Using Pinterest To Predict The 2024 Product Trends Your Customers Are Already Searching For

Pinterest is a powerful search engine that people use to plan their home renovations, dinner parties, their apartment decor, wedding, their outfits, and their goals for the year ahead. Pinterest is essentially an aesthetic Google that has a strong algorithm that connects people to what they didn’t even know they were looking for. 

The platform releases a yearly trend report called Pinterest Predicts. It uses increased volume from search data to see the up and coming trends, and retailers can use this to help plan their displays, find keywords and hashtags for social posts, brainstorm topics for educational videos, and write email subject lines and text marketing. However, one of the best ways to use this report is for product assortment when picking out new items for your store. Pinterest Predicts is roughly 80% accurate as it pulls data directly from what people are searching for, so you can rest assured these 2024 product trends are what your community have been keeping an eye out for.

Today we’re breaking down 4 trends from Pinterest Predicts 2024, and the list of items you could consider adding to your market plan; Kitschens, Eccentric Grandpa, Give a Scrap, and Cafécore. 

Trend One: Kitschen

Starting off with my favourite trend, Kitschens, which are kitschy items for the  kitchen. Pinterest found these increased searches to predict this trend:

• Eclectic Kitchen Decor +50%
• Kitschy Kitchen +75%
• Eccentric Kitchen +160%
• Green Kitchen Paint +55%
• Retro Pink Kitchens +40%

Kitschy items to be on the lookout for would include cocktail stir sticks, mismatching glassware, animal shaped serveware, airport-style fridge magnets, preserved and canned foods with funky branding, checkered or embroidered tea towels, ice buckets, ceramic fruit and martini picks, patterned plates and bowls, vintage inspired coasters, martini picks, rattan kitchen decor, and colourful kitchen textiles.

Colours to be on the lookout for are various greens, pink, vivid orange, and mustard yellow. Silhouettes to keep an eye out for are fish, palm trees, olives, cocktails, disco balls, tropical birds, and checkers.

If it looks like it could belong at a 70’s pool party, an old-time Vegas casino, or a current day Florida gift shop, there’s a good chance it’s trending.

Trend Two: Eclectic Grandpa

This up and coming Eclectic Grandpa trend pulls nostalgic style from each of your favourite decades. This trend focuses mostly on clothing and accessories but can be applied to other categories such as gift and home decor. Pinterest found these increased searches to predict this trend:

• Grandpa Core +65%
• Eclectic Clothing Style +130%
• Customized Denim Jacket +355%
• Retro Streetwear +55%
• Grandpa Style +60%

Eclectic grandpa items to be on the lookout for would include wool sweaters and knitwear, monogram pieces, patches, leather goods, chunky jewelry, corduroy pants, loafers, silk scarves, fishermen gear, suiting, oversized button-ups, sweater vests and embroidery. As for eclectic grandpa gifts, consider vintage inspired coffee table books and candle sticks, hand-written cards, pins, and customizable ornaments, charms and trinkets.

For style this trend tends to focus on boxy fits, custom-made items, pops of colour and drawing inspiration from the chic grandpas taking over social media.

Colours to be on the lookout for are navy, olive, burnt orange, and rich browns. Keep an eye out for boxy fits, oversized clothing silhouettes, personal style, and unique pieces that appear one-of-a-kind. Grandpa dresses for himself, sometimes wearing items with absolutely no functional purpose, just for style.

PS, I’d love to see a pocket watch, pinky ring or maybe even a monocle show up on the shelves in the small businesses I shop with. I’ll keep my fingers crossed in the meantime. 

Trend Three: Give a Scrap

With the rise of consumers wanting to shop with the environment in mind, this trend comes at no surprise. The 2023 season of Netflix’s Next In Fashion winner was Nigel Xavier who is a scrap artist, often combining pieces of textiles to create his looks. I recently purchased a toque made exclusively with yarn scraps from a crafter. More products are using post-consumer waste and giving it a second chance of life as a new product, such as clothing made of recycled cotton or textile waste, and people are interested in learning to build these products or buy them for their homes. Pinterest found these increased searches to predict this trend:

• Small Scrap Wood Projects DIY +1,220%
• Craft Work With Waste Material +140%
• Discard Recipes +165%
• Scrap Quilts Patterns Leftover Fabric +80%
• Zero Waste Sewing Patterns +80%

Items to be on the lookout for would include patchwork clothing, hats, scarves, blankets and throw pillows, DIY craft items, crochet and knit items, sewing and embroidery kits, crochet scrunchies, colour-blocked curtains and towels, clothing made with textile waste, puzzles and crafts, refurbished or reupholstered furniture, repurposed wooden items, and woodworking tools. As for food items, search for preserves that use excess ingredients, recycled packaging, fermenting salts and containers, food storage, and cookbooks that incorporate items from a sustainable food chain.

Be on the lookout for patchwork, handmade items, DIY kits, crafts, sustainable products, and items that use post-consumer waste. 

Trend Four: Cafécore

Don’t worry, we’re not returning to the 2011 café decor trend where the word coffee is written in brown cursive with a delicately placed bean on its flank. With this upcoming trend people are focusing on the drink cart they likely indulge in much more frequently than the bar cart. Cafécore encourages retailers to expand your array of coffee items to match the lived-in style of your spirited and caffeinated community. Pinterest found these increased searches to predict this trend:

• Coffee bar styling +1,125%
• Cafe chalkboard +50%
• Kafe aesthetic +820%
• Coffee station decor +145%

Cafécore items to be on the lookout for would include colourful glass straws and drinkware, reusable ice cubes and unique ice trays, ice picks, ceramic and patterned mugs, items to renovate and decorate a coffee bar, coffee tables, bar stools, candles, unique espresso cups, tile and woven coasters, chalk boards, chic fridge-magnet notepads, milk and cream jugs, sustainable coffee beans, and brands of tea. 

Keep in mind the more giftable the cafécore items can be, the better, as we all know a coffee lover. Keep an eye out for colourful and funky coffee accessories and decor, along with furniture and appliances that compliment a coffee morning routine, such as butcher blocks and kitchen carts.

The showrooms I’ve spotted the above 4 trends in include:

Creativeco-op , Bloomingville , Primitives By Kathy , AD Accent Decor , Olivelle , Quilling Cards , Chandler 4 Corners , dZi Handmade , Chelsea House , Classic Farmhouse Candles , Uttermost , Mainly Baskets Home , Stamattina Linens , OneCoast , Kalalou , and of course there are many more waiting to be discovered by you!

I want to emphasize the importance of how influential trends can be, even if you feel your community is immune to trends, they may subtly seep into how they decorate their homes, how they choose the tile that goes into the new kitchen, the textures in their closet, or the pop of colour of their next bathroom renovation. The funny thing about trends is that the overexposure to them with influential figures in your life and on social media wearing them just tend to win you over, whether subtlety or overtly. If any of these items resonated with you or piqued your interest, then it’s likely your community of shoppers are on that same wavelength, and would love to see a fresh category appear on the shelves of their favourite local shop.

This article is meant to help you define your product lines, expand your categories and help you lean into what you know your community will love, and has been scouring Pinterest for months now. Send this list to your buying team, and save this for the 2024 markets. 

You’ve got a good eye, happy sourcing!

Steph Bechard is the Digital Strategist at Crystal Media, with over 6 years of experience building communities online and skyrocketing engagement for retailers. Learn more at crystalmediaco.com.