Overview
According to eMarketer’s final quarterly data released on 19 January, Pinterest closed 2019 with 82.4 million monthly active users in the United States. This figure placed the visual‑discovery platform just ahead of Snapchat, which recorded 80.2 million U.S. MAUs, and secured Pinterest the third‑largest domestic social‑media audience behind Facebook and Instagram.
User Growth Comparison
The 9 percent increase in Pinterest’s U.S. base represented an addition of roughly seven million users over the year. In contrast, Snapchat’s growth slowed dramatically, adding fewer than one million users and posting a domestic growth rate of under 1 percent—the first time the platform has fallen below that threshold since its 2011 launch. eMarketer’s breakdown shows Pinterest’s gain of 6.9 million users dwarfed Snapchat’s sub‑million increase.
Demographic Shifts
eMarketer’s demographic analysis indicates Pinterest expanded across all adult age groups, with the strongest surge among users aged 35 and older. Snapchat, however, remained concentrated in the 13‑to‑24‑year‑old segment and lost a small share of the 25‑34 cohort. “While Snapchat has a young core audience that it caters to, Pinterest has a more universal appeal, and it’s made significant gains in a wide range of age groups,” eMarketer analyst Nazmul Islam wrote in the accompanying note. He added that the change was “less about Snapchat losing fans than about Pinterest expanding the definition of a social network.”
Platform Initiatives
Founded in 2010 as a digital pinboard for recipes, décor and style ideas, Pinterest leaned heavily into commerce during 2019. New tools such as Lens visual search, “Shop the Look” pins and an updated catalog upload feature enabled merchants to turn any post into a potential checkout. The platform also broadened its content mix, inviting creators to share short DIY videos and searchable step‑by‑step guides. These initiatives encouraged users to pin more frequently, return more often, and attracted demographics that previously did not view Pinterest as a social destination—parents, aunts and co‑workers. Chief marketing officer Andréa Mallard told investors on the company’s third‑quarter call that users come with purchase intent, stating, “They’re not scrolling to kill time; they’re scrolling to buy.” Internal data released that month showed a 70 percent year‑over‑year rise in product pins saved per day, a metric Pinterest links to higher MAU retention.
Snapchat’s 2019 strategy centered on augmented‑reality lenses, original video shows and a refres
