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Pinterest expands shopping features with in-app checkout
Pinterest is moving deeper into e-commerce with some more features it announced at its annual advertiser summit. The platform says users have long been asking for a way to shop directly on Pinterest and you can now complete some purchases without leaving the app.
The in-app checkout feature is currently in beta for some Shopify sellers in the US. Pinterest plans to expand access in the US this year. It will contact folks who run stores through Shopify with more details soon.
The company also announced a feature called Your Shop at Pinterest Presents. It calls this a “personal shopping concierge” that will provide users with their own personalized shopping pages. It’ll recommend creators and brands based on your preferences and activity. The feature is in beta for some US users. Pinterest plans to expand Your Shop to all US pinners this year ahead of an international rollout.
In addition, Pinterest says it will be easier for sellers to upload catalogs to the platform and keep prices up to date. Using a trends tool, sellers in the US, UK and Canada will be able to view real-time search data, see trend recommendations and learn more about their audiences. The trends tool will be available in other countries later in 2022.
Pinterest is following in the footsteps of Instagram by adding its in-app checkout. Instagram has had a similar feature since 2020. Meta’s app added a dedicated shopping section toward the end of that year.
Earlier this year, Pinterest added a feature that lets users see what a piece of furniture will look like in their home before they buy it using augmented reality.
WhatsApp is reportedly experimenting with private newsletters
You might not have to send messages to a group chat to keep your WhatsApp friends updated. WABetaInfo has discovered that code in a recent WhatApp beta for Android includes references to an unannounced “Newsletter” feature. While its exact workings aren’t clear, it’s a private space in the Status tab that lets you share content with many followers. Names and other contact details are hidden by default.
We’ve asked WhatsApp parent company Meta for comment. This is the first beta to mention the Newsletter feature, so it may not be ready to test for a while. There’s also no guarantee WhatsApp will release newsletters as a finished product.
If this does go ahead, it won’t be surprising. WhatsApp is as much a source of information as it is a messaging service, with users frequently forwarding messages and receiving news through group discussions. Newsletters would effectively streamline some of that info delivery. Meta has also spent years pivoting toward privacy-oriented services, including communities that can link multiple group chats. The addition could expand WhatsApp’s functionality without turning it into a Facebook-style social network.
Amazon hardware VP Dave Limp set to retire after almost 14 years
Dave Limp, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Devices and Services, has announced his pending retirement from the company. Limp has been with the company for nearly 14 years and, as his title suggests, oversaw Amazon’s transition into dedicated hardware…