Pinterest is to test a new look in a bid to boost ecommerce referrals and increase engagement on the social scrapbooking site via aided discovery.

The almost-three-year-old social network announced it will soon test an update with a small number of users that features changes to navigation, increased image sizes and more information below each pin.

The update follows the launch of accounts designed for marketers last November, as the site begins to pave the way for brand pages.

Changes have been made to the navigation and search panel of the site, in an effort to make getting around more intuitive. The changes will enhance the image based nature of its search tool, to make searching more visual for users, a feature that Google and Facebook are likely to watch closely as they move to enhance their own social search offerings.

Pins will now be larger and contain more details, including related pins, copy and links to aid discovery and deepen engagement on the site. In December last year, 1.2 million unique Australian visitors accessed the site, spending an average of three minutes and thirty-six seconds per visit, according to figures from Nielsen.

The changes will mean businesses on the social network will need to optimise copy and links attached to pins, adopt a greater focus on platform management and ensure high quality, larger sized images are available, Matt Owen from Econsultancy writes.

“In theory this should deepen the site’s already impressive engagement figures, but for business accounts it means something more important: cross and up-sell opportunities,” Owen says. “By highlighting other content and even users related to an original pin, there’s an increased chance that your account will be found through a users’ organic connections, and a chance to showcase more of your products, services, and even those all-important influencers who already engage with your product.”

When rolled out universally, the changes look set to deepen engagement and boost ecommerce referrals, making the site an even stronger social commerce tool.