Submitted by: Kevin Warr
The argument has been debated for years how important is the Internet to the art gallery industry? This debate is now over.
The 2015 Hiscox Online Art Trade Report found that the total estimated value of online art sales for 2014 rose to $2.64 billion (from $1.57 billion in 2013). This is a 68% increase in a single year. The same report projects that online sales will continue to grow at the same rate and will reach $6.3 billion in 2019. In the same report 49% of responding art collectors said they bought art online within the last 12 months. This was up 38% from 2013. Together these indicate that there is an indisputable and mammoth shift taking place in the art industry.
The 2015 Hiscox Online Art Trade Report as reported by Private Art Investor:
The art industry is one of the last creative industries to make the digital move. It now is evident that a viable internet sales and marketing strategy is a business imperative for all art businesses. Yet, many art galleries continue to question the wisdom if investing in the tools and intellectual capital required to successfully market and sell on the Internet. Why?
Art gallery is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art. Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection. Paintings are the most commonly displayed art objects; however, sculpture, decorative arts, furniture, textiles, costume, drawings, pastels, watercolors, collages, prints, artists’ books, photographs, and installation art are also regularly shown
Art galleries have an inherent challenge in leveraging the power and potential benefits of technology in general and the Internet specifically. Generally speaking, art galleries rarely possess technical expertise as a core competency. As a result, art gallery owners and directors must rely upon external consultants for this aspect of their business. This has the potential to create significant additional expense as well as confusion in the execution of the Internet Marketing strategy. These challenges are further exacerbated by unscrupulous online marketing companies that prey upon the technical naivet of the art industry.
Our 20 years of experience at Masterpiece Solutions, working exclusively with art galleries all over the world has shown that the challenges above often result in art galleries abandoning their online plans before they have a chance to succeed. As a consequence these businesses lose any opportunity to share in the rising tides sweeping the art industry
To allow art galleries to successfully participating in the massive shift to online purchasing we strongly suggest the following:
1.Partner with trusted businesses that integrate online selling and marketing tools into their known product/services offering.
2.Only engage with providers that make their money through your success and through other known and valuable services.
3.Demand reasonable and tangible near-term results from your online marketing investment.
4.Limit your initial investment to sums that can be comfortably absorbed by your normal business operation.
The debate about whether art will be purchased in meaningful ways online is over. The answer is a resounding YES. The question now is how will you participate in this growing and essential new marketing opportunity?
About the Author: About Masterpiece SolutionsFounded in 1994, Masterpiece Solutions has grown to be the trusted authority on software products and web site services in the art community. More than 1,300 art galleries worldwide rely on Masterpiece Manager, art gallery software and web solutions to help them effectively manage their businesses for greater operational efficiency, return on investment and peace of mind. To learn more about Masterpiece Solutions products and services, visit
masterpiecemanager.com
or call 303.225.0330 today.
Source:
isnare.com
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