'Magic in the Grasslands' by Elizabeth Cooper. Watercolor on paper.
The holiday season brings with it a unique breed of art shoppers—people bustling to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones.
Unlike the traditional fine art collector who frequents galleries, these holiday art shoppers are driven by the spirit of giving, often seeking affordable and meaningful presents. During this lucrative quarter, artists face a crucial decision: should you aim to showcase your original artworks, or tailor your offerings to cater to the demand for lower-priced items, such as giclee prints, stickers, keychains, and lower-priced items?
As we prepare for the holiday shopping frenzy, maximizing sales during this season requires a strategic approach.
Artwork Archive, a versatile platform for artists, can play a pivotal role in streamlining the process and extending the relationship with customers beyond the holiday rush.
If you’re focused on sales for the holiday season, here are our top tips for maximizing your art profits.
The best way to increase your art sales this holiday season is to be prepared.
If you followed the steps in our holiday prep checklist, you have already ordered products and packing materials with plenty of time to spare, you test-ran your online transaction center and you even tried out your booth set up ahead of time. You’ve got this!
From there, you can use Artwork Archive to manage your art inventory, ensuring you have enough stock of popular items. Additionally, the platform can help you track your expenses and profits, allowing you to make informed decisions about which products to stock and when to reorder.
Maintain customer relationships beyond the holiday season.
After being prepared, the next most important part of doing markets is creating a way for any customer who doesn’t buy in person to still buy from you later. Have business cards or postcards with your information on them out for the taking and have QR codes in several places on your booth. Use the market’s hashtags to promote your participation so that customers who remember only that they liked your sculptures can find you with minimal Instagram sleuthing.
You can use Artwork Archive to collect customer information and build a mailing list, allowing you to keep potential buyers informed about your future work and events.
Invest in your display and keep prices clear.
Having an excellent display with clear prices makes it easy for your potential customers to decide they want to buy work from you.
In a crowded market they will have many choices for how to spend their money so make sure your display is inviting and has a clear place for customers to stand and look at what you have. Not all customers will want to enter the booth to look around, so arrange your table so people walking by can still see what you are selling and double back for anything they may want.
Looking to make or improve your current art booth display? Take a look at these tips to build an art fair booth or art market display here.
Price for the art fair market, not fine art sales market.
Art market audiences are looking for gifts and typically spend between $5-$30 on each item. If you want to sell a lot of products at markets, having multiple options of items in that price range that can be mixed and matched is the best path to success. Busy booths also attract more customers because people will want to see what all the fuss is about.
If you like, you can offer a small discount to encourage people to buy more, such as $5 off when people buy two of the same type of item, 20% off for customers spending $75 or more. You can also find other last-minute holiday art marketing sales strategies here.
Artwork Archive's Free Pricing Guide for Artists:
In this short guide you will get an overview of different pricing strategies, how to price consistently, and building a pricing structure for your artwork.
Get the Guide Here
Be prepared to tell your story as an artist (many times over).
Finally, selling work in person requires you to be present not just physically but for small talk conversations that make your customers feel comfortable.
Come ready to chat with people, to explain the ideas behind the characters in your illustrations, or to tell a short antidote about how your printer uses organic inks and you had the prints made on archival paper. Small details you can pass on to clients will become part of their holiday gift-giving experience and affirm for them they feel great having supported your small business.
Whether you are preparing yourself for an artist's talk, an interview, or simply want to be prepared to speak about your work, these tips can help you come from a place of confidence.
One of our favorite tips? Record your inspiration, process or any other details about each artwork in the Notes section of Artwork Archive. While you think you may always remember your thoughts behind an artwork, the details fade over time. Recording these notes help to tell your story to collectors and ensure that your story is never lost.
With these tips in mind, you can take advantage of the shopping season
With the right strategy, you can maximize the sale of your artwork during this festive period.
Remember, preparation is key. Ordering products and packing materials in advance, testing online transaction centers, and setting up booths ahead of time can make a world of difference.
Building and maintaining customer relationships are equally vital. Beyond in-person interactions, provide business cards, postcards, and QR codes to connect with potential buyers. When pricing your artwork, remember that market audiences go for lower-price artwork. Offering a variety of items within this price range can attract more customers. You can even consider small discounts to incentivize multiple purchases.
Investing in your display and making prices clear is essential. A well-organized booth makes it easier for customers to decide to buy your work, even in a crowded market. Be ready to tell your story as an artist, engaging in small talk that makes customers feel comfortable and connected to your art.
Artwork Archive proves invaluable not only during the holiday season but throughout the year. It streamlines various aspects of your art business, from inventory and pricing to customer relationships and portfolio management. Whether you're an experienced artist or just starting your journey, Artwork Archive equips you with the tools needed to thrive in the holiday art market and sustain art sales year-round.
You can give it a try risk-free for 14 days at www.artworkarchive.com. There is no credit card required at the time of the trial, so you can test it out without the stress of automatic payments.
By employing these tips and utilizing Artwork Archive, you can successfully navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of the holiday season, building lasting connections with your customers.
