That is the context behind any Pinterest shopping ads performance benchmarks conversation this year. Cheaper inventory sounds like a gift, but it only helps if your catalog, creative and measurement can convert it. Here is what the verified data says, where it runs out, and how to set targets you can defend in a budget meeting.
The honest starting point: no official benchmark exists
Pinterest does not publish a universal CPA, ROAS or CTR benchmark for shopping ads. Most “average” tables you will find come from agencies and software vendors, with no shared methodology. Treat them as noise.
What you can trust is platform-level data from filings and earnings calls. It will not give you your target CPA, but it tells you which direction the market is moving. That is more useful than a fake average.
A benchmark you cannot trace to a method is a guess with a decimal point. Build your target from your own first 30 days of catalog data, then use platform trends to adjust it.
What the platform data says
Start with scale. In its Q3 results, Pinterest reported 600 million global monthly active users and $1,049 million in revenue, up 17% year over year. CEO Bill Ready framed the product as an AI-powered shopping assistant, which tells you where ad products are heading.
Q4 added the pricing signal. According to a summary of the earnings call, Q4 revenue was $1.319 billion, ad impressions grew 41% and ad pricing declined 19%. The same summary notes that tariffs weighed on ad spend from top retail advertisers.
What does that mean for you?
- Expect lower unit costs. More impressions chasing demand usually means softer CPMs and CPCs, especially outside peak retail weeks.
- Expect less competition from big retailers. If large advertisers are pulling back, auctions in some categories may be easier to win.
- Do not assume cheaper means more profitable. Lower pricing does not fix a weak feed or a slow landing page.
Automation is where the efficiency claims are
The most concrete performance figure from Pinterest itself concerns Performance+. In a recap of the company’s campaign tips, Pinterest cited advertisers seeing 20% CPA improvements in catalog sales campaigns with 50% fewer inputs needed to create campaigns.
Read that carefully. It is a platform-reported result from selected advertisers, not a guarantee. But it is a reasonable upper bound for a planning scenario: if you move from manual catalog campaigns to automated ones, a mid-teens CPA gain is a fair hypothesis to test, not a forecast to promise your CFO.
The operational angle matters too. Fewer inputs means less agency time per campaign, which lowers your cost to manage the program. For timing and creator tie-ins, see our guide to Performance+ and creators.
How to build your own benchmarks
Skip the borrowed averages. Use a three-tier model instead.
- Baseline (days 1-30). Run one catalog campaign with your full feed and a modest budget. Record CPC, add-to-cart rate, CPA and blended ROAS. This is your reference point.
- Target (days 31-60). Set a CPA goal modestly better than your baseline, and make it a number you can defend from your own data. That range is informed by the Performance+ claim above, but tied to your own numbers.
- Stretch (days 61-90). Test one variable at a time: product groupings, creative format, or automation level. Keep what beats target.
Segment by product group, not just campaign. A hero SKU and a long-tail accessory will never share a CPA, and averaging them hides both problems.
Metrics to track beyond ROAS
Pinterest behaves like a search and planning channel, so users often save a pin before they buy. Last-click ROAS will undersell it. Track these alongside:
- Save rate on shopping pins, as an early intent signal
- View-through and assisted conversions, if your attribution setup allows
- New-to-brand customer share
- Feed approval rate and price or availability mismatches
If your team already struggles with attribution on short-form video, the logic in our attribution framework transfers well here.
Why your catalog beats your bid strategy
Shopping ads are only as good as the feed behind them. I have seen brands spend weeks debating bid caps while thousands of products sat with thin titles, generic descriptions and a single white-background image.
Fix the feed first:
- Write titles that match how people search, not internal SKU names.
- Add lifestyle images, since Pinterest users browse for inspiration.
- Keep price and stock data fresh to avoid disapprovals and wasted spend.
- Group products by margin and seasonality so budget follows profit.
Creators can help here too. Native, creator-led pins can feed the same catalog and give you fresh imagery. Our creator pilot guide for Pinterest’s collage format shows one low-risk way to test it.
Seasonality and budget planning
Pinterest users plan ahead, so demand builds weeks before a purchase moment. If you only turn spend up in the final week before a holiday, you are paying to reach people who already decided.
Plan your calendar in three phases: early discovery, mid-funnel consideration, and late purchase push. Weight budget toward the first two when pricing is soft. If you buy beyond native channels, review fees carefully using our programmatic fee audit before committing.
Also remember the Q1 outlook. The earnings call summary notes a sales reorganization that may cause near-term disruption, with a focus on mid-market and SMB advertisers. If you are in that segment, ask your Pinterest rep what support and testing credits are available.
Your next step: pull the last 90 days of Pinterest catalog data, set a baseline CPA by product group, and launch one Performance+ test with a clear CPA improvement goal.
FAQs
What is a good ROAS for Pinterest shopping ads?
There is no official figure. A good ROAS is one that clears your margin after product cost, shipping and returns. Establish a 30-day baseline from your own catalog, then aim to improve it in stages.
Are Pinterest ads getting cheaper?
Platform-wide, yes. Platform-wide, yes. Pinterest’s Q4 call summary reports ad pricing down 19% and impressions up 41%. Your own costs will vary by category, season and creative quality, so verify in your account.
Does Performance+ improve shopping ad results?
Pinterest has cited 20% CPA improvements in catalog sales campaigns from advertisers using Performance+, along with 50% fewer inputs. Treat that as a hypothesis to test against your own manual campaigns, not a promise.
Why do Pinterest conversions look low in last-click reports?
Many users save pins and return later, sometimes via another channel. Last-click reporting misses that path. Review assisted and view-through conversions, and compare against blended revenue trends.
How long should I test before judging performance?
Plan for at least 30 days of data per campaign, longer for high-consideration products. Short tests tend to cut off the planning behavior that makes Pinterest valuable.
Should I use creators in Pinterest shopping campaigns?
Yes, as a creative source. Creator pins can add fresh imagery and authenticity to your catalog, and you can test them against brand-produced assets in the same campaign structure.
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