Pinterest introduced a few new features last month to would help pinners possibly monetize their site activity.  The update effectively incorporates more branding opportunities for Pinterest and its users, meeting the growing demand for expanded commercial offerings around this bubbling, consumer-centric ecosystem.  Pinterest faces growing competition from sites like Fancy that launched with commercial applications in hand, so how does the new Pinterest fit into the overall market?

First, a quick bit on Pinterest’s updated features:

Pins have now been enhanced to deliver more information, further categorized into Product pins for things like clothes and furniture with pricing, availability, and where to buy.  There’s also Recipe pins from your favorite bloggers and websites that include cook time, ingredients, and servings, while Movie pins provide content ratings, cast members, and more.  Pinterest has also added pinning from mobile devices so pinners can pin on the go.

But are the new features enough to help consumers and online retailers alike? Or should they be looking at another service, such as Fancy?

Pinterest vs. Fancy : Branding Edition

• Consumer intent

Both services have a way for people to add items to their “wishlists”.  Pinning for Pinterest, the Fancy button for Fancy.  It helps people keep track of the items or destinations they want to purchase or visit in the the future.

• Selling direct

But if you’re a retailer wanting to sell something, I think Fancy is the better choice since the price and where the item being sold is more readily displayed.  Fancy users can purchase directly through the site.  You can setup a Fancy account for your business, leverage the Fancy button on your own site, and maximize the experience to bring better branding opportunities.

• A place to learn

With the new features, Pinterest becomes more than a platform where people can sell things, but also to learn new things like how to bake chocolate brownies, or how to make a lampshade.

Based on the above comparison, if you want an integrated purchasing platform, Fancy seems to be the perfect place to do it.  But if you want a platform to share your interests, and share more surrounding information, Pinterest may suit you better.