Pinterest finds another way to track purchases via its new “Tried It” button

Pinterest has historically been more an idea board – a place to dream about ideas you want to try or products you want to buy. Today, however, the company is rolling out a new feature aimed at encouraging people to track and share the things they’ve actually done, too. With a new “tried it” checkmark on Pins, Pinterest users can share the ideas they’ve tried and would recommend to others. The service will also allow you to track the Pins others have tried in a new feed.

The company says the feature will make it easier for people to find tips about things like recipes and vacation spots, or learn shortcuts for accomplishing projects, for example.

It could also help to surface post-purchase product reviews – something that’s important to Pinterest as it has been attempting to move into a more actionable space over the years. For some time, the company has been offering Buyable Pins – those that, when clicked, lead to product pages on e-commerce sites.

But not all Pinterest users will end up buying products via the site. After all, Pinterest still serves more to inspire future purchases, rather than trigger instant gratification. Without being able to point to its ability to significantly increase conversions on shopping sites, advertisers have been hesitant to shift more of their budgets over to Pinterest.

With “tried it” tied to products and other items across Pinterest, though, the company could have a better means of tracking Pins throughout the shopping cycle – from dreaming to doing, so to speak – outside of direct conversions from Buyable Pins.

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Using the new “tried it” checkmark is as simple as clicking the checkmark above the Pin.

Pinterest also prompts you to offer feedback by asking “How’d it go?” You can then click on a happy-faced “Love It” button or a sad-faced “Not for Me,” as well as optionally write in your own note or tip.

Meanwhile, you can surface those others have tried in a new activity feed, which also displays the percentage of Pinners who would recommend the Pin, based on the happy/sad feedback collected. This feed will point you to things like recipes that people have actually cooked, items they’ve bought, projects they’ve attempted, places they’ve visited, and more.

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Depending on region, the types Pins in this feed may vary. For example, those in the U.S. try more food and drink, fashion and DIY ideas, while U.K. users try more home décor, fashion and beauty ideas, the company found during early tests.

Pinterest says the new feature is rolling out this week to iOS and Android and will arrive on the web in the weeks ahead.