Pinterest eyes Asia-Pacific growth with Singapore office launch

US-BASED social media platform Pinterest has launched an office in Singapore to service South-east Asia and India, as part of its expansion in Asia-Pacific, the company announced in a press release on Wednesday.

The move comes about three months after its debut on the New York Stock Exchange.

Pinterest's office here will be headed by Ayumi Nakajima, the company's country manager for South-east Asia and India. This is Pinterest's second office in Asia-Pacific; it has had an office in Tokyo since 2013.

The team currently has less than 10 employees, including marketing and creator managers who work with brands, publishers and content creators. The Business Times understands that Pinterest will hire more Singapore-based employees in these roles, but that the team will remain small in the near term.

International growth is a "top priority" for Pinterest and Asia-Pacific is among the fastest-growing markets, the company said in the release. The company has seen the number of users in Asia-Pacific rise by more than 50 per cent over the past year.

With a presence here, Pinterest aims to build localised experiences for its users in Asia-Pacific, the release said, quoting Ms Nakajima. "There is a great opportunity for brands, publishers and creators on Pinterest to connect with these engaged users when they are considering what to do or buy next," she said.

"With a team based in Singapore, we'll be able to offer an even more relevant experience for our users in one of our fastest-growing regions. So no matter where you are from, Pinterest is serving you ideas that feel personalised for you," Ms Nakajima added.

Pinterest's Singapore team has already worked with regional media partners such as Vogue India and Femina Magazine in Indonesia.

Founded in 2010, Pinterest is among the recent batch of tech unicorns to go public. The platform functions as a visual discovery engine, allowing users to "pin" interesting ideas in categories such as fashion, food and travel. It makes money by featuring "promoted pins" on users' feed.

The company reported revenue of US$756 million in FY2018 ended December, with a net loss of US$63 million.