I did not think that the Internet would seriously compete for a share of the market. I now believe I was wrong. I am seeing more and more different types of clients buying art and framing online
I am framing for a client who saw several prints in a high-end New York frame shop. She came to me to see if I could locate these prints and have them framed. I searched and found them online for her. It turns out that she also found them online and had a great time designing frames online. She actually brought in the down loaded designs.
I asked her, why she did not just buy them off the web? She replied, that she wanted my opinion on the quality of the print, as well as frame design recommendations. Basically she wanted someone to tell her that she was making the right decision. I guess we better act like the experts we claim to be. I informed her, that you get what you pay for, and that if she had quoted apples for apples, I would likely be able to meet or beat their prices, and she would also has someone she can turn to when she has questions or problems. She also revealed that she now buys many items online that she had difficulty finding throughout her travels, and she actually misses the thrill of the hunt for items that she thought were rare. She misses the shopping experience.
I have had other clients that admitted shopping online for posters and frames. They came in to look at my catalogs to see if they still looked good, and compare my prices. Sometimes I got the job, and other times I did not. I am quite sure that several never had any intent to do business with me. They just wanted to borrow my catalog.
I’ve already described another recent story about an art and framing client who often buys their (big bucks) “fine art” online. She was responsible for buying the decorative art for the corporation she worked for. She had already bought several framed posters from Barewalls.com. Luckily, because she has great taste she recognized the quality of what she had purchased, and wanted something better. She wanted the advice and quality that an “expert” could provide. It was important to her to impress her boss with the decisions she made. Again, going to a professional took some of the responsibility from her.
What concerns me, and should also concern the rest of you is that for the average person who just wants to hang sometime on the wall, can now get it at every department/furniture store, and now they can sit in front of the computer, pick the poster, design the frame, and with the click on a button, buy it online. The better the Internet experience becomes, the more market share they will get.
So you better figure out how you are going to keep your share.
Me? I’m going after the market that appreciates quality service, quality products and expert advice.
Is anyone else starting to feel this trend? Ask your customers why they come to you. Ask them if, what, and why they buy online. We better start educating (marketing) our customers what we can offer them that the Internet and the Big Box cannot. My only hope is that they will be hurting the Big Boxes more than the type of shop I choose to be.
I am framing for a client who saw several prints in a high-end New York frame shop. She came to me to see if I could locate these prints and have them framed. I searched and found them online for her. It turns out that she also found them online and had a great time designing frames online. She actually brought in the down loaded designs.
I asked her, why she did not just buy them off the web? She replied, that she wanted my opinion on the quality of the print, as well as frame design recommendations. Basically she wanted someone to tell her that she was making the right decision. I guess we better act like the experts we claim to be. I informed her, that you get what you pay for, and that if she had quoted apples for apples, I would likely be able to meet or beat their prices, and she would also has someone she can turn to when she has questions or problems. She also revealed that she now buys many items online that she had difficulty finding throughout her travels, and she actually misses the thrill of the hunt for items that she thought were rare. She misses the shopping experience.
I have had other clients that admitted shopping online for posters and frames. They came in to look at my catalogs to see if they still looked good, and compare my prices. Sometimes I got the job, and other times I did not. I am quite sure that several never had any intent to do business with me. They just wanted to borrow my catalog.
I’ve already described another recent story about an art and framing client who often buys their (big bucks) “fine art” online. She was responsible for buying the decorative art for the corporation she worked for. She had already bought several framed posters from Barewalls.com. Luckily, because she has great taste she recognized the quality of what she had purchased, and wanted something better. She wanted the advice and quality that an “expert” could provide. It was important to her to impress her boss with the decisions she made. Again, going to a professional took some of the responsibility from her.
What concerns me, and should also concern the rest of you is that for the average person who just wants to hang sometime on the wall, can now get it at every department/furniture store, and now they can sit in front of the computer, pick the poster, design the frame, and with the click on a button, buy it online. The better the Internet experience becomes, the more market share they will get.
So you better figure out how you are going to keep your share.
Me? I’m going after the market that appreciates quality service, quality products and expert advice.
Is anyone else starting to feel this trend? Ask your customers why they come to you. Ask them if, what, and why they buy online. We better start educating (marketing) our customers what we can offer them that the Internet and the Big Box cannot. My only hope is that they will be hurting the Big Boxes more than the type of shop I choose to be.
