Pinterest is Inspiring Gen Z Automobile Purchases

Pinterest users come to the platform in search of inspiration and to take action, whether that’s finding a dinner recipe idea or planning a home renovation. It’s a place of discovery for people to create a life they love and to plan for the future. And for brands, Pinterest is a place people come to with an open mind, primed to discover new ideas, new brands and most importantly, take action on new purchases - and auto purchases are no exception.

We know that Canadian Pinners are coming to the platform in search of auto purchases and they are coming with specific needs in mind. Over 65% of Canadian Pinners have made an auto purchase* in the last 12 months (1). They want a vehicle that consumes less fuel or no fuel, they’re looking for a car with new and improved technologies and they are ready to replace a car that is starting to cost too much to repair (2).

The audience on Pinterest is primed and ready to purchase once they find inspiration for what they want. There are over 400 million monthly active users on Pinterest with Gen Z and men making up the fastest growing audience segments. Gen Z is turning to the platform as they become “new independents'' and start making big life decisions. We know that many use Pinterest to plan for these major life milestones, which is why Gen Z and millennials are turning to the platform to find inspiration when buying a car. In fact, 80% of Pinners who made an auto purchase in the past year say they found inspiration throughout their entire purchase journey on Pinterest (1).

Healey Brothers Auto Group leaned into Pinterest using the Catalogs feature. The Catalog feature gives merchants the ability to upload their active inventory directory to Pinterest and turn those eCommerce listings into dynamic Product Pins, making them more shoppable. For Healy Brothers Auto Group this resulted in more than 150 cars sold because of the Pinterest campaign.

Because Pinners turn to Pinterest to plan for life’s moments from big to small, auto considerations are part of that journey. Meeting audiences where they are inspired and looking for ideas.

To learn more about advertising on Pinterest, visit the Business Blog here.

Written by Pascal Duffaut, Head of Auto at Pinterest in Canada

Source 1: Reach3, Canada, Path to Purchase Study, March 2022, among monthly Pinterest users who purchased vehicles or auto accessories in the past year vs people on competitors in the social media space

Source 2: Mintel, The Car Purchasing Process, Canada, February 2022, among weekly Pinterest users