Since the dawn of the time (the mid nineties), internet users have been obsessed with telling everyone else exactly what it is that they like. From the beginning of social networking on online forums to sharing every detail of every day on Facebook, we just can’t help it. A year or two ago, social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon, Digg and Delicious were the networks to look out for, but recently they have lost their charm. The functionality was there, but text links just aren’t pretty enough… Then, out of no where, Pinterest comes along. A new social bookmarking site focusing on stunning images and design.
So what is Pinterest?
I recently wrote an article about the up and coming website which is a new social bookmarking platform allowing you to share everything you love on a beautiful virtual pinboard. To share something, you “pin” articles, products and anything else you find on the web to a “board” you have created. This shares a link and an image with the community. Pinterest’s audience is mainly female and “Pins” seem to mainly focus around handmade items, recipes, and home decor. Well don’t you get too comfortable Pinterest, you’re not the only sexy social bookmarking site in town.
TheFancy.com isn’t new, but it is getting a lot of attention due to recent changes.
Fancy works in much the same way as Pinterest, but rather than “Pin” something you love, you “Fancy” it. Fancy’s audience is much more varied too, the kind of things that people are “Fancying” are more unisex, urban and focused on high-end design, but that’s not all. Fancy is also focused on sales, making it very attractive as a marketing tool.
Let’s look at the process of buying an item through these websites, Pinterest vs. Fancy.
If an item is posted on Pinterest which is for sale, the price of the item is displayed in the top left corner of the image and the “Pin” is automatically pulled into the gifts category on the site. The problem with Pinterest is, they don’t seem to want you to leave the site. To buy the item, you need to click on the “Pin”, then click on the image again to be directed to the original site the item was found on. This is not very obvious, in fact many users are unaware that this functionality even exists.
Fancy however very clearly has a “buy it” link on each item that is for sale which directs you back to the website it was found on. And that’s not all. According to Mashable, Fancy is making some big changes which could end this fight before it has even begun. Fancy is now accepting orders directly from within the website. Now you don’t even have to leave Fancy to purchase something you have discovered. With only 250,000 registered users, Fancy isn’t exactly popular. However 11 million user strong, Pinterest, is yet to secure a revenue stream. With celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher and Kanye West singing is praises, Fancy is on it’s way up, but will it get there before Pinterest follows suit and monetizes it’s massive user base?
Let the fight begin!