Confession: I haven’t opened Pinterest in months.
Which is strange because I used to use it all the time.
Vacation planning.
Home projects.
Recipes.
Holiday ideas.
If there was a project involved, chances are I had a Pinterest board for it.
Then it hit me.
When I need an idea now, I don’t open Pinterest.
I open ChatGPT.
Need ideas for a family trip to Italy? ChatGPT.
Want to plan a local event for a hardware store? ChatGPT.
Looking for dinner ideas using what’s already in the fridge? ChatGPT.
Trying to figure out why a marketing campaign isn’t working? Definitely ChatGPT.
Now, before the AI experts come after me, I know ChatGPT isn’t the only AI tool out there.
Some people use Claude. Others use Copilot, Gemini, Perplexity, or something else entirely.
But much like Kleenex became shorthand for tissues and Coke became shorthand for soda in some parts of the country, “ChatGPT” has become shorthand for AI for many people.
So when I say ChatGPT, what I really mean is AI.
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized I’m probably not the only one.
Pinterest used to be where we went for inspiration.
Now we’re increasingly turning to AI.
Not because we want more ideas.
Because we want help choosing between them.
Pinterest gave us hundreds of possibilities.
AI helps us narrow them down to the handful that actually fit our budget, timeline, goals, and reality.
And that’s a pretty significant shift.
For years, Google trained us to search.
Pinterest trained us to collect.
Social media trained us to scroll.
AI is training us to ask better questions.
And that’s where I think things get interesting.
Because if customers are changing how they discover ideas, products, services, and businesses, we need to pay attention.
The businesses that win won’t just be the ones with the biggest advertising budget.
They’ll be the ones that clearly answer questions, tell authentic stories, and become trusted sources of information.
Whether a customer finds you through Google, social media, AI, or whatever comes next, one thing hasn’t changed:
People are still looking for help.
The tools evolve.
Human nature doesn’t.
And if your customers are starting to ask AI for recommendations on paint, grills, lawn care, home improvement projects, restaurants, vacations, or local services, here’s the question every business owner should be asking:
What information is AI finding about your business?
Are your reviews strong?
Is your website helpful?
Are you answering the questions your customers are asking?
Are you creating content that demonstrates your expertise?
Because the answers to those questions may matter more over the next five years than they have over the last twenty.
So maybe AI isn’t replacing Pinterest.
Maybe it’s becoming something else entirely.
Thank you for reading! We hope this post inspires you to see new opportunities to strengthen your marketing strategy. At HSME, we’re here to support local hardware stores in navigating today’s marketing challenges and helping you connect with your community, both online and in-store. If you have any questions or want to learn more about how we can support your business, feel free to reach out to us in any one of our channels or send us a message.
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What’s your biggest takeaway from today’s post? Share your thoughts in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!
About Renee C Gray and HSME
Renee C Gray is the founder of Hardware Store Marketing Experts (HSME) with over 25 years of experience helping local hardware stores thrive in the digital age. Dedicated to bridging the gap between tradition and technology, Renee understands the unique challenges of small business owners and provides practical, authentic marketing solutions that resonate with your community.