Art Survey: Buying Art from an Art Website

About 10 years ago, I was interested in knowing what would make folks more or less willing to purchase works of art over the web.

I created an online survey and asked a series of questions to help me better understand how collectors felt about two areas: art in their lives and buying art from an art website.

One hundred thirty five people completed the online survey, and their comments are shared here.

Click on a question to go to that set of responses below.

1. What need does art fill in our lives?
2. What characteristics of art do you like and look for?
3. What do you need to know about an artist?
4. How do you view price when you think about buying a work of art?
5. What do you want to know about an art website to make sure it’s reputable?
6. What would you like to see as far as customer service?
7. What reservations do you have about buying art from a website?
8. What other features would you like to see on an art website?

If you're an artist with a website, perhaps you'll find this information useful in addressing the concerns of collectors.

Feel free to quote from this information, and, if doing so, please credit Kryder Gallery Art Survey and provide a link to this page in your content.

I hope you enjoy the findings and find them informative.

1. What need does art fill in our lives?

Survey participants were asked the needs they felt art fills in our lives. Responses are grouped into the following similar categories with the numbers in parentheses reflecting the number of respondents who expressed that specific opinion.

Self expression and connection

The need for self expression (8)
Expression of one’s self, interests, taste, opinions, personality
Self expression of the customer through the artist’s work
Art expresses everything about a person.
The need to reflect my emotions and feelings
The need to communicate our emotions on a subject to others in art
Feelings and something that says what type of person I am
Art reflects me.
A desire to say how I feel about the world we live in
The purchase of art identifies with one’s inner feelings, their soul.
I see something and say, “Hey, the artist has seen this in the same way I have.”
Connection – here is something that speaks to you
When one finds a connection between a work of art and one’s own thoughts, putting the work in one’s environment becomes a way of asking other people what they think of it. Art is a conversation piece.

Moods and reverie

First you work on surrounding yourself with humans who fulfill you, then you begin the process of collecting things that make you feel some more.
Most of the things I have are things that evoke a mood or feeling.
I buy art for the same reason I buy music: to create or nurture a mood.
Things I like in art are how they make me feel.
I can daydream about it.
Art can cause a dream or fantasy.
I love being able to get lost in the mystery of it.
Art generates a sense of imagery that you can take your mind into.
When feeling down or angry, I like to look at art and just lose myself in it.
It gives me the feeling of being there when I can’t get there.
Escapism
For me, it’s escape and relief from the damn city.
Art allows me to take journeys away from day-to-day stresses without leaving the room.

Beauty

Beauty (12)
An appreciation of beauty
The pursuit of beauty
To be surrounded by beauty and view it every day soothes the eyes and spirit.
To surround one’s self with beauty
To be a part of the process… the search for beauty is religion.
Beautify my life
Beautify our daily existence

Relaxation and tranquility

Art fulfills an inner peace in myself.
Sometimes I can be so at peace just looking at people in art form.
Art fills the need for a certain peace in one’s surroundings.
Art pacifies me.
Art has a very calming effect.
Art meets the need for beauty and serenity of the soul. It gives me peace.
It brings a sense of calmness to my life.
The tranquility of a picture is very calming.
Art gives me tranquility and comfort of the mind.
It fills the need for visual satisfaction and relaxation.
It moves me from relaxation to rejuvenation.
Art creates a place to rejuvenate in.
Meditation: it helps to relax a person by meditating on the work’s meaning.
Some paintings can make you feel so relaxed when you look at them.
Art relaxes the mind and soothes the spirit.
Art soothes the soul. It’s a thing to look at when troubled.

Emotional and personal satisfaction

Art fills emotional needs. (4)
Joy
Inspiration
Art enriches the body and soul.
Art grants the opportunity to have something uniquely meaningful to the soul.
I’m an empty vessel… art fills me.
I just buy what I like to look at every day.
Personal satisfaction
Art lets me have something in my possession that is pleasing to my eye.

Stimulation, meaning and conceptual reflection

Art fills the need to “see” and understand.
It meets the need to see meaning.
Remembrance, reinterpretation and sharing historical cognitive processes
It startles me into seeing something from a fresh perspective.
Good art asks me to reconsider my beliefs and think differently.

Personalize surroundings

Art personalizes my surroundings.
I want to be surrounded with things I like and that have meaning for me.
Art allows me to decorate my home in a meaningful way.
Art fills the need to be surrounded by objects that stimulate you.
Art adds character to your home, office, etc.
Art adds aesthetics to my home.
It adds richness and enthusiasm to our living environments.
It meets the need to make one’s home unique.
Art makes your home seem cheerful.
It’s a vision compliment to my home.
It fills the need I have to make my home pleasing to the eye.
Completion: it connects all who enter with the owner’s persona.

Culture

Art fills a cultural need.
It adds more culture in my life, and I love beautiful pieces.
It makes me feel more refined.
I can show others I am a person who can appreciate these beautiful things

Investment and collecting

Art is a good investment. (3)
I love to collect art. (2)
Art gives me the opportunity to have something no one else might have.
When I purchase art, I tend to feel special about the commitment I made in spending money for a special piece and in taking my time in finding a favorite artist/photographer that I have admired.

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2. What characteristics of art do you like and look for?

Respondents used the following phrases to describe the type of art they look for:

Art that is different and unavailable in a local gallery
Little known and under appreciated but a truly great work of art
Unique pieces hard to find elsewhere
Displays less fear of showing emotions
Is more daring
Expresses its own personality
Shows quality
Is comfortable
Is great in variety

Respondents also described a chemistry or resonating that has to happen for them:

The art would have to be a confirmation of my taste.
I have to have an emotional reaction to the piece.
A site would have to have what I liked and wanted.
A work would have to catch my eye.
I’d have to find something I couldn’t live without.
A work would have to appeal to me.
The art would depict something I could relate to.

Conversely, visitors to an art website do not want to see art that…

Is clichéd
Is done because the artist thinks it will please or fit a genre
Is the same old, same old
Is done without expressing the soul, mind and spirit of the artist
Doesn’t feel honest
Lacks descriptions and information
Can’t be felt
Is trashy, crappy, mass produced, boring and limited in selection

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3. What do you need to know about an artist?

While some respondents reported they would only buy art done by an artist they were familiar with, most expressed a willingness to consider purchasing a work from an artist they did not know or had not heard of.

I’d buy art from a fairly good artist, not famous, just good.
I’d like to see stats on the artist.
The artist should be good but not necessarily well known.
I’m more impressed by the skill and commitment of the artist.
I want to know what drove her or him to create the work.
I’d like an explanation of how the artist developed the work.
I’d like to see new artist interviews.
I want to get a sense of who the artist is.
The lack of artist info could keep me from buying.

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4. How do you view price when you think about buying a work of art?

Respondents expressed strong feelings that they want prices in line with perceived value and, conversely, not excessive.

The emphasis was on desiring art that possesses high perceived value for its price. One respondent summarized this by noting, “I want what I pay for to be worth the money I spend.”

Folks are willing to consider buying art from a website when they sense pricing is…

Fair
Reasonable
Good
Better than good
Affordable
Low

And they reported less inclination to buy when they sense pricing is…

Too high
Unreasonable
Excessive
Huge
Outrageous
Too expensive
Too costly
Absurd
Uncompetitive
Exclusive

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5. What do you need to know about an art website to make sure it’s reputable?

Folks want a solid sense about the credibility, integrity and business ethics of an art website.

Expressions of these sentiments include the following:

I want an art website to have a good reputation.
I’d like to see comments from previously satisfied customers.
I prefer to have a dealer known to me.
I want to know about the reliability of the site.
I want high familiarity with a site.
To know it’s a known company would make it feel safer about buying.
It would be nice to have third party validation that a site is legitimate.

Conversely, folks are clear about what would cause hesitation:

I wouldn’t do business with a non-reputable site.
If there was no information about the company, I’d be leery about buying.
I wouldn’t buy from someone who just set up shop.
I’d prefer dealing with a business that subsequently set up a website.
I wouldn’t like it if I didn’t know who I was dealing with.
It if sounds too good to be true, I wouldn’t be interested.
If it’s a corporate offshoot looking for fertile sales ground, forget it.
It wouldn’t be interested in a site that tried too hard to sell me something.

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6. What would you like to see as far as customer service?

Following are opinions expressed on customer service:

I’m concerned about secure credit card ordering. (35 respondents)
I’d be concerned I could pay and the art would be lost or ruined in the mail.
I wouldn’t want the credit card ordering option alone.
I’d want fax or telephone ordering as options.
Art availability and convenience of ordering would be important.
A 3 to 4 hour phone answer to a question would be good.
I’d want fast service and good shipping and handling.
The lack of immediacy bothers me. I can’t just buy it and walk away with it.
Having an 800 number would be good.
High shipping and handling charges would turn me off.

Several respondents suggested an “on approval” or “return” policy would be a good thing:

“A lot of times I don’t get what I order. This is not misrepresentation. It’s just that what I get isn’t what I expected.”

“If it turns out to be very different from what I thought, I’d like to be able to return or exchange it.”

Guaranteed satisfaction seems to be the need driving these comments, and a fair return policy that allows for a reasonable time period for experiencing the work of art would go a long way toward delivering a risk-free assessment and enhance the likelihood of purchase.

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7. What reservations do you have about buying art from a website?

A large group of respondents expressed reservations about buying art online based on the following comments:

I want to really “see” what I’m buying.
It’s hard to get a feel for what I’m buying on the Internet.
I’d need a careful presentation to accurately convey the idea of the art.
It would have to be an accurate depiction with dimensions and full zoom.
I like to see things in person.
I can read a work better in person.
Internet images are too low in resolution to get a good feel.
It’s nice to stand in front of art in a gallery and think about it.
I’m unsure whether the art would look like the website photo.
Pictures on the Internet aren’t large enough to show detail.
I want to see art up close and personal.
I’ve been burned buying art I haven’t seen in person.
The Internet removes tactile sensations, the smell of the paint and texture.
It’s hard to evaluate art on a PC monitor.
I can’t really judge the quality of the art over the Internet.
It’s still easier to browse galleries and see art up close.
If I can’t tell what I’m buying, I won’t buy it.
I don’t know if I would ever buy art from a website.

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8. What other features would you like to see on an art website?

Suggestions about site features that would make respondents return to an art website more frequently included the following:

Frequent postings of new art

I want frequently changing art.
I’d come back if new art was put up more often.
A wide variety of constantly changing art would make me come back.
Give me different art.
I like a wide variety and good selection.

Notification when new art is posted

I’d like to be notified when new art is uploaded.
Notify me of upcoming shows.
An update email newsletter would be good.

Commentary and information

I’d like to see an analysis of techniques.
Interviews with new artists would be interesting.
An explanation of how the artist develops the work would be helpful.
I’d be interested in a discussion of or commentary on the works of art.
A threaded art discussion group would make me return.

Fast image downloads

I run out of patience waiting for long downloads and leave.
Make the display of the graphics faster.

Organization, presentation and search ability

Have a way to find art by subject matter.
Have a search engine for the art.
Put thumbnails of the art on the first page.
Have a good retrieval and search capability.
Make it so I can click on an image and view detail in full screen.
Make the site well organized so it’s easy to find things.
Don’t put the site together carelessly so the presentation is sloppy.

Free stuff and sales

Downloadable art screen savers and wallpaper files would be cool.
Have special offers, and notify me.

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