Solved: Best Way to Start Selling Art Prints Online?

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! It’s really great what you're doing to help your family member transition his art business online. It's a big undertaking, especially starting from scratch, but it's definitely achievable. I’m happy to give you some initial thoughts and guidance based on my experience running these sorts of campaigns. It can be a bit of a minefield so hopefully this points you in the right direction.

I've broken down my thoughts into a few key areas that I think you'll need to focus on. It's a bit of a roadmap from getting the foundations right to actually running ads and getting sales.

We'll need to look at your sales channels first...

Your first big decision is where you're actually going to sell the prints. You mentioned a Shopify website, which is a solid idea, but there are other options to consider as well, and sometimes a mix is the best approach, specially when you're just starting out.

Marketplaces like Etsy or Artsy

I would probably start by just listing a selection of the works on established art marketplaces. The big advantage here is that they have a built-in audience. People go to these sites specifically to buy art and handcrafted goods. You're putting the work directly in front of people who are already in a buying mindset. It's like setting up a stall at a very, very big art show that's open 24/7. The main disadvantages are the competition, which can be fierce, and the fees they charge on each sale. You also have less control over the branding and the customer experience. It's not 'your' store, it's a page on their site. But for testing the waters, seeing which pieces get the most attention, and gathering your first online reviews, they are brilliant.

Your Own Website (e.g., Shopify)

This is the long-term goal and you are right to be thinking about it. Having your own Shopify store gives you complete control. It's your brand, your design, your customer list. You don't pay comission on sales (just the payment processing fees), and you can build a real asset. I've seen a lot of artists use shopify and it works very well for them. The major challenge, as you've identified, is that you are responsible for 100% of the traffic. Nobody will find your website by accident. You have to drive every single visitor there through things like social media, SEO, or, most effectively in the short term, paid advertising. Building a site is one thing; getting people to it is another challenge entirely.

My honest advice would probably be to do both, at least to begin with. Get set up on a marketplace like Etsy to generate some initial sales and social proof. At the same time, build out your own professional Shopify store. You can even direct customers from your Etsy packaging to your main website for future purchases. This dual approach lets you tap into an existing market while building your own independent brand for the future.

I'd say you need to build a trustworthy website...

This part is absolutely critical, and it's where I see so many businesses fail with paid ads. You can have the best ads in the world, but if they send people to a website that doesn't look professional or trustworthy, you'll just be wasting your money. Your conversion rates will be rock bottom. With art, this is even more important. You're not selling a cheap commodity; you're selling a piece of creative work. The website needs to reflect that quality and feel like a premium, digital showroom.

Here’s what I’d focus on for the website itself:

-> Visual Design and Photography: The site needs to be visually led. This means large, high-resolution images of the artwork. Don't just show a flat image of the canvas print; show it in a real-world setting. Stage it on a wall in a nicely decorated living room, an office, or a bedroom. This helps potential buyers visualise it in their own space. Videos can be incredibly powerful too – a slow pan across the texture of a print, or even a short video of you showing the quality of the printing process. It needs to feel high-end.

-> Build Credibility and Trust: Since you're starting with no online reputation, you have to build trust from the ground up. An "About the Artist" page is essential. Tell his story, show a picture of him, talk about his history with art shows. People buy from people, especially with art. You also need to add what we call 'trust signals':

• Testimonials: Once you get some sales from Etsy, ask for reviews and feature them prominently on your Shopify site.
• Clear Contact Info: Have a professional email address, a contact form, and maybe even a business address. Make it easy for people to ask questions.
• Secure Checkout: Make sure you have all the secure payment badges (Shopify handles this well) clearly visible.
• Social Proof: Link to any social media profiles you create. Even if they are new, it shows you're an active and real business. If he's been featured in any local newspapers or art publications from his art show days, scan them and put them on the site.

-> Product Pages That Sell: Don't just put up a picture and a price. Each piece of art has a story. What was the inspiration? What does it represent? Write compelling product descriptions that connect with the buyer emotionally. Talk about the printing quality, the materials used, the archival nature of the inks. You're justifying the price and making the purchase feel special. Without this, you get lots of people looking but no one adding to their cart.

Honestly, I'd get this sorted before you spend a single pound on ads. A weak website is like a bucket with holes in it. You can pour as much water (traffic) as you like into it, but it'll all just leak out.

You probably should focus on finding the right audience...

Okay, so you've got your beautiful, trustworthy website ready. Now, how do we get the right people to see it? This is the core of paid advertising. At the art shows, the audience was self-selected – they were all people interested in art. Online, we have to use targeting to recreate that selectiveness.

Your idea to use Facebook (Meta) and Google ads is exactly right. They serve different purposes.

Google Ads (for active searchers)

This is for capturing people who are *actively looking* for what you sell. They go to Google and type in things like "large abstract canvas prints", "coastal artwork for living room", or "buy art prints online". You bid on these keywords, and your ad shows up. It's powerful because the intent is already there. However, it can be very competitive and expensive, especially for broad terms. It's something to test, but I believe the bigger opportunity for art lies with social media.

Facebook & Instagram Ads (for discovery and inspiration)

This is where I think you'll see the most success. Art is visual, and these platforms are all about the visuals. You're not waiting for people to search; you're putting the art in front of them while they scroll, inspiring them to buy. The key is the targeting.

When we run campaigns for eComerce clients, we structure our audiences in a funnel. It's a bit of jargon but the concept is simple: you talk to strangers differently than you talk to people who already know you.

1. Top of Funnel (ToFu) - Finding New People (Prospecting)

This is your cold audience. They've never heard of the artist or your website. Your goal here is to introduce them to the art and get them to click through to the site. Your targeting needs to be smart. Don't just target "Art". It's too broad. Think about your ideal customer.

• Interests: Target people interested in specific art styles (e.g., Abstract expressionism, Impressionism), famous artists with a similar style, high-end furniture brands (e.g., Restoration Hardware, West Elm), interior design magazines (Architectural Digest), art galleries, or even competing online art stores. The key is to find interests that your ideal buyer is likely to have, that a random person is not.
• Behaviours: You can target people based on behaviours like being 'Engaged Shoppers'.
• Lookalike Audiences: This is a powerful tool, but you need data first. Once you have a list of, say, 100+ customers, you can ask Facebook to find millions of other people who are demographically and behaviourally similar to them. It's one of the most effective targeting methods there is.

2. Middle & Bottom of Funnel (MoFu/BoFu) - People Who Know You (Retargeting)

This is your warm audience. These are people who have already shown some interest. They've visited your website, looked at a specific print, or even added a print to their cart but didn't buy. This is your lowest-hanging fruit and where you should see the best returns. Your ad here isn't an introduction; it's a reminder. You could show them the exact print they were looking at again, or maybe show them a carousel of similar peices. You could even offer a small "first-time buyer" discount to nudge them over the line. These audiences are smaller but much more likely to convert.

Here’s a simplified way you could structure your ad account audiences:

You have to test these audiences. Run small budgets to each one, see what works, turn off what doesn't, and scale up the winners. It's a process of constant refinement.

You'll need a solid ad strategy and realistic expectations...

Just having the right targeting isn't enough; the ads themselves need to be compelling. And you need to have a realistic idea of what this is all going to cost.

Ad Creative is Everything

For art, your ad creative has to do all the heavy lifting. Bland, boring ads will be ignored.
-> Image Ads: Use your best lifestyle mockups here. The ones that make someone stop scrolling and say "I want my room to look like that".
-> Video Ads: These are fantastic for grabbing attention. A simple, elegant video showing the artwork from different angles, with some nice music, can be very effective. A video of the artist talking about the piece is even better for building that personal connection.
-> Carousel Ads: These are great because you can show a collection of related works in a single ad. Someone might not like the first image, but they can scroll across to see others. You could group them by colour palette, theme, or room type.

Understanding Costs and Returns

This is the big question: what will I get for my money? It's impossible to give exact numbers, but I can give you a realistic ballpark based on what we see for our eCommerce clients in developed countries like the US.

You're not really paying for clicks; you're paying for sales. We measure this with two main metrics: Cost Per Purchase (CPA) and Return On Ad Spend (ROAS).

• Cost Per Purchase (CPA): How much ad spend it takes to get one sale. For eCommerce stores, this can vary wildly. A realistic range to aim for might be anything from $20 to over $75 per sale, especially at the start. It depends on your print prices, your website conversion rate, and how good your ads are.
• Return On Ad Spend (ROAS): This is the most important metric. For every dollar you spend on ads, how many dollars in revenue do you get back? If you spend $100 and get $400 in sales, your ROAS is 4x. For eCommerce, a ROAS of 3x or 4x is generally considered good and sustainable. Some of our best eCommerce campaigns have achieved over 6x ROAS, but that comes after a lot of testing and optimisation.

You mentioned having a budget to get started. I’d usually recomend a starting ad spend of at least $1,500 - $2,000 per month. This is enough to gather meaningful data quickly and figure out which audiences and creatives are working without burning through cash too fast. Anything less, and the process just takes too long.

So, what's the plan?

It's a lot to take in, I know. You're essentially starting an entire business from zero. Here’s how I would break it down into a phased approach. This is the main advice I have for you:

Why you might want to consider expert help

You mentioned you're willing to pay consultants and assistants, and honestly, for something like this, it's a very sensible idea. You could absolutely try to learn and do all of this yourself, but the learning curve is steep and mistakes in paid advertising cost real money. It's not just about setting up a campaign; it's about the daily monitoring, the constant testing, understanding the data, and knowing which levers to pull to improve performance.

An experienced person or agency brings a process and a wealth of experience. We've run campaigns for many eCommerce businesses, from subscription boxes to apparel. I remember one campaign we worked on where we generated 691% return for a women's apparel store using Meta and Pinterest ads. We’ve seen what works and what doesnt. That experience helps us avoid common pitfalls and get to profitability much faster. Getting the structure and testing methodology right from day one can be the difference between a campaign that returns 6x on spend and one that just breaks even or loses money. It's a full-time job to manage this stuff properly.

I hope this detailed breakdown has been helpful and gives you a clearer picture of the road ahead. It’s a fantastic project to be taking on for your family member.

If you'd like to chat through this plan in more detail and get our eyes on your specific situation, we offer a free, no-obligation initial consultation where we can give you some more tailored advice. Just let me know.

Either way, I wish you the best of luck with it all.

Regards,

Team @ Lukas Holschuh