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Online Art Sales Are Surging in This Pandemic: How to Take Part in It
Being a small business is tough right now, but a massive silver lining has emerged: you have a product that's actually selling – even more than usual.
Online Art Sales Are Surging in This Pandemic: How to Take Part in It
Being a small business is tough right now, but a massive silver lining has emerged: you have a product that's actually selling – even more than usual.
At first, we thought it was impossible that art sales could have GROWN during this pandemic.
Then the data started pouring in:
- Wayfair's sales doubled as a result of home decor sales, sending their stock soaring.
- Sotheby's in London just reported a stunning 46% increase in bids in their latest online auction with sales closing up at $2.9 million.
- Google Trends is tracking higher activity for searches of the phrase "buy art online" than last year's holiday season.
Right here at Art Storefronts, our members just sold 133% more art and photography in July of 2020 than they did in 2019.
Why is demand for artwork booming?
Millions of Americans are now working from home full-time for the foreseeable future.
They are looking around their homes and realizing they need to make improvements if their new office is to be a more functional, productive, and inspiring space.
That means things like stand-up desks, better lighting, and, yes, artwork.
The home decor market is exploding, and art and photography are along for the ride.
Here's a mind-blowing realization:
For the first time in history, 100% of the art market is online.
All of it. Every art sale is being processed through websites. As a result, many traditional limitations are off...
Sell Western-focused art but live on the east coast?
You just gained access to TONS of new buyers in the West that will no longer be shopping at their local galleries but online - where you have just as good a chance as anyone.
Even if the overall art market has slowed by 50%, the online art market has increased so dramatically that most photographers and artists are in a better place for it.
So - the opportunity is there. All you need is a strategy to leverage it.
So, how do you do it?
Right now is the time to analyze and audit your current online strategy -- which starts with your website (this is going to be the centerpiece of your business during this time) -- and make sure it is up to par.
First, do you even have your own art gallery website to sell from? If not - you are going to need one.
Second, your website needs to be a "proper" art gallery website --
one that is equipped with very specific features that turn visitors into art buyers.
This is extremely important, because buying art online is a process that's filled with roadblocks.
A would-be buyer only needs to hit one roadblock, or have one unanswered question,
to get frustrated or distracted enough to leave. Instead of making the purchase on the spot.
That's why the most important job your art website has is to give buyers the means to answer those questions.
To overcome any roadblocks.
Examples of Typical Buyer Questions that Stop Sales in their Tracks
I am considering making a large purchase, but can I really trust this artist with my order? Does this really look like a credible business - one that is doing well? |
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This is a lot of money, how do I even know I can trust this artist with my order?
No Sale
The work is beautiful...but are these prints high quality or just cheap materials that will fade over time?
No Sale
I can't tell what size print would look best on my wall...
No Sale
I'm not sure how this piece will look with my paint color, furniture, other artwork, etc.
No Sale
Canvas gallery wrap, metal, acrylic...I don't know what any of these media types will look like...
No Sale
I need a frame but what does this "light brown wood frame" they're selling actually look like?
No Sale
Wait, I was looking for the limited edition version of this image but these seem to be regular prints...where is the limited edition?
No Sale
Now any sales problems you're experiencing start to make a bit more sense, right?
Simply having a website where your art is for sale isn't enough.
If your website isn't designed specifically to sell your art...it won't.
How do you bridge the gap? By implementing the critical art-selling features.
By following what the biggest online art sellers have been doing on their own websites for years, to sell billions of dollars of art.
Here are the 5 most critical features any effective art website must have.
Trust Badges
CAN I TRUST YOU WITH A LARGE PURCHASE? WILL YOUR ART RETAIN ITS VALUE?
Trust badges massively boost your credibility by speaking directly to many buyer's most-pressing question: is it safe to buy art through this website?
We recommend implementing the following trust badges on your art website:
- A Trusted Art Seller badge that links to a third-party organization that vouches for your credibility as an art seller.
- A Returns & Exchanges badge that clearly lays out the terms of your return policy.
- An SSL Encryption badge, confirming your website offers secure, encrypted checkout.
- An Archival Material badge that reassures buyers you use only high quality materials that will stand the test of time.
Your trust badges should be visible on every page of your website, so that they are nearby whenever a buyer experiences a trust-related question or roadblock.
Augmented Reality
ALLOWS BUYERS TO TRY YOUR ART ON THEIR WALL -- ON THE SPOT -- BEFORE THEY BUY IT!
Augmented reality is the ultimate roadblock-squasher, giving your buyer the perfect “this is what I want!” moment.
AR technology solves a fundamental problem with selling art online: it's not always easy to get a feel for what the final piece will look like on your wall.
In a perfect world, you would have the art come to you, right? So you could spend as much time as you want sampling dozens or hundreds of images on your walls to get a feel for how they fit in with your actual decor in your actual space.
Well, this is what augmented reality does for your buyers.
Right through their phone or tablet, they can sample your entire collection on their actual walls.
They can imagine what their home will feel like, and what their life will be like, once your art is hanging on their walls.
Needless to say, this feature has been a game-changer.
There are photographers like John Lechner, who credits the implementation of Augmented Reality for tripling his art sales.
John Lechner (Art Storefronts member since 2018) tripled his photography sales after implementing augmented reality.
Want to hear about all of the 30+ features an Art Storefronts website offers?
Wall Preview Tool
AN EASY-TO-USE VISUALIZER TO ANSWER ANY LINGERING DOUBTS
In about 30 seconds, your buyers will be able to confirm that they're ordering the right product for their needs.
Why do you need a Wall Preview Tool in addition to augmented reality?
To fill in the gaps. Often a buyer won't be at home, or won't want to leave their computer.
It's essential that you still have a powerful visualization tool available at these times
so that every
possible sale is closed ON THE SPOT.
Live Framing Previews
THE MOST POPULAR UP-SELL IN THE ART INDUSTRY
Adding a frame is a fantastic upsell, but buyers won't go for it unless it's clear what the finished, framed piece will look like when it arrives.
But it goes even further than that.
If a buyer knows they will be hanging a framed piece, they need to visualize what the framed piece will look like before they will feel comfortable making a purchase -- even if they DO NOT plan on buying the frame from you.
In other words, framing is an issue that can block art sales from happening.
Therefore, having a way for buyers to visualize framing concepts (whether they buy from you or not) is critical.
Side-by-Side Art Product Options
WHETHER LIMITED EDITION, OPEN EDITION, MULTI-PANEL -- BUYERS SHOULD BE PRESENTED WITH ALL OPTIONS FOR A GIVEN IMAGE IN ONE PLACE
This feature is all about easy. Easy for your site visitors to see what you offer, easy for them to make a purchase, and easy for you to up-sell them to a higher-priced item.
This in contrast to the old way, which requires your site visitors to be willing to:
- Search around for what they're looking for
- Spend time clicking all over your site, opening multiple pages of the same image (prints, limited editions, the original, multi-panel version, etc.)
- Invest the energy to compare and contrast these different pages to understand what you offer
Obviously, the vast majority of people simply will not do this, and those are sales you are leaving on the table.
By placing all of your offerings for a particular image side-by-side on a single page, you'll enjoy more sales, higher average order sizes, and happier customers who will love the convenience of using your online art gallery.
Building the Perfect Art Website
So, to have a proper art gallery website, the above features are what you need - at a minimum.
But how do you get it? You have a few options:
You can build it yourself, writing the code for the features from scratch and ensuring they are up to industry standards on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
You can put it all together piece-meal, using third-party widgets, apps, and tools and trying to get them to all integrate into one smooth web experience.
Or, you can get it all in one seamless package.
Years ago, we looked at the art market and realized what artists and photographers need simply didn't exist.
At least, not in a single, turnkey package that would give them ALL the features they need to close sales and still allow them to own their own website.
So, we built it.
How an Art Storefronts website handles buyer questions:
This is a lot of money, how do I even know I can trust this artist with my order? |
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This is a lot of money, how do I even know I can trust this artist with my order?
Trust Badges
I can't tell what size print would look best on my wall...
Live Preview w/ Augmented Reality
I'm not sure how this piece will look with my paint color, furniture, other artwork, etc.
Live Preview w/ Augmented Reality
Canvas gallery wrap, metal, acrylic...I don't know what any of these media types will look like...
The Wall Preview Tool
I need a frame but what does this "light brown wood frame" they're selling actually look like?
Live Framing Previews
Wait, I was looking for the limited edition version of this image but these seem to be regular prints...where is the limited edition?
Side-by-Side Products
With Art Storefronts, you close the sale.
Equip yourself with a proper art gallery website
and position yourself to win in the online art market.
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Absolute best decision I have made in my Entrepreneur Art Career
Joining this Art supported platform has been the absolute best decision I have made in my Entrepreneur Art Career. I have sold more paintings this year than ever before. I am super excited about being part of Art Storefronts and cannot stress enough how this is a complete game changer for me and my career at this point.
Kim Vergil
Fine Artist
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Ahead of the Curve
The reason I love Art Storefronts so much is because they are always ahead of the curve with marketing and technology specifically for artists. You have saved me tons of money and time trying to keep up in our fast-moving world on my own.
Shirley Williams
Artist