Pinterest Revamps Search To Attract More Male Users

Data from comScore says that out of Pinterest's 72.5 million US visitors, 71% are women. However, Pinterest wants to tip the scales in the direction of an increased male demographic, and as part of their efforts, the social network has just announced new changes to its search filters that better customize results for users. Now searches will take into account the gender selected by users when they created an account. For example, Pinterest says if a male user searches for watches, results will skew towards what has been pinned by other men.

Pinterest clarifies while the search adjustments based on gender are automatic, they can be turned off, and there are always manual filter settings that can be adjusted, such as in the case of a man looking for gift ideas for a woman. The purpose of the change is about better narrowing down search results for users, not limiting what they can and can't see.

In 2014, the site's male user base in the U.S. increased by 73% year over year, Pinterest says, and they aim to maintain that growth. While Pinterest has long been female-favored, their data shows that the ten most popular searches from men include categories like men's apparel, technology, travel, gardening, gardening, recipes, gadgets, design, luxury cars, tattoos, and camping.

Of course, the whole reason for the desire to increase male membership is likely related to Pinterest's efforts to show ads and monetize. Few things will attract advertisers more than a diverse user base, so that means having a healthy amount of women and men on the site.

VIA Venture Beat

SOURCE Pinterest