Seller Best Practices
TIP #1 – Your Images Are What Matters Most
Because we are an Art + Object Gallery, our buyers need you to take the best quality photos with the most realistic color representation possible. Whether you like it or not, buyers work off of a color palette and sometimes have to “match a couch” but more often, they want to make sure that the art they show their client will work well with the approved project vision.
You will lose buyers and referrals if the color of you images don’t closely reflect the true colors of your art.
Phones are barely even phones anymore but cameras and will take quality shots as long as you know what you’re doing. Good pictures from a phone article. Cameras are, of course the best way to photograph product so pull yours out if you own one.
For those who want to hire a professional, ARC Design Studios in Michigan is offering Embrace Creatives Artists discounted Merchandising & Marketing Sessions to capture the BEST images. (Location restrictions apply)
For a detailed photography guide, click here.
IMPORTANT:
If your artwork has been modified since you listed it to your Gallery, take the time to re-photograph and replace the images.
Since our collectors can’t see the works in person, they will use our “zoom” feature to get close ups of texture. In order for this feature to work correctly in your Gallery, please ensure the following:
- The image dimensions and resolution you upload meet our requirements.
- Crop out any areas in the photograph that are not part of the artwork itself.
- For example, tightly crop a painting at the edges so that the wall is not seen.
We give you up alternate image options so USE THEM!!! Buyers want an overall view of the artwork you’re trying to sell so make it as easy as possible for them to know more about the piece, visually. Again, visit our detailed page for all of the different shots you can take of your work.
Tip #2 – Write Engaging Shop documents and Specific Product Descriptions
We’re going to repeat ourselves a lot but consumers and interior professionals look for quality work, and also to connect with the artist behind the work. So it’s imperative that the documents you craft for your Gallery are engaging, clear and to the point.
Your biography can highlight your history, creative process, and your motivation for creating art, etc.
The words you use in your artwork text and tags help buyers discover new works when they’re searching for something specific. In layman’s terms, writing well and descriptively helps you be found by more potential buyers. For detailed instructions on how to write an effective product description, click here.
Tip #3 – Keep Your EC Gallery Current
You know what would stink? If a potential client purchased one of your pieces only to find out, after buying it, that it’s been sold through your website or an outside sales channel.
It would ALSO stink for Embrace Creatives because we are ultimately responsible for what happens on our website.
We completely understand that overseeing marketing, sales, research, development, customer care, creation and so forth can be overwhelming and that accidents happen. However, keeping the products and pricing current so that you don’t miss a sale or piss of a customer is REALLY important and something YOU NEED TO stay on top of.
If you sell a work outside of EC, remove it from your Gallery so buyers don’t purchase something that does not exist.
Any artist who continually keeps sold products in their EC Gallery will be removed.
Tip #4 – Correctly Estimate Dimensions and Weight
“Measure twice, cut once.”
1) LITERALLY: Double check your measurements before cutting materials to minimize the chance of wasting your materials, time and money.
2) FIGURATIVELY: Plan and prepare in a careful and thorough manner before taking action.
Literally and figuratively, we ask you to realistically estimate the dimensions and weight of your artwork and your art when packaged when listing artwork.
Why? Because accurate artwork dimensions allow buyers to see if your work fits their space. The accurate packed dimensions and weight will allow Embrace Creatives to provide buyers with a shipping fee after they place your artwork in their cart.
If you enter incorrect measurements or weight, and the final shipment costs skyrocket beyond what the client expected, we will not request additional funds from the client and you will end up paying the difference
We’re artists too so we know it can be difficult to figure out shipping dimensions and weight for work that’s not yet packaged to ship, however, there is a way to do it. For instructions on how to do this, please read the Packing & Shipping area of our handbook.
Oversized Works
For larger, oversized artworks that require a crate for shipping you should add an additional 30 – 35 lbs (13 – 16 kg) to the actual weight of the artwork.
Professional crating services may cost up to $500.00 USD so decide beforehand if you will be crating your art for shipment or if you’ll hire out.
We expect you to research crating costs before you upload your oversized artwork into your Embrace Creatives Gallery.
If in doubt, it’s best to slightly overestimate your shipping weight to compensate for error.
Tip #5 – Keep Doing Good Business
To improve your chances of gaining commissions through our platform and being added to commercial and residential artwork proposals through our concierge services, be our partner and act professionally on our website and off – including market yourself via social media websites, email, and sharing your EC products and collections through your social channels.
Every artist has an equal opportunity to be selected for a special feature as long as their Gallery is robust, informative and up-to-date. Maintaining a connective and engaging Gallery with strong tags, and promoting your work can expose you to potential, new customers.
Being an active user of Embrace Creatives and connecting with us on social, will also catch our attention.