#1 - Is Anyone Really Making Money on the Internet?

Is Anyone Really Making Money on the Internet?

By Chris Maher

As an artist or crafts person what can the Internet do for you? Perhaps you have been approached by people who want to put your work on the Internet. The possibilities sound great - international exposure, no more traveling to shows, an end to jury fees and rejections. Or you might already have a site up, and wonder where the sales are.

The hypesters claim 50 million people are waiting to buy your work, the cynics point to the galleries that have tried online sales and gotten nowhere. Who is right? How can today's working artists and craftspeople profit from the digital world?

The purpose of the Selling Your Art Online Newsletter is to explore existing online galleries and review individual artist's Internet sales experiences. I hope to save you the trouble of repeating mistakes that others have made and show you how to capitalizing on the successes of the early pioneers who actually sell their work online.

The focus of these articles is not technical, although tips and techniques will be mentioned. The main focus will be how to exploit this new medium, the Internet, to promote and sell art work.

Surveys and "Facts"

Lets begin with a little background. Perhaps the most outstanding characteristic of the Internet is its growth. From humble beginnings as a linking of military and university research computers, to today, the Internet is growing at a rate that is unprecedented.

By the end of August 1995 it was estimated that more than 100,000 web sites were up on the Internet. As I write this (11/11/97), it is estimated that there are more than 13,892,050 World Wide Web sites up on the Internet. In August 1996 a AdNet Internet survey claimed that there are more than 50 million Internet users worldwide, including 35 million in the US.

The latest estimates claim more than 201,000,000 people have access to the Internet. Currently, more than 360,000 new people are getting on the Internet every week.

According to Activemedia (http://www.activemedia.com/) the World Wide Web has gone from 8 million dollars in sales in 1994 to $436 million in 1995 and 1996 has wrapped up at 2.9 billion. This is projected to grow to 13 billion in 1997 and to more than 45 billion in 1998.

Who Are The Winners?

Ok, so more people are getting online all the time. And they are spending money, more and more. Are they your potential customers? And how is the online dynamic different than that of a retail store, or of an outdoor street art fair?

Don't let anyone fool you that just putting your work up on the web will start the sales pouring in. Just because the online auction house ONSALE (http://www.onsale.com/) now sells a million dollars of merchandise a week doesn't mean the Web is a gold mine for you or me. But done right, artists and craftspeople are finding that the online world does represent a viable market.

The keys to success are specialization, focus, knowing your customer, and promoting your site like crazy. Read the articles on this site, write me with your questions and your discoveries. I will address as many of those issues as this column space will allow. We can all learn from each other, and avoid many expensive mistakes if we communicate with each other.

This page last updated: 09/02/04

[ Article Index ] [ Home ] [Information ] [ Search ]

If you would like to contact me directly, e-mail me at advisor@1x.com
Your comments are always welcome.