Pinterest is finally setting out to make some money. The social-bookmarking company catapulted to renown from total obscurity among marketers and publishers in late 2011, when its user base and the traffic it delivered began to spike. It's raised $564 million since it was founded in 2010, but has taken a leisurely approach to building a business.

Brands without a presence on Pinterest are doing themselves a disservice, new research suggests. Pinners who actively engaged with an advertiser's content on the pin-based social network had a 40% larger shopping cart at checkout, according to analysis of three brand clients by real-time information provider Neustar.

Home improvement retailer Home Depot and visual network Pinterest have partnered to expand Pinterest's visual discovery feature-Shop the Look, with more than 100,000 shoppable products-to capitalize on consumer search behavior on the platform and overcome search engine shortcomings. To shop a pin, users tap the white circle on a product to see similar, shoppable items, including vanities, faucets, lighting, textiles and décor.

The Home Depot has forged a partnership with Pinterest to expand the social network's visual discovery feature, Shop the Look, according to a press release. The partnership will expand Shop the Look to include over 100,000 home décor products, such as vanities, faucets, lighting, textiles, tabletop and interior décor.