Retail Week spoke to Pinterest UK’s managing director, Beth Horn on the future of social ecommerce, building a Gen Z user base, and challenging the duopoly of Google and Meta.
Beth Horn joined Pinterest in June this year. She describes herself as a “retail native”, having begun her career at macys.com in New York nearly two decades ago.
Prior to Pinterest, Horn spent 12 years at Meta, in various retail and ecommerce roles with a brief stint at Spotify.
In her first interview as the managing director of Pinterest UK, Beth talks to Retail Week about how the platform is growing in the UK, how social ecommerce has changed brand building, especially with challenging giants like Google and Meta in the space.
How do you think social ecommerce has evolved over the years?
“I was there for macys.com’s first million-dollar sales day, and I remember what a transformative moment that felt like for the business. And as it turns out, that was the beginning of the beginning, right? So everything that’s happened since then has just been a whirlwind.
“Social commerce isn’t just about selling – it’s storytelling, community building, and connecting brands with customers in real-time. And I think one of the big differences that’s happened for over 20 years is just how much closer brands and people are in conversation.
“Brands aren’t built from a great distance anymore. They are built in really close proximity and conversation with consumers.”
How would you describe Pinterest and what should retailers in the UK know about it?
“First and foremost, we are a visual discovery platform, and we are where users come to actively seek inspiration, make plans and take action. And that’s special and unique to us that people show up on the platform intending to be inspired, intending to discover brands, intending to make plans, and intending to take action.
“And that’s fundamentally different from other social media sites, and it’s different compared to traditional search because it’s a consumer mindset that retailers can only find on Pinterest.
“We did a study with LiveRamp via Tesco Media Insights, and we saw that Pinterest users, on average, spend 25% more than non-pinners. They shop in stores more often by 24%, and their basket size when they shop is 6% bigger. That’s a huge insight for retailers to action on.”
What makes Pinterest different from other social media platforms?
“What makes us different is why people come to us in the first place. Users tell us exactly why they come – to be inspired.
“This isn’t doom-scrolling. It’s not passive entertainment. This is active inspiration”
“What has stood out to me the most since I joined is just how much we are Gen Z’s playground. Unlike other platforms, we’re ageing down. We’re not ageing up. Gen Z is now more than 40% of the audience on Pinterest. It’s our largest, fastest growing and most engaged audience. They save ideas nearly two and a half times more than other generations do.
“And what they tell us is that Pinterest gives a really uniquely positive environment where they can envision their future lives. And that means that we are where they will be making their future spending decisions as those future lives become realities. So the user community is there, and the engagement is there.”
What is your long-term goal in the UK?
“I’m here to change the conversation in the UK from the duopoly (Google and Meta) to the trio. That is the size and scope of what I’m playing for. I don’t believe in playing small ball.
“I have been in retail my entire career. This is an industry that matters deeply to me. It matters to me that we help Asos provide people with fabulous party dresses for the festive season, help Lookfantastic share the best holiday makeup looks, and help Tesco give people the right ingredients and inspiration for an unforgettable Christmas dinner. Retail is the backbone of the economy as it touches every single person in the country, and I am enormously excited to see what we’re going to build.”
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