This could be something - though very niche-specific.
Pinterest has launched a new monthly snapshot of trending topics on the platform. And given there are well more than 50 billion Pins in "the world's catalog of ideas", and over two billion searches are conducted on the platform every month, Pinterest is in a good position to identify emerging trends before they become major shifts.
As explained by Pinterest:
"Our insights team regularly looks at search and save patterns to pinpoint what's growing in popularity over time. You can use these insights to develop timely content so you reach Pinners who are in the market for these ideas. Even if your business doesn't handle the categories below, you can get creative inspiration from these trends-and maybe find some cool new ideas for your own life, too."
So what's "popping" on Pinterest right now?
Popcorn
Pinterest says that searches for popcorn-related Pins have increased on the back of Awards show season.
The platform also shared this fairly staggering popcorn stat:
There are 35.2M popcorn Pins on Pinterest. Here are some of the top recipes: https://t.co/3DV6Vpm6Tn pic.twitter.com/KLtDMDVZjJ
- Pinterest (@Pinterest) March 3, 2017
Thirty-five million popcorn Pins. Like, I knew popcorn was popular, but...
Among the key popcorn trends to be aware of:
Knot Pillows
Pinterest has also seen a rise in knot pillows - which, as they sound, are pillows that look like knots.
"Knot pillows started spiking in October, and they're still going strong with more than 350 thousand saves."
Low Maintenance Hairstyles
Pinterest also reports that interest in lower maintenance hair looks is on the rise, with significant increases in save volume for the following styles:
- No heat hairstyles, up 40% year over year
- Braided top knots, up 125% year over year
- Half up bun, up 92% year over year
Overall Dresses
And the last key trend identified by Pinterest is overall dresses, which Pinterest says have seen a 97% increase in attention over last year.
As noted, the brand relevance for each of these trends is fairly niche, but combined with other data reports, like Facebook's monthly Topics to Watch reports - which cover trends on both Facebook and Instagram - it can be another way to identify key shifts as they evolve, helping your business stay ahead of the curve.
Pinterest also recently released new data on the most popular foods in each region, which is along similar lines.