Ah, the art industry. Baffling works by big name artists sold at auction for millions of dollars to some shady collector or billionaire. Well, that’s one form it takes – another is much more open to everybody and a popular choice for ecommerce ventures of all sizes.
Normally this means selling art that you have produced yourself – either as prints and posters or featured on T-shirts and hoodies. And you cannot have been in ecommerce for very long if you haven’t noticed that this is a very popular business model for many a small-to-medium sized ecommerce company.
But what is the best way to go about selling this type of art? You can be sure it differs a great deal from those aforementioned auctions – and not only in the cost! Indeed, selling art via ecommerce does not rely on the prestige of an artist name to make a sale; it really does depend on the quality of the art itself. Or, more accurately, it depends on quality of the art products that you sell. Sometimes, this can be as simple as a popular and timely slogan attractively presented or a quirky little sketch that just looks great on a T-shirt.
Ecommerce art can also be individual works of art presented as prints, posters, or even in frames. To shift this type of art, you need to build up a following and customer base made up of people who like your art for what it is. That might sound difficult but again, just think about how many ecommerce ventures are actually doing this – and they are often at the smaller “homemade” end of the scale.
Art Niches
As with all business, selling your art successfully requires a solid niche. This can be as small as the specific people who know you and your art and want to hang it on their walls, or it can be a little broader, like when you sell T-shirts and hoodies featuring art. In this latter case, the quality of the clothing items you sell is also important, and your products are likely to appeal to a broader customer base.
So, if you are selling your art as art and nothing else, you have the opportunity to create a dedicated following. If you take the other route, you need to stand out.
Tips for Selling Your Art
Have a Distinct Style
If you are selling your art as solely art, then you will not be successful without this – but you probably knew that already. For those selling objects featuring art though, it is important to remember to stand out with a distinctive stye which is unmistakably you.
Plurawl are a company out of New York selling Spanish art, specifically that associated with the American Latino culture, and they sell it on hoodies and T-shirts and prints. Even though they are selling perennially popular items, they still have a house style that is kept consistent.
Show Your Art in Your Brand
What better way to have potential customers instantly associating you with a specific style than to have your logo designed in that same style. This is the ultimate in brand identification.
Diversify Your Platforms
If you are selling art, then the visual side of your brand is taken care of. That means you can sell on any third-party site – the products are still unmistakably yours and the brand style is your art itself. In general, brand identification is much easier when selling art, and this is one manifestation of that. Sell it far and wide!
As a final point, it is worth pointing out one other important aspect of well-selling art – it is easier if it’s good.
