While not at the same level of general usage as Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest, which is getting closer to launching its initial public offering, released some updated usage statistics, indicating that it now has 265 million monthly active users, up from the 250 million it reported back in September.
Released as part of Pinterest's S1 filing ahead of its IPO - and, in this sense, as noted by Statista while the user count for Pinterest may not rival that of any other social platforms (something Pinterest has repeatedly said it is not), the platform does have a demonstrated record of steady, ongoing growth.

Its user numbers put it ahead of Snapchat but behind Twitter, Instagram and of course Facebook. Unlike Twitter and Snapchat, though, Pinterest is still growing relatively well. In the last year alone, for example, the company added 51 million monthly active users, mainly thanks to strong international growth.

As we’ve noted several times in the past, Pinterest presents significant, and growing opportunities for brands looking to reach consumers in a shopping mindset, and the data here supports that once again - while it may not offer the scale and potential reach of other social networks, Pinterest could actually offer more actionable, beneficial potential due to the way in which consumers use the platform to find products, specifically.

Indeed, Pinterest claims that 90% of weekly Pinners use the app to make a purchase decision, and 78% of Pinners say content from brands on the platform is helpful. Add to this Pinterest's advancing systems for product recommendations based on image recognition, and its evolving tools for facilitating purchases on-platform, and you can see why Pinterest has settled on now to go public.

It may not be the most significant platform on your digital marketing radar, but the stats here are worth considering. Maybe you should open up your Pinterest app and have a look at what's on offer from brands within your niche or sector, and see how they're utilizing the platform.