This year, I planned my home renovation on Pinterest six months before we even called the contractor. I helped my daughter to plan her Halloween costume in July. Now, I’m saving outfits for a capsule wardrobe, months before coming out of quarantine.
Turns out, when it comes to making plans on Pinterest, I’m in good company. More than 459 million people use Pinterest to find tomorrow’s ideas.1 It’s a place to look forwards. This means that we know what's going to be big in the future, even when it seems really small in the present. In fact, eight out of ten of Pinterest’s predictions for 2020 came true – despite it being the least predictable year in history.2
Pinterest Predicts
isn’t your typical trend report.
It’s a not-yet-trending report.
A window into the future, from the platform where people go to plan theirs. Below, I’ve summarised a few key behaviour shifts for the year ahead that we glimpsed from the data. Read through the top themes that we uncovered – then dive into the full report.
2021: Take the regular and reinvent it
Turns out, when everything breaks, so do the norms. This year won’t be about ‘back to normal’ or even ‘the new normal’. Nobody cares about ‘normal’ any more.
In 2021, people will take athleisure, add elegance and make it athflow. They’ll take a glow up, add a minimalist aesthetic and make skinimalism. Expect routines to be remixed. Expect regular to be reinvented. 2021 will be a rebirth, not a reset.
Soft outfits +185%
2021: An internal renaissance
After the plague came the Renaissance. When people can’t venture outwards, they turn inwards. That means that a lot of internal work got done in 2020. You’ll see the fruits of that labour in 2021.
Searches such as zodiac sign facts (+6x) and visualise your highest self (+55%) will keep climbing. And people won’t just transform themselves – parents will rethink how they teach their children, with searches such as mindfulness activities for children (up 4x) expected to increase in 2021.
Mindfulness activities for children +4x
2021: Bet on yourself
Out with the old, in with the bold. In 2021, people will take ownership of their interests. Whether recording a podcast or arranging a dinner plate, people will lean in and take charge of the things that they used to just sit back and enjoy.
Searches for podcast design (+130%) will keep trending up. Foodies won’t wait for somebody else to plate their fancy radishes – they’ll do it themselves (gourmet food plating is up 2x). Entrepreneurship, small businesses and invention will flourish in this environment, with searches such as entrepreneur motivation (+2x) and small business ideas (+90%) skyrocketing.
Gourmet food plating +105%
Food garnishes +55%
2021: Aesthetic expression
We've always known that Gen Zs love to search for ‘aesthetic’ on Pinterest, but it turns out that it’s trending up for everybody. Some ‘aesthetic’ searches aim to bring the outside in: nomad aesthetic is up 80%. Others want an upgrade for their digital looks: laptop wallpaper aesthetic is up 30x. Still others are creating a new aesthetic for their rooms with atmospheric lights (LED light room up 4x) or a new beauty aesthetic (indie make-up +5x). Point is: people of all ages will lean into aesthetics in 2021 and express themselves through visual identities.
LED light up room +4x
Gear up for a year of action. Pinners will be more than planners in 2021 – they’ll be agents of change.
The 150+ trends featured in Pinterest Predicts show how people are taking back control, taking back agency and taking action – for themselves, for their families, for their communities and for the world.
Pinners are ready for a renaissance. But they need a roadmap. Help them to claim their trend for the year ahead and be the brand, the creator, the content that they lean on during this year of radical transformation.
It’s time to own the future.
Andréa Mallard
Chief Marketing Officer
P.S. Want to purchase a trend or get in touch? Contact your sales rep and we'll get you started.