eCommerce can provide exciting possibilities for arts organisations and individual artists to develop new sources of income and to get their work out into the world. This article highlights the advantages of eCommerce and identifies key considerations when thinking about embarking on eCommerce.
Advantages of eCommerce
Develop a new revenue channel
Get your products or work out into the world
Reach a broader geographic audience beyond your local area
Extend your relationship with your audience
For arts venues this could mean a relationship before/after a visit
For artists this could mean before/after an exhibition, performance or event
For both this could mean a further offering to existing online audiences
What can eCommerce be?
Sale of merchandise or gifts
Sale of books and zines
Sale of original artwork
Sale of limited edition prints of original artwork
Sale of digital downloads – such as video, music, wallpaper
Sale of access to online classes, lectures and events
Sale of print-on-demand items, which are only manufactured when an order is placed
Sale of original commissioned artwork
Key Considerations
Audience: Who is your audience? How will you reach them – for example via social media, email? How big is your audience?
Top tip – for a quick sense of potential revenue, add up your followers and email database, to get a grand total of your ‘addressable audience’. Consider how many customers you could have if 1% of this audience made a purchase with you.
Products: Do you already have products that you could sell, perhaps on sale elsewhere already? Are there new products you could develop for your audience, which align with your artistic purpose? What type of price points will suit your audience?
Services: Are there services you could offer based on your artistic skills? Classes, lectures, professional knowledge sharing?
Digital setup: What does your existing digital infrastructure look like? Do you have an existing website you want to extend? If you are an organisation developing an online shop, does this need to connect to existing till systems, and finance systems?
Logistics: If you are considering physical products – how will you hold stock and ship orders? Will you be able to ensure customers receive their items in a timely manner year-round? Or would it make more sense to operate tactical sales periods for certain parts of the year? Or would you be better suited to digital or print-on-demand products, which don’t require physical shipping
Marketing: How will you tell your audience about your eCommerce offering? Which marketing channels will you use to drive your audience to your point of sale? For example, email newsletters, social media posts, and/or promotion at events. What will these centre around and how often will you be doing so – for example, for new launches, seasonal messages and events? How will you produce visually appealing marketing material that stands out?
Discover more
Here at the Digital Culture Network we have lots of useful resources as you consider these questions further.
Explore different ways to sell online and what each option in our webinar:
The Digital Culture Network is here to support you and your organisation. Our Tech Champions can provide free 1-2-1 support to all arts and cultural organisations who are in receipt of, or eligible for, Arts Council England funding. If you need help or would like to chat with us about any of the advice we have covered above, please get in touch. Sign up to our newsletter below and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates.
Netmatter's Katy Smith provides some easy explanations for the most common and confusing eCommerce jargon. Netmatter's Katy Smith provides some easy explanations for the most common and confusing eCommerce jargon.
