Cookies crumble. The Pinterest Conversions API sticks.
9 April 2024 — Alex Zhelonkin
Getting the data that you need to make marketing decisions shouldn’t feel like hide-and-seek. But with third-party cookies crumbling and privacy rules changing, it’s easy to feel lost in a fog of incomplete results and shrinking audience sizes. The struggle is real: Half of all advertisers confess to not having access to the data that they need for complete, actionable insights.1
Fortunately, there’s a solution: the Pinterest Conversions API, which is designed to help solve these challenges for the long term. It’s a bit like a lighthouse, providing better visibility into data that empowers you to make decisions—and brands are already seeing results, with a 28% increase in conversions attributed to Pinterest on average.2
What is the Pinterest Conversions API?
Think of an API (application programming interface) as a secret tunnel connecting different apps or programs so that they can share information smoothly. Available to advertisers in all markets, the Pinterest Conversions API is a tagless and cookieless server-to-server solution that builds a bridge between your website, app and even offline sales—directly to Pinterest’s powerful analytics engine. It helps to protect user privacy and lets you understand the complete customer journey, from initial inspiration all the way through to checkout.
Take-home retailer Swyft. After implementing the API, the company was able to directly send real-time conversions to Pinterest. The change resulted in a 35% increase in the volume of checkouts attributed to Pinterest, and a 26% improvement in cost per acquisition.3 This is the kind of transformation that an API can bring to your business. It’s about more than just numbers. It’s about clearer visibility to help you connect your creative ads with the right audience at the perfect moment.
Getting started is easier than you think
Setting up the Pinterest Conversions API is one of the most powerful changes that you can make to improve your data visibility on Pinterest right now. That’s why we’ve created many implementation options, to suit all kinds of advertisers.
Top third-party integration partners
Shopify: We’ve built a deep integration with the Pinterest Conversions API and Shopify. We’ve pre-mapped the Conversions API so that setting up performance ads on Pinterest is as simple as installing the app. Think of it as a fast-track to unlocking Pinterest’s full potential for your shop.
Google Tag Manager: Now you can see how Pinterest is supercharging your sales funnel. The key is connecting the Pinterest Conversions API with your existing Google Tag Manager. Uncover valuable data on everything from website visits inspired by those eye-catching Pins to those final checkouts.
Tealium: For Tealium, the process is streamlined. Connect Pinterest’s Conversions API with Tealium’s Event Stream and take advantage of all of the benefits that more reliable conversion tracking brings to your campaigns.
Liveramp: With Liveramp, advertisers can connect with the Pinterest Conversions API through ATS (Authenticated Traffic Solution). It’s suitable for candidates who have authenticated events on their conversion events, but who are apprehensive about sharing PII with Pinterest directly.
Additional third-party partners are available. For more information, talk to your Pinterest team to receive a comprehensive list.
Direct integration
If you have never done an API integration on your website before, tackling it for the first time can seem daunting. We recommend consulting with a developer who can implement it for you.
If you already have API experience with other platforms, setting up Pinterest’s version will be much easier. You can build on that knowledge and refer to our Developer Platform or incremental schema changes for any Pinterest-specific details.
Tips from the pros
Boost your visibility with the Pinterest Tag
We already mentioned Swyft, the home retailer that saw a 26% improvement in cost per acquisition. That’s because they combined the Pinterest Conversions API with the Pinterest Tag. The Pinterest Tag is a piece of JavaScript code that you put on your website. We recommend this pairing to turbocharge your conversion visibility. The Pinterest Tag helps to track conversions and target audiences, while the API adds another layer of insight. Businesses using both have seen up to 14% lower CPAs and a remarkable 36% more attributed conversion volume than with the Pinterest Tag alone.4
Get ahead of the curve
After several years working with Pinterest at the top of the funnel, French online retailer La Redoute decided to try something new. By launching a campaign to reach consumers across the full funnel and implementing the Conversions API, they not only cut their acquisition costs in half but also achieved a 5x improvement in ROAS year on year.5 Not to mention a 2.4% lift in incremental sales from the Pinterest campaign.5 That’s because with the API, brands can optimise throughout their campaigns to help achieve the best performance.
Unlock the power of the API
At Pinterest, helping you make a sale is only part of the equation. You need to be able to measure that it happened, so you can prove the impact of your campaigns. The Pinterest Conversions API is all about seeing what’s driving your sales and making informed adjustments to help achieve even bigger results.
For more best practices, including in-depth guidance on tracking conversions, take a look at the free Conversions API course on Pinterest Academy.
