How to Boost Online Sales With Pinterest Gift Guides

Looking for new ways to connect with your audience and increase sales? Enter Pinterest gift guides, your new best friend in creating engaging, shoppable content. Whether it’s curated lists for the holidays or evergreen collections for year-round browsing, learn how to boost online sales with gift guides that will help you drive more shoppers to your online store. And with the addition of Pinterest’s Shuffles app, you can take your creativity to the next level with collage-style gift ideas. Let’s dive into how you can use Pinterest gift guides and Shuffles to boost your online sales.

Why Pinterest Gift Guides are perfect for boosting sales

Pinterest isn’t just about pretty pictures, it’s where people go to plan purchases. From holidays to birthdays and everything in between, users come to Pinterest with an intent to shop. Gift guides on Pinterest can be created as themed boards or pins. In preparation for this year’s festive season, Pinterest introduced curated gift guide boards from influencers, celebrities, and brands, spanning over 27 categories like fashion, travel, and tech. Such a great idea! Gift guide pins have always been very popular on Pinterest, but the curated gift boards take it up a notch. And, the guides are country-specific too. Love it! Take a look at some of the fabulous themed gift guide boards created by Pinterest UK:

Here’s why gift guides are so effective:

In this article we’re focusing on Gift Guide Pins like these:

How to build high-converting Pinterest Gift Guides

Creating a successful gift guide doesn’t require a huge budget or a team of designers. What it does require is intentionality and a good understanding of your audience.

1. Start with your audience

Who are you speaking to? A young professional looking for affordable gifts? A parent hunting for toys that spark creativity? Define your audience first so your gift guide speaks directly to their needs.

2. Choose a theme that resonates

Themes make your guide easier to find and more appealing to browse. Some ideas:

• “Gifts Under £50 for Busy Mums”
• “Tech Essentials for Gadget Lovers”
• “Eco-Friendly Gifts for Conscious Shoppers”
• “Gifts for Photographers”
• “New Parent Gifts”

You get the idea!

3. Use the Pinterest Trends Tool

Pinterest’s Trends Tool can help you discover what your audience is searching for.  It’s a powerful keyword tool that shows you what’s trending and when. It reveals what people are searching for on Pinterest and the peak times for those searches. Plus, it shows related search terms and sub-niches for your keyword. Use these insights to align your gift guides with seasonal or trending topics​. You can access it via the Business Hub of your Pinterest account or at trends.pinterest.com. 

4. Create your gift guide pin

Create an eye-catching image with your favourite graphics tool and give it a title and description using search terms people might use when they’re looking for gifts for their loved ones. Link the pin to the most relevant page on your website, for example a product page or a landing page containing links to the gift ideas on the pin. Blog posts with the featured products can also be an effective way to attract shoppers, especially when it’s focused around a problem you solve for them (examples: “How to throw a classy garden party” or “The ultimate garden party checklist”).

Take it up a notch with Pinterest’s Shuffles App

If you’re looking for a way to make your gift guides stand out and truly grab attention, Pinterest’s Shuffles app is a must-try! Available for both iOS and Android devices, Shuffles lets you create vibrant, layered collages that bring your ideas to life. Best of all, businesses can tag individual products directly within these collages, making it easy for shoppers to discover and buy. For e-commerce brands, this feature offers a powerful way to turn inspiration into action with just a few taps. Whether you’re showcasing holiday must-haves or year-round essentials, Shuffles provides a fresh, exciting approach to boost engagement and drive sales:

• They’re Unique: Collages are a fresh way to present your products, especially to younger audiences like Gen Z and Millennials.
• They Tell a Story: A well-designed collage can highlight a variety of products while tying them together with a common theme.

How to create a Shuffles gift guide with tagged products

1. Download the Shuffles app from the App Store or Play Store.
2. Create a collage:
   • Pick a Theme: Start with a clear focus, like “Relaxation Gifts” or “Winter Wardrobe Must-Haves.” You can use images that are stored on your device or search on Pinterest.
   • Add Visual Layers: Combine product images with textures, patterns, or seasonal elements.
   • Include Text Overlays: Use text to highlight price points, product features, or catchy taglines.
3. Tag your products for seamless shopping: Once your collage is ready, it’s time to make it shoppable! At the time of writing this article, product tagging is available in a dozen countries.
   • Simply click the “Tag” button at the bottom of the collage, and you can search for items connected to your Pinterest account to add them directly.
   • If your business has a Shopify store or another e-commerce platform connected to Pinterest, your product catalog will be available for tagging, enabling you to effortlessly link your featured products to the items on the collage.
   • Another exciting perk: if someone creates a cutout from one of your product pins, like an item from your connected product catalogue, your product item on their collage automatically becomes shoppable! A ‘Visit’ button leads straight people straight to the relevant product in your store.
4. Optimise for SEO and Save: Enter a keyword-rich (not keyword stuffed!) description and hashtags, then publish your Shuffle. If you have Shuffles set to Auto-post to Pinterest, it will publish the collage to a “My Shuffles” board. Once you’ve published it, go to Pinterest to view the collage pin. Edit it and give it a searchable Pin title such as “Eco-Friendly Gifts” and add Alt Text.

How to boost online sales with Pinterest gift guides

This, in a nutshell, is how to boost online sales with Pinterest gift guides. They’re a fun and effective way to introduce your products to a new audience. With tools like Shuffles and targeted ads, you can create content that not only catches attention but also drives meaningful results. Start brainstorming your themes, experiment with collages, and watch as your Pinterest strategy helps you unlock new sales potential. Who knows? Your next big boost in online sales could be just a pin away.

Contact me

I’m always happy to connect and help you navigate Pinterest! Let’s start a conversation—reach out to me on LinkedIn!

---

Mary Lumley – Pinterest Marketing for eCommerce & Travel / How to Boost Online Sales with Pinterest Gift Guides