Pinterest has evolved into a visual discovery engine over time and is now focusing more on eCommerce which Google has been observing over the years. As Pinterest acquires only a fraction of that market (as it stands at 367 million MAU and Google has 2 billion MAU for G Suite itself), it is expanding and is taking away the searches from Google.

That is why Google is working on to add Pinterest like features and tools. Google latest attempt on a new app like Pinterest, called as Keen, which is platform to expand and share your interests with loved ones and find stuff that will help make this special life count.

Explanation By Google

“On Keen, which is a web and Android app, you say what you want to spend more time on, and then curate content from the web and people you trust to help make that happen. You make a “keen,” which can be about any topic, whether it’s baking delicious bread at home, getting into birding or researching typography. Keen lets you curate the content you love, share your collection with others and find new content based on what you have saved.”

Keen sounds a lot similar to Pinterest which Google as noted is an addition to copycat tools that Google has ever released with a view to keep a check on Pinterest to make sure it does not grow fast and be a problem for search.

On Keen, users can keep collections for yourself and for other people. Your Keens can be public or private and once you keen for a particular topic, Google will use its expert search algorithms to look for content the same as to what you have opted, showing other things you might wish to include in your Keen which is similar to Pinterest’s “For you” listings.

“The more you save to a keen and organize it, the better the recommendations become. Even if you’re not an expert on a topic, you can start curating a keen and save a few interesting “gems” or links that you find helpful. These bits of content act like seeds and help keen discover more and more related content over time.”

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Will this app catch on? It does not really seem like the point. Of course, Google wants to get as many users in a way it can as it would not invest in an app if it doesn’t want to see any usage. It is to note that Google has added variety of tools that copy Pinterest features and they have not pushed any of them as it looks like Google could eventually promote them at any point in time if it feels like Pinterest is gaining any significant momentum.

For Example

• Google launched an updated image search layout in 2018 which makes use of Pinterest like format containing contextual search tabs too to refine your search.
• Google launched it own feature of Pinterest Lens for product searches back in October last year.
• Google also upgraded its Google Shopping to put emphasis on the comparison of price and availability.
• Google introduced Retail Trends in May to let businesses keep tabs on rising products, same as to Pinterest’s own trends tool.

All these are similar to Pinterest and if Google ever wants to could boost them very easily to high user base and beat Pinterest in its own way. It seems like Google will see if the users are interested in using the app, Google might push it real hard and take up the challenge to Pinterest. Users can download the app now as it is available.