exhibit through its social media channels and integrates that into the brick-and-mortar shopping experience.

A smart move

While this is the first that I’ve seen a company do something like this, I do think integrating social media user behavior is a smart move. Similar to how shoppers can choose to filter viewed items by “Best Sellers” or “Fan Favorites” when online shopping, customers at brick-and-mortar stores might also like to see what items are popular within their area, and may decide to make at least some of their purchases based on that.

For Nordstrom superfans, it will likely provide a sense of satisfaction to see something their feedback utilized in the stores and strengthen their affinity for the brand even more.

The company has already undergone other changes in attempts to be more innovative, including implementing mobile point-of-sale systems in its stores so that shoppers can check out from wherever a staff member happens to be standing.

The success of the Pinterest initiative will vary depending on how relevant a most-pinned item is to the geographical market its being sold in, but the use of the app will allow sales teams to appropriately ramp up inventory if it makes sense for the area the store is located.

Additionally, approximately 80 percent of Pinterest users are women, and the typical user age range is between 25-34 years of age, so other marketing strategies will likely need to be developed to reach audiences who are male or outside of this age range.