How to Sell on Pinterest with Shopify in 2026

Pinterest has evolved into something more than just a platform for saving inspirational quotes & home decor ideas.

And these days, it's a major player in ecommerce, especially for Shopify store owners who want to tap into a motivated audience.

With over 460 million active users every month, Pinterest is one of the few platforms where people actually go in order to plan, research, and buy.

If you're running a Shopify store and you're not using Pinterest yet, you're basically leaving money on the table.

This guide will take you through how to connect your Shopify store to Pinterest, how to make your catalog and product pins pop, how to use Pinterest SEO to your advantage, and how to drive both organic and paid traffic.

Let's break it all down step-by-step.

1. Why Sell on Pinterest? Understanding The Platform's Buying Intent

Before we get into the nitty gritty, it's really important to understand why Pinterest works so well for ecommerce.

Unlike most other social platforms, the folks on Pinterest are typically planners. They're searching for something with purpose – not just aimlessly scrolling through their feeds.

So here's what makes Pinterest stand out:

• High purchase intent: a whopping 83% of weekly Pinterest users have made a purchase after seeing a Pin.
• Search-based traffic: Pinterest feels more like a search engine than a social media app.
• Long shelf-life of content: a well-optimised pin can still bring in traffic 6-12 months down the line.
• Visual-first discovery: Pinterest is all about showcasing high-quality visuals & creative layouts – which means product images are even more important here than they are anywhere else.

This kind of platform is a match made in heaven for Shopify stores with eye-catching products, clean branding and a target market that overlaps with Pinterest's user base (home goods, fashion, beauty, food & wellness do particularly well on there).

2. How to Connect Shopify to Pinterest: Step-by-Step Setup

Pinterest has a direct integration with Shopify that lets you sync your entire product catalog and run ads in the blink of an eye.

The setup process takes just a few minutes, but it's worth getting it right.

Step-by-Step Setup:

1. Get the Pinterest App Installed on Shopify
   • pop into the Shopify App Store & find the Pinterest app.
   • click “Add app” & follow the prompts from there.
2. Connect Your Pinterest Business Account
   • need a Pinterest Business account to sync your catalog – you can get one during the app setup & log in.
3. Claim Your Website
   • this step is automated if you install the Pinterest app on Shopify.
   • verifying your domain builds trust & enables features like Rich Pins.
4. Enable Product Feed Syncing
   • Shopify will generate a daily product catalog feed for Pinterest.
   • this lets Pinterest pull your product data & update changes automatically.
5. Add the Pinterest Tag
   • this is Pinterest's version of a Facebook Pixel.
   • it tracks user behaviour (add to cart, checkout, page view) for ad optimisation.

What Happens After Setup?

Once the app is installed & linked:

• your entire Shopify product catalog is uploaded as a Pinterest catalog
• your products become Product Pins (automatically Rich Pins) that show price, title & availability
• you can now create Shopping Ads or promote organic product pins

Important: Pinterest relies on accurate Shopify data. So make sure product titles, descriptions and pricing info are in good shape on your product pages, then sync away.

3. What Are Rich Pins & Why Do They Matter?

Rich Pins are a major advantage for Shopify users on Pinterest. they pull metadata from your store and update automatically – no manual editing needed.

There are 4 types of Rich Pins, but for ecommerce we care about Product Pins.

Benefits of Rich Pins:

• real-time product info (price, availability)
• better formatting & layout
• added trust for users (Pinterest verifies info from your website)
• increased click-through rates & saves

Once your Pinterest account is verified & your Shopify product catalog is connected, all your pins will automatically become Product Rich Pins.

4. Pinterest SEO: How to Make Your Product Pins Discoverable

Pinterest is a visual search engine. People type keywords like they do on Google and Pinterest shows pins based on keyword targeting, engagement signals and image quality.

Optimising for Pinterest search is key if you want your Shopify products to get discovered organically.

Key Elements of Pinterest SEO:

Element	What to Do
Pin Title	Use keywords your audience is searching for (e.g. “Minimalist gold necklace”)
Pin Description	Describe the product clearly and naturally, including 1–2 main keywords
Image File Name	Rename your image before uploading (e.g. gold-necklace.jpg)
Board Name	Create niche-specific boards (e.g. “Modern Office Furniture” not “Stuff I Like”)
Alt Text / Shopify Meta	These get pulled into Pinterest automatically — clean them up on your product pages

Pinterest SEO Best Practices:

• Use long-tail keywords – “wooden coffee table with storage” rather than just “coffee table”
• Write your descriptions naturally, without overstuffing on keywords
• Keep posting fresh content – Pinterest likes new stuff and will favour you for it
• Pin to a few relevant boards to get some visibility – the more the better
• Use Pinterest Trends to see what all the fuss is about in your niche

Pinterest rewards consistency – even a once a day pinning schedule can outperform random bursts of content.

5. How to Create High-Performing Pins on Pinterest

Even if you've got the SEO right, if your visuals aren't up to snuff, your pins are going to get ignored.

On Pinterest, it's a visual first platform and image quality and design are what matter.

The Secret to a Killer Pin:

Best Practices	Why It Matters
Vertical Image (2:3 Ratio)	Takes up more real estate in the feed
High-Resolution Product Photos	Blurry or low-quality images get ignored
Text Overlay on Image	Helps context and boosts engagement
Clear Branding (logo, style)	Builds brand recognition over time
Descriptive Pin Titles & Descriptions	Encourages click-throughs and shows up in search

Tools to Give Your Pins a Makeover:

• Canva – Drag-and-drop makes it easy
• Photoshop – if you need a bit more sophistication
• Tailwind Create – automates pin design for when you need to get a load done quickly

Consider creating several different pins for the same product – mix up the images and angles and see what performs best for you.

6. Driving Traffic With Pinterest Boards

Boards are more than just somewhere to stick your pins – they're an SEO goldmine.

Each board has a title and a description – and if you get those right, they can rank in Pinterest search and Google image search. Boards also help keep your content organised by theme.

Tips for Shopify Sellers:

• Create 10-15 niche specific boards – eg “Sustainable Skincare”, “Boho Bedroom Decor”
• Get some keywords into the board name and description
• Pin your own products to relevant boards – it makes sense to have them in the right place
• Fill each board with at least 20-30 pins to start
• Don't just stick your own content in there – add some other great stuff too. It helps build your authority and makes it worth following

7. Pinterest Shopping Ads: Pay to Play

While organic pins can take weeks or months to get going, Pinterest ads offer a way to get results faster.

Pinterest Ads integrate directly with your Shopify catalog so setting up campaigns is pretty straightforward – as long as your store is squared away.

Types of Pinterest Ads for Ecommerce:

Ad Type	What It Does
Shopping Ads	Show individual products pulled from your Shopify catalog
Carousel Ads	Multiple images in a swipeable format
Video Ads	Short, attention-grabbing videos (great for demos or styling)
Collection Ads	Show a hero image with a gallery of product pins

Tips for Ad Success:

• Start with Shopping Ads – especially if you've got a lot of products to show off
• Use the Pinterest Tag to track your conversions – it's a no-brainer
• Target high intent keywords – eg “eco yoga mat to buy”
• Use retargeting ads to bring people back who've already shown an interest

Ads on Pinterest can be a lot cheaper than on Facebook or Instagram – especially in niches with less competition.

A lot of Shopify store owners have reported getting 3 times their money back on Shopping Ads with the right targeting.

8. Measuring Success: What Matters on Pinterest

Once you're running both organic and paid campaigns, you'll want to be able to measure performance accurately.

Key Metrics to Keep an Eye On:

Metric	Why It Matters
Impressions	Measures how many people saw your pins
Saves	Indicates interest — often leads to future purchases
Outbound Clicks	The number of people who clicked to your Shopify store
Add to Cart	Tracked via the Pinterest Tag
Conversions / Sales	Your main KPI — revenue from Pinterest traffic

Tools to Get the Job Done:

• Pinterest Analytics – your go-to for pin performance
• Shopify Reports – for referral traffic and sales
• Pinterest Tag + Events Manager – for ad performance and how people are behaving

Track these metrics every week and compare them over time. Pinterest traffic can take a while to build up, but once it's rolling, it can be pretty powerful.

9. Real Results: Stats and Case Studies

Let's take a look at some real world numbers from 2024-2025 to give you an idea of what kind of results to expect.

• Shopify stores that use Pinterest see a pretty significant 27% boost in referral traffic over the course of 60 days, which is pretty compelling evidence of its potential.
• Product Pins somehow manage to get a mind-boggling 20 times more saves than regular old image posts on the platform.
• When asked where they go for shopping inspiration, users on Pinterest are a whopping 7 times more likely to say this is it compared to other social platforms.
• When it comes to Rich Pins, they bring about a 39% jump in click-throughs on average – that's pretty impressive.
• One particular Shopify brand that uses Tailwind & Pinterest Ads saw a whopping 214% increase in sales over the course of 90 days – that's just crazy.

Pinterest isn't exactly a “get-rich-quick” platform, it's more of a long term growth channel that's rewards patience, good storytelling and some clever catalog management.

10. Final Thoughts

If you're running a Shopify store, selling on Pinterest is probably one of the best decisions you can make – especially if your products are a bit of a visual treat, make nice presents or appeal to people who are always on the lookout for the latest trends.

The integration is super easy, the organic reach is real, and the ad platform is still pretty underpriced compared to Facebook or Google.

Here's the lowdown:

• Just connect your store to the Pinterest Shopify app
• Get your product listings, images & metadata in tip top shape
• Focus on SEO inside Pinterest, keywords, pin titles, board names – all that jazz
• Create some proper high-quality pins on a regular basis
• Use Shopping Ads to give your bestellers a bit of a boost
• Keep an eye on everything with the Pinterest Tag & your Shopify dashboard

Don't treat Pinterest like Instagram, treat it like Google – just with way more pretty pictures.