Pinterest Catalog Sales Campaigns Are Changing: What E-Commerce Brands Need to Know

If you've logged into Pinterest Ads Manager recently and wondered where Catalog Sales campaigns went, you're not alone.

What Happened to Pinterest Catalog Sales Campaigns?

If you've logged into Pinterest Ads Manager recently, you may have noticed a change.  If you are currently running ads, Pinterest may have shared a note inside the ads manager about your conversions or catalog campaigns. Or, you may have noticed that Catalog Sales is no longer listed as its own campaign objective. If you're wondering what happened, you're not alone.

The good news is that Pinterest hasn't taken away Catalog Ads. Instead, as part of the rollout of its simplified campaign objectives, Catalog Sales or Shopping campaigns are now part of the new Sales objective. If you advertise products from your catalog, you'll still be able to do that. The setup just looks a little different.

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In this blog, I'll explain what changed, what it means for e-commerce brands, and how you'll create Catalog Ads going forward.

If you are reading this and wondering how we got here and what these new ad objectives are all about, READ THIS FIRST.  

What Changed with Pinterest Catalog Sales Campaigns?

Before this update, Catalog Sales was its own campaign objective. If you wanted to advertise products from your Pinterest catalog, you would simply choose Catalog Sales when creating your campaign.

Now, that option has been rolled into the new Sales objective.

When you create a new campaign, you'll first choose Sales as your campaign objective. From there, you'll select the type of creative you want to use. If you're promoting products from your catalog, you'll simply choose Catalog as your creative type.

The goal is to make campaign setup simpler by organizing campaigns around your business goal rather than giving advertisers multiple campaign objectives to choose from. For e-commerce brands, the end goal hasn't changed. You're still creating shopping ads that showcase products from your catalog. The process for getting there just looks a little different.

Why Pinterest Made This Change

This update is part of Pinterest's effort to simplify Ads Manager and make campaign creation easier to implement.

Instead of asking advertisers to choose from several campaign objectives, Pinterest is organizing campaigns around the business goal you're trying to achieve. The idea is that you'll spend less time deciding which objective to use and more time focusing on building campaigns that support your marketing goals.

For e-commerce brands, this means thinking less about campaign types and more about what you're trying to accomplish. If your goal is to drive product sales, you'll choose the Sales objective and then select the creative type that best fits your campaign, options include pins (custom) or your product catalog.

The change makes Ads Manager generally easier to navigate, especially for businesses that are newer to Pinterest advertising, while still giving experienced advertisers the tools they need to continue to build effective campaigns.

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What Doesn't Change

While the setup looks a little different, the function of Pinterest shopping campaigns hasn’t changed.

If your product catalog is an important part of your Pinterest advertising strategy, and your product feed is still what powers your shopping ads, the new Sales objective will support your goals. If you're using the Pinterest Merchant Center, you'll continue to manage your catalog there just as you do today.

The biggest takeaway is this: Pinterest isn't taking away shopping ads. You'll still be able to promote products from your catalog, run dynamic retargeting campaigns, and reach shoppers who are ready to buy. The difference is simply that you'll now access these features through the Sales objective instead of selecting Catalog Sales as a separate campaign type.

Think of it this way. Pinterest hasn't changed what your campaigns can do. It's simply reorganized how you create them.

What This Means for E-Commerce Brands

If you're already running Catalog Sales campaigns, there's no need to make any immediate changes. Your existing campaigns will continue to run during Pinterest's transition period (until April 2027), so you don't need to stop a campaign that's already performing well immediately.

Going forward, though, you'll want to become familiar with the new workflow. As you create new campaigns, you'll start with the Sales objective and then choose the creative type that best fits your goal, including your product catalog.

My recommendation is to start thinking of the Sales objective as the new home for all of your purchase-focused campaigns. Whether you're promoting products from your catalog or creating other sales-driven campaigns, this is where you'll build them going forward.

The transition to the new objective structure will continue through April 2027, so there's plenty of time to get comfortable with the new setup before the legacy objectives are retired.  If you haven’t updated your catalog sales campaign by April 2027, your campaign will be mapped to the new objective by Pinterest.  This will “restart” your ad campaign….your campaign’s learning will start fresh as a new campaign but you won’t have to set up a fresh ad if you don’t want to.

My Recommendation

My advice is not to think of this as Pinterest taking something away.

Catalog Ads aren't disappearing. Pinterest is simply changing how you access them. Instead of starting with a separate Catalog Sales objective, you'll begin with the Sales objective and then choose Catalog as your creative type.

From a strategy perspective, very little has changed. You're still promoting products from your catalog, using your product feed, and reaching shoppers who are ready to buy. The path to creating those campaigns just looks a little different.

If you're an e-commerce brand using catalog sales campaigns, I'd encourage you to start becoming familiar with the new workflow now. That way, when it's time to transition your campaigns, you'll already know exactly where everything lives.

Final Thoughts

Pinterest hasn't removed Catalog advertising. It's simply reorganized as part of a broader effort to simplify Ads Manager.

The best thing you can do is understand the new workflow before you need it. That way, you'll be ready to build new campaigns with confidence as Pinterest completes the rollout through April 2027.

Need Help with Your Pinterest Ads?

If you're not sure how the new Sales objective fits into your Pinterest advertising strategy, I'd be happy to help. Whether you're transitioning existing campaigns, planning a new product launch, or looking to get more from your Pinterest Ads, I can help you build a strategy that's designed for your e-commerce business and your goals.

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