Pinterest Adds ‘Buy’ Button to iPhone, Checkout with Apple Pay

Starting this month, US-based Pinterest users on iPhones will have the option to purchase the items they have “pinned,” reports the Wall Street Journal. This is a natural move toward e-commerce, since the majority of surveyed Pinterest users agreed that the site has helped them find items to buy.

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So if you are a Pinterest user with an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and you see a blue price tag below a pin, that means you can check out using Apple Pay (or a credit card). This is a change users have been waiting for, say Pinterest’s creators, since previously they had to visit the retailer’s website to make a purchase.

Although Pinterest is stepping into a “crowded” space of e-commerce — Instagram, Google, Facebook, and Twitter have announced similar attempts — the site has major advantages compared to its competition. First, during its five years of existence, Pinterest has become the host of 50 billion pins — images that catalogue users have posted.

Secondly, this catalogue is used by people to browse for items — for ideas of what to buy — so adding a “buy” button alongside one-tap checkout is the natural evolution of the service.

At launch, more than 2 million products will be available for purchase, and Pinterest has partnered up with select retailers such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus to post buyable pins for products.

Adding the buy button to the iOS app is the first step, followed by Android and desktop later this year.

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