Melinda Petrunoff: Pinterest Predicts Is A “Cheat Sheet” For 2024

We have 18 days until Christmas but for many in the marketing business, the biggest present has already arrived — Pinterest Predicts.

The firm’s yearly look at the trends to come has become an integral part of campaign planning for many, with Melinda Petrunoff, Pinterest’s managing director for Australia and New Zealand, describing it as a “cheat sheet” for 2024.

“It allows brands to think about how they can be culturally relevant,” she told B&T.

There is a lot to unpack, however, with 23 individual trends (all listed below) that Pinterest has identified for the year ahead, ranging from a jazz revival to kitschy kitchens and the rise of chromes and metallics.

Melinda Petrunoff, managing director ANZ, Pinterest

“People are coming to Pinterest to seek inspiration, make decisions and take action,” explained Petrunoff.

“We have an enormous amount of data that allows us to see what people are searching for and planning to do. We look at that data and lean into the things that are trending upwards”.

Pinners, as Pinterest calls its users, come to the platform with high intent to buy and research, making the trends start earlier and last longer. If brands lean into the trends, as Dulux did last year to great success, Petrunoff said that they will not only be seen more favourably by users but they will also see improved business results.

“Dulux was one of the first brands to jump on the Home Front trends. For a legacy brand that is trusted and safe, being culturally relevant is a little bit more challenging. When they saw that people were going to really invest time doing up the entrance to their homes, they owned that trend for the first few months of the year and positioned their campaigns on-platform around it and they saw a significant increase on all of the metrics that they were looking to perform against,” explained Petrunoff.

Leaning into those trends can also benefit brands offline.

“We were working with some of the big box retailers to help them understand the trends and they used it to inform their merchandising departments to help them showcase their stock. It helps them draw in more foot traffic because they are on trend,” said Petrunoff.

What’s more, Pinterest can predict the future with remarkable accuracy.

“Over the four years we’ve been doing the Pinterest Predicts report, eight out of 10 come true. How do we know that? We mine the data and look at the top trends over the rest of the year to validate that”.

In fact, Petrunoff pointed out that Mushrooms — one of the trends from last year — made it from Katy Perry’s set designs and the Louis Vuitton store on Sydney’s George Street to the theme for this year’s B&T Awards.

The trends are also a window into the minds of consumers in 2024 with staycations, non-alcoholic beverages, and bringing the outside world in all on the rise.

“With the Cafécore and Collecting Coins trends, there is an opportunity to be mindful of how we’re managing our budgets. I think both those trends really represent consumers being very conscious of their spending behaviour,” she explained.

However, that doesn’t mean that shopping is declining on Pinterest with half of consumers coming to the platform every month to shop.

New for 2024 is the Pinterest Predicts Shop, a place where users can find a carefully curated selection of products that are set to put buyers ahead of the curve and provide incredible cut-through for brands. The Shop will feature businesses of all sizes and the products will be taken straight from their Pinterest catalogues and across a range of price points.

So what are those trends?

• Eclectic Grandpa — Think retro streetwear, chic cardigans and customised clothing as Gen Z and Boomers lead the growth in searches for ‘grandad style’, as well as ‘eclectic clothing style’ and ‘retro streetwear’.
• Be Jelly — From home décor to couture to beauty ideas, in 2024, our muse will be a very squishy invertebrate—jellyfish. Gen Z and Millennials are driving this trend, searching for ‘jellyfish lamp’, ‘jellyfish hat’ and even ‘jellyfish haircut’.
• Kitschens — Traditional farmhouse kitchens are out as Gen X and Boomers will elevate their kitchen designs and cooking areas with thrifted finds, vintage appliances and eye-dazzling colours such as retro pink.
• Cafécore — Searching heavily for terms such as ‘café chalkboard’ and ‘coffee station décor’, people are creating a full café experience where they live.
• Make It Big — Beauty and baubles will get bigger, bolder and puffier in 2024. Millennial and Gen Z shoppers will favour oversized opulence, shopping for styles that match their fluffy hair aesthetic.
• Blue Beauty — Aquamarine make-up is back with Gen Z and Millennials will search for ‘blue glam make-up’ and ‘pastel blue eyeshadow’ as they find ways to incorporate this 60s staple into their modern beauty routines.
• Bow Stacking — Millennials and Gen Z will embrace the art of ‘bow stacking’ as they adorn their outfits, shoes, hair and jewellery with this delicate detail. Searches are rising for ‘bow outfit’, ‘bow necklace’, ‘heels with bows’ and more.
• Making a Racket — Tennis is out and badminton is set to be 2024’s coolest bat-and-ball sport with searches for everything from ‘badminton outfit’ to ‘playing badminton’ on the rise.
• Groovy Nuptials — Next year, 70s-inspired weddings will come back, with disco décor and hippy hen dos making marriage retro.
• Give a Scrap — Consumers want to repurpose fabrics for unique-to-me clothing and are increasingly concerned about food sustainability.
• Melty Mashups — This trend combines ooey-gooey, treat-yourself favourites into mouth-watering mashups such as ‘burger quesadillas’ and ‘pizza pies’.
• Tropic Like It’s Hot — Searches are on the rise for terms such as ‘pineapple mocktails’ and ‘coconut aesthetic’, making 2024 a year for tropical-themed drinks home décor and fashion.
• Head to Glow — The focus on facial care is shifting to the entire body as Boomers and Gen Z double down on luxury lotions, in-home spa experiences and some serious SPF sunscreen. Searches for ‘body skin care routine’ are up by a jaw-dropping 1,025 per cent.
• Rest Stops — Gen Z and Millenials are slowing life down by retreating to laid-back locales. Searching for ‘staycation hotel’ and ‘slow life’, they want fewer nights out and more lazy mornings in bed.
• Big talk — People are going online to find ways to forge deeper offline connections. ‘Emotional intimacy’, ‘questions for couples to reconnect’ and ‘deep questions to ask friends’ are popular search terms, and people are turning to Pinterest for new conversation starters.
• Inchstones — Parents are celebrating their little ones’ tiny triumphs, seeking small-moment memories via search terms such as ‘monthly milestone ideas’ as well as ‘potty training rewards ideas’ and ‘my first tooth party’.
• Western Gothic — A mix of vintage Americana chic with a deep, moody hue is on the horizon as searches are trending up for ‘western bedding ideas’, ‘country room ideas’, ‘western gothic’ and more. Expect to see Gen Z and Boomers DIY in style next year.
• Jazz Revival — A new jazz era is coming with Millennials and Gen Z trading in their electronic beats for something far more retro, beyond funk playlists: jazz-inspired outfits, dimly lit venues and lo-fi looks are all on the rise.
• Aquatecture — Gen Xers and Millennials are set to become underwater gardeners next year. They will go all in on ‘small aquarium designs’ and over-the-top ‘turtle terrariums’.
• Knockout Workouts — Pilates and yoga are out and HIIT workouts are back with Millennials and Gen Z will go all-in on combat sports such as karate, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu.
• Cute Coins — Gen Z and Millennials will take their money and make it cuter. Credit cards will get a makeover. Piggy banks will be customised.
• Dirt Flirts — Boomers and Gen X will load up their 4x4s and make for the mountains with searches for ‘Off-road camping’, ‘off-road car’, ‘off-road wheels’ all rising.
• Hot Metals — Gen Z and Millennials in particular are driving this heavy metal aesthetic on Pinterest as they search for things such as ‘aluminium furniture’, ‘nail art metallic’ and ‘aluminium door design’.