Verified Merchant Program Declined? Do This.
As someone who often works with e-commerce brands on Pinterest, I’ve seen how frustrating it is when you think you have done everything Pinterest asked yet you are still declined for the Verified Merchant Program. In this blog, I am going to share my top tips for getting Verified Merchant approved (or re-approved if you have lost your verified merchant status).
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Active Pinterest Business Account
Be sure you have an active and optimized Pinterest Account before getting started. Spend some time cleaning up your profile and boards and make sure you are consistently pinning.
Pinterest Merchant Guidelines
The first thing you must do is to meet Pinterest’s Merchant Guidelines. Don’t skip this or rush it, you will be declined if you are missing something. The complete list of guidelines is linked here: Pinterest’s Merchant Guidelines.
Before You Apply
Claim your Website on Pinterest. If you are a Shopify or WooCommerce user, you can use their integration with Pinterest to help you through this process.
Connect your Shop’s Catalog to Pinterest. This will allow Pinterest and your shop to talk, keeping your products and Pinterest Shop up to date and accurate on Pinterest. If you are a Shopify or WooCommerce user, you can use their integration with Pinterest to help you through this process.
Install the Pinterest Tag - You can either follow Pinterest’s process to install the tag or use an outside tag manager. If you are a Shopify or WooCommerce user, you can use their integration with Pinterest to help you through this process.
Back to what I said above…meet the criteria for Verified Merchants. Make sure your website and shop meet Pinterest’s Merchant Guidelines.
The Common Issues for Being Declined for the Verified Merchant Program
Here are some of the items I have seen brands need to fix when they have been declined:
Shipping and Returns policy should be VERY clear and include every detail.
how long does it take to ship an item?
what shipper(s) will you use?
what is the cost of shipping? is it free, is it based on weight, will it be detailed in the cart?
if the product is digital, how will it be delivered (via email?)
are returns accepted?
Shipping and Returns Policy should be linked in the website footer. This is where they like to see it.
Social Media Buttons - Check that all of the links work.
Products on Website - Check your product descriptions (are they clear, are you giving enough detail, do you have spelling errors)? Is the title and description complete? Are your images clear?
Is your product inventory accurate?
Are the images throughout your site clear? Site Quality is a common reason for declined verified merchant applications.
Have you had a sale/checkout registered on your Pinterest tag within the last 30 days? If not, you are at risk of being either removed or declined for Verified Merchant. If you haven’t had a sale, try a test sale to ensure the tag is working properly. This will register a sale and help you with the VM status.
Is your Pinterest Tag working properly to report page views, add to carts, and checkouts?
Is your Catalog ingesting without errors? Sometimes we see minor errors like items out of stock for example and this shouldn’t hurt. Be sure your catalog includes all the data Pinterest wants to see including product category, value, etc. This is outlined clearly in Pinterest help.
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If you aren’t Accepted to the Verified Merchant Program
If you aren’t accepted, it’s time to go back and double-check all of Pinterest’s Merchant Guidelines and the other issues I mentioned above. Remember, Pinterest wants your shoppers to have a positive user experience. This means your shop website must be up-to-date and easy for shoppers to navigate.
My experience is that most of the time, the reason a business isn’t accepted to the Verified Merchant Program is that they haven’t carefully reviewed and updated their shop to meet the guidelines. If you are turned down, go back and review the steps above and the guidelines. And then, try again!
Note: If you are not making progress and believe you have met the requirements, do not hesitate to reach out to Pinterest Help.