Pinterest makes pinning easier. Now you don’t even have to visit the website!

Pinterest has gone a step further in its efforts to bring visual search technology to the web. With the chrome browser extension, you can use visual search technology on other websites to search for products without having to go onto the Pinterest website.

Image : shutterstock

Users will have to install Pinterest’s existing browser extension on Google Chrome. Once this is done, you may move over any product or image on a website to start the search. Related images will appear that are returned by the chrome extension.

This new process will make searching for products a whole lot faster and easier. Earlier, users had to save the items onto Pinterest first and then use the site’s visual search feature. This visual search technology could be used previously but not on Pinterest’s website.

In an interview with Techcrunch, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Evan Sharp said, “Early information technology used words to connect ideas, like hyperlinks. Search engines we built today have drafted on that, they rely on words to get you answers to your questions. But when it comes to searching for ideas, words aren’t the right way. Sometimes you don’t really know what you’re looking for until you see it.”

The new browser tool won’t show promoted pins and hence won’t bring in ad dollars.

There are two possible hitches that have been predicted. The first involves getting people to download the extension on Google Chrome and then using it. Moreover, sometimes retailers wouldn’t want people to browse for products on Pinterest when they could do it on their online store. This might also encourage retailers and brands to stop using the extension.

Pinterest has over 150 million users and aims to get more people who want to discover products and ideas. It gives them a chance to explore a range of topics and also helps companies in their engagement with their audience.