Pinterest Lens

September 12, 2017 Petra Veikkola

PINTEREST VISUAL DISCOVERY TOOL FOR YOUR MOBILE PHONE

Pinterest has launched a new discovery tool for visual search. Now you can search new ideas based on visuals. You don't have to find right kind of words to come up with perfect search results. The new tool is called Pinterest Lens and it's in beta at the moment.

Lens will be coming to US pinners first over the coming weeks and you can find it on iPhone or Android app. Lens will be a tool inside a Pinterest mobile app.

I love how it should function. Basically, you will use your mobile phone's camera to discover new ideas based on things that you see in the real world. You just point your Lens to something that you see around you, for example, a cool sunglasses on a shop. Then you tap to see what Pinterest recommends as similar styles. Lens can also recommend what else you can wear with that kind of sunglasses.

If you need recipe ideas for certain food ingredient, just point your Lens to an apple and Pinterest will show you recipes which contain apples. How convenient is that!

LENS IS BEST USED FOR HOME DECOR IDEAS, CLOTHES AND FOOD

Pinterest states that currently, Lens is best for "finding home decor ideas, things to wear and food to eat". When people start to using it, Pinterest has promised to continue making adjustments and improvements to it.

I'm so ready to test that new tool and find inspiration for my own wardrobe! I hope it will come available for other than US pinners, too!

IDEAS INSPIRED BY PINS

Pinterest has also launched Ideas inspired by Pins which means that you will now see a circle on the bottom right-hand corner of each pin. By tapping that circle Pinterest will show you related pins that may also interest you.

By using Ideas inspired by Pins, you will automatically personalize your Pinterest feed more. Your feed will be full of images that are more in line with your own preferences and interests. This lead also to a word of caution! If you want to have your feed full with pins that are aesthetically pleasing to you, do not just randomly tap the circle on pins. Be thoughtful, and start curating your own feed to better represent your own preferences.

These kind of helpful additions are what I really like on Pinterest. I like what Pinterest's CEO Ben Silberman has said during the launch: "That's what visual discovery is all about -- tools that find the ideas that are your taste and your style."

SHOP THE LOOK UPDATES

Shop the Look function has already made it possible to pinpoint items inside a pin since 2015. If you like something in a pin, you could pinpoint that and discover related items on Pinterest.

Now Pinterest has updated the Shop the Look, and you are even able to buy things that you see and pinpoint from the pin. This applies to fashion and home decor pins.

By clicking the circle on each item, you can find similar styles and also see how other people have paired those items. Another way to be inspired what to wear in the morning!

Pinterest has partnered with some companies, like ShopStyle, and thus, is able to offer shoppable looks for pinners. Shop the Look is available for brands such as CB2, Macy's, Target, Neiman Marcus, and Wayfair.

According to Pinterest, Instant Ideas and Shop the Look are already available on iPhone, Android and also on the web platform.