There are some new social commerce opportunities for retailers on the horizon. Not only are consumers spending more and more time with image-sharing social networks like Pinterest and Polyvore, they are clicking through to product websites quite frequently.

According to a March survey by Bizrate Insights, 32% of online buyers in North America have made a purchase as a result of seeing an image on a social image-sharing site, such as Pinterest. That includes 26% who were able to click through to the retailer from the image to make the purchase. 6% had to look for the product on another site as clicking the image did not take them to a retailer.

Pinterest, in particular, is becoming an ever-more trusted network for female social network users looking for recommendations. According to February data from BlogHer, 81% of active female Pinterest users trusted the site for information and advice—even more so than Twitter and Facebook. Sites like Pinterest are also fostering a high degree of influence, which may affect product consideration and purchase decisions. The same BlogHer study indicated that 47% of female social network users in the US said a recommendation on Pinterest had influenced a purchase decision.

As image-sharing social networks like Pinterest, Polyvore, Discoveredd, Fancy and Juxtapost abound, retailers and brand marketers should keep a close eye on user behavior, especially as it relates to clickthroughs and conversions. Although still evolving, the social networks appear to be a burgeoning social commerce opportunity for retail brands.