ShareThis has a new report out combining third-party purchase data and its own social data to examine the value of a pin on Pinterest.

“Pinterest’s recent valuation at $11 billion and growing international user base further solidify it as a valuable place for brands to connect with consumers at critical moments of purchase intent,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews.

The study says women make up 80% of active pinners and that 72% of total pins happen on smartphones.

It also says Pinterest has an edge on other top social channels in the Home & Garden, Beauty & Fitness, Food & Drink and Shopping categories.

“A pin has a higher conversion to a purchase than an endorsement to other social networks in the Face & Body Care, Fashion & Style, Fitness & Health and Home & Garden categories,” the spokesperson says.

Face & Body Care is Pinterest’s top converting category, according to the study, and pinners are 33% more likely than other social users to make a purchase in that category.

Here’s an infographic looking at the findings:

“This is all possible without an easy path to purchase products from within Pinterest,” says ShareThis’ Michalene Becker in a blog post. “If Pinterest adds a ‘Buy’ button, as is rumored, we can only expect these conversion rates to increase”

“Publishers and advertisers, especially those in Pinterest’s leading content categories, should leverage the social platform to present rich content geared toward the network’s core audience of women, who are responsible for ‘85% of all consumer purchases’ (Marketing To Women: 30 Stats To Know). Targeting these highly influential users should improve in time as Pinterest rolls out new services, like Promoted Pins, that allow for more precise audience targeting.”

We recently spoke with Shawn Budde, CEO of payments company 2Checkout, who thinks a Pinterest buy button will change the future of ecommerce.

“With the buy button, Pinterest is moving closer to marketplaces like Etsy or eBay that make it easier for smaller merchants to transact, and thus make it easier for more people to participate in ecommerce opportunities,” he told us. “They help level the playing field with bigger merchants who have access to tools that eliminate friction, such as the best fraud systems, and payment methodologies. The buy button will help small, independent merchants turn interest in their products into revenue.”

According to stats shared by Pinterest itself two months ago, its male user base in the U.S. grew 73% year-over-year. The top interests followed by men include (in order): men’s apparel, technology, travel, gardening, recipes, gadgets, design, luxury cars, tattoos, and camping. Trending searches by men include: men’s short hair, cinema 4d, ham radio, cool watches for men, mens tattoo ideas, fixed gear, shoulder tattoo men, hifi, rat rod, and kayak fishing.

At the time, the company unveiled search improvements that take gender into consideration.

Asked if Pinterest will be an ideal place to sell products to men, Budde said, “I don’t see why not. I certainly have bought things because of stuff I saw on Pinterest.”

Image via ShareThis