How should I think about offering lower-priced merchandise and prints?

Lower-priced merchandise like pillows, prints, and gift items serves a crucial strategic purpose beyond the immediate profit on each item - it’s primarily about customer acquisition. Don’t be shortsighted about making only $5 or $10 profit on a pillow. The real value is that you’ve acquired a new customer. In order to have a collector who spends thousands, you first need to get that initial purchase and build the relationship. The number of new customers you acquire annually is one of the most direct indicators of future business revenue. View merchandise as a customer acquisition channel, not a profit center. You could even break even on these items and still come out ahead because of the relationship you’ve started.

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Asked by artists considering merchandise options · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2025-03-12