The social media site Pinterest, which lets users create virtual bulletin boards of items and products they like, may wind up being a boon for retailers.

Pinterest, whose users span everyone from shopaholics and DIY enthusiasts to small business owners, quickly has become one of the most popular social media sites, helping users discover recipes, books, movies decorating ideas, clothes, and more. As could be expected, Pinterest is also ratcheting up traffic to online retailers' Web sites as users look to purchase the items they discover, according to Monetate, which just released a new infographic detailing the site's impact on social commerce.

Still available by invitation-only, Pinterest is already driving more traffic to retailers' Web sites than Internet giant Google's social media site, Google+, according to a new infographic from Monetate.

Pinterest, which received 3.5 stars out of five in a PCMag review, allows users to create online "pinboards," or collections of visually stunning images, with notes and links back to the original source from whence the images came. Users can follow each other, or just follow specific boards that have been created.

Traffic to Pinterest increased 329 percent from September to December 2011, as word of mouth about the site spread, the infographic points out. In September 2011, the site had an estimated 1.68 million unique visitors, which rose to 2.97 million in October, 4.46 million in November and 7.21 million in December.

Moreover, referral traffic from Pinterest to five specialty apparel retailers rose 289 percent from July to December 2001. While Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter drive the most referral traffic, Pinterest might just be the next "game changer" for merchants, Monetate said.

For more on Pinterest's impact on the retail world, see the infographic below and the slideshow above. Also check out How Do People Use Pinterest?