by Carolyn Edlund
One of the most powerful ways to grow your art business is to design outstanding customer experiences that make a lasting impression.
Transform your online customers into repeat collectors by offering service that exceeds expectations. This begins the moment someone discovers your art online and continues long after they have purchased and received the art. Include a comprehensive approach to customer service in your business planning to turn buyers into dedicated collectors who return again and again.
Establish Trust
When visitors click on your website, you have mere seconds to impress them as a trustworthy professional offering art for sale. Anyone making an online art acquisition must feel completely confident in the artist and in the buying process before they’ll commit to that purchase.
Fortunately, this is entirely within your control as an artist.
Your website serves as a primary indicator of your credibility. Professional presentation is essential to inspire confidence from the moment visitors arrive. This means investing in clean, sophisticated design that puts your artwork front and center. Today many platforms exist that make it remarkably easy for artists to build elegant, professional websites without extensive technical knowledge.
Your website should not only look polished, but also function flawlessly. Every link should work, and every page should load quickly.
Easily Accessible Information
Build an FAQ page as a clear guide to shopping and buying your work. It’s the perfect way to answer those burning questions that shoppers naturally have about the purchase, what will happen and the guarantees you offer. Read this article for more details on everything a well-written FAQ page should include, and how to set it up.
Prices should be readily available on all art for sale, and the purchasing process should be intuitive and straightforward. Avoid surprising customers with unexpected charges during checkout. Instead of nickel-and-diming buyers with separate fees for shipping, handling, packing, insurance or other services, build reasonable costs into your pricing structure. Customers appreciate knowing exactly what they’ll pay upfront. This transparency helps to avoid abandoned shopping carts, largely caused by unexpected costs.
You can boost your credibility further by adding testimonials from satisfied collectors to your website. When potential buyers see that others have had positive experiences, they will feel more comfortable going through the purchasing process themselves. This phenomenon, called social proof helps to bridge the gap between simply shopping and committing to buy.
Add Value
Artwork ranges greatly in price. You can increase the perceived value of any piece of art with excellent photography, including multiple views, close-up shots, and in situ photos that give the customer a good idea of how your art looks in a room. Some artists employ a 3D tool that displays their work in a gallery-like setting. These tools allow the viewer to get a 360-degree view of the artwork, in the case of sculpture or large multi-dimensional pieces.
Another excellent addition to your art website is the use of video. It can provide more visual information, as well as showing the complexity and detail of the work. Demonstrate your expertise working with materials or show the extraordinary time and effort that goes into the making of your art. Video can be a vehicle to tell your personal story as the artist as well.
What else adds to perceived value? Your signature on a piece of art signifies that the work is an original work made by you. Don’t overlook the importance of a Certificate of Authenticity, which is a wonderful bonus that verifies their purchase is special and handmade.
You yourself are an incredibly important factor, as the creator of the work. Don’t underestimate the value of virtually meeting the artist during the sales process. Your website content should present you as human, authentic and gracious. Your personality and the feelings you instill in your site visitors go a long way to making your art memorable and collectible.
Transform Delivery into an Experience
The moment a collector receives their new artwork is a golden opportunity for you to exceed their expectations and create a lasting impression. This physical connection with your customer can turn a single purchase into the beginning of a long-term collecting relationship.
Think of your packaging as an extension of your brand. Invest in materials that not only protect the artwork during shipping but also create a sense of anticipation and excitement when opened. Consider using custom packaging that reflects your artistic aesthetic, perhaps incorporating your signature colors or logo in tasteful ways.
The unboxing experience should feel special and intentional. Include professionally printed materials like a Certificate of Authenticity, artist biography, and business cards. Or go further by providing practical extras such as hanging guides, care instructions, or even the hardware needed for installation.
A handwritten thank-you note adds a personal touch that collectors genuinely appreciate. In a world that often seems to be depersonalized, gestures like these stand out and reinforce the human connection between artist and collector. You might even consider including a small bonus gift, such as note cards featuring the purchased artwork or a small print from your collection.
Building Long-Term Relationships
The delivery experience provides an opportunity to encourage future purchases and referrals. Consider including incentives for repeat business, such as a discount on their next purchase or complimentary shipping for return customers. You might also provide referral incentives that reward collectors who introduce friends to your work.
Remember that exceptional customer service isn’t just about making the current sale smooth and pleasant. It’s about creating an experience so positive that collectors become enthusiastic advocates for your work. When someone receives artwork that exceeds their expectations in both quality and service, they naturally want to share that experience with others.
This approach to customer service requires more effort and investment upfront, but it pays dividends through increased customer loyalty, positive word-of-mouth marketing, and higher lifetime customer value. In the competitive art market, exceptional service can be the differentiator that sets you apart from other artists and keeps collectors coming back to see what you’ll create next.
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