The survey says that new social media offering Pinterest is useful, and its value goes well beyond the young female demographic that appears to be its initial core user group. However, according to a Prosper Mobile Insights report, it has not yet become much of a factor as a shopping tool. PMI is aligned with BIGinsight.
Prosper applied a Diffusion Index technique to the data, measuring agreement v. disagreement with questions asked in a survey. A positive score means more agreed than disagreed, and vice versa.
The results indicate it is seen as a useful organization tool, is addictive (perhaps only mildly so, however), is not just for women, is not a waste of time, is not just for the young, and – perhaps unfortunately, is not an influence on purchasing decisions.
Here are the survey results:
Mobile Users
Pinterest is a useful organizational tool: 6.7%
Pinterest is addicting: 1.1%
Pinterest is only for women: -9.0%
Pinterest is a waste of time: -10.3%
Pinterest influences my purchase decisions: -10.8%
Pinterest is only for younger generations: -17.8%
Source: Prosper Mobile Insights Mobile Survey, February-12
“Although social shopping is not yet prominent, mobile shopping is,” said Pam Goodfellow, Consumer Insights Director at BIGinsight. “General Internet searches, visiting retailer websites, and using apps to compare prices on the fly are the new norm for mobile-savvy shoppers.”
