This is a great piece I wrote with Ron Adams, VP of National Sales at Wanderful Media. The Wanderful team is focused on connecting local retailers with consumers, and we see a huge opportunity for retailers to capitalize on areas that Pinterest and other social networks are missing – ability to track local sales, allow you to create shopping lists or interact with your friends about shopping in a meaningful way.

Pinterest has quickly built a large audience, but can it deliver real value for retailers? There has been some early success with brands on Pinterest, but more from a branding approach. While there’s value in brand awareness, retailers are more interested in the influence that drives consumers into stores, a value directly proportionate to sales and revenues. Pinterest’s focus is on “discovery” and not shopping.

Pinterest can spark imagination, inspiration, word of mouth and potentially purchases, but it’s not a shopping marketplace. Their goal has been to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.” The social network promotes the experience of discovering and sharing ideas, but it was not built with the consumer-retail relationship in mind. Nor was it designed to guide customers throughout the shopping journey – discovery, decision and execution.

via MediaPost: Pinterest – Pinning Down Its Value For Retail