Cookies crumble. The Pinterest Conversions API sticks.
April 9, 2024 — Alex Zhelonkin
Getting the data 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 they need for complete, actionable insights.1
Fortunately, there’s a solution: The Pinterest Conversions API, 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 an average 28% increase in conversions attributed to Pinterest.2
What is the Pinterest Conversions API?
Think of an API (Application Programming Interface) as a secret tunnel connecting different apps or programs so 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 protect user privacy and lets you understand the complete customer journey, from initial inspiration all the way through to checkout.
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 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 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 store.
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 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 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
The Pinterest Tag is a piece of JavaScript code you put on your website. We recommend this pairing to turbocharge your conversion visibility. The Pinterest Tag helps 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 28% more attributed conversion volume than with the Pinterest Tag alone.3
Supercharge your sales
PacSun, a leader in youth fashion, were already using Pinterest insights and trends data to reach their audience with inspo-worthy ads. Ready to take things to the next level, the brand set out to turn those inspiration seekers into purchases.
To better understand their customer journey, PacSun partnered with Pinterest to adopt the Pinterest for Salesforce Commerce Cloud app. This app simplified their Pinterest tag deployment and established a direct server-to-server data connection with the Pinterest Conversions API. This backend upgrade was crucial: it gave PacSun improved visibility into how their campaigns translated into website visits, purchases and overall conversions. Armed with this data, they could further build their audience and drive impressive results: a 7x increase in online shoppers, a 3.5x decrease in cost per site visit, and a 3.5x increase in site visits from Pinterest ads.4
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.
