Pinterest's retail power on the rise

WASHINGTON, June 1 (UPI) -- Pinterest is gaining ground on Twitter and Facebook in getting U.S. consumers to engage with retailers, a study by the National Retail Federation suggests.

The 2012 Social and Mobile Commerce Study, a joint research project by Shop.org, comScore and The Partnering Group, found the social media site Pinterest has quickly become a force with online consumers.

Pinterest, launched in 2010, is a content-sharing service that allows members to "pin" images, videos and other objects to their pinboard. The study found online U.S. consumers follow an average of 9.3 retail companies on the Pinterest site, compared to the average 6.9 retailers they follow on Facebook and the 8.5 retailers they track via Twitter.

Almost two out of five online consumers follow retailers through one or more social networking site and 70 percent of those who follow a retailer's blog click through to the Web site.

"Retailers have done a commendable job embracing social media -- engaging their customers where it makes sense while keeping their brand relevant, interesting, appealing and exciting on each platform," Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell said Thursday in a release.

Smartphones offer "significant new opportunities for retailers to entice smartphone owners who may be within a few feet of their store -- or already in the store -- thanks to technology that lets shoppers who want to hear from retailers instantly interact with them," said Jennifer Vlahavas, senior director of comScore, Inc.