How effective are video calls for selling art, and why does this matter now?

Video calls have opened up an entirely new front in art sales and are extremely effective. In 2020, 41% of high-net-worth collectors made purchases at art fairs, while 45% made purchases through online viewing rooms (essentially video calls). Nobody was doing this in 2017, but it turns out video calls are the next best thing to an in-person gallery experience—they work like a dream. Artists who have run these sessions have sold tens of thousands of dollars worth of art this way. The key realization is that video calls are now a legitimate, powerful alternative to in-person selling. If 80-year-olds can unmute themselves on video calls and ask questions, the whole world knows how to do it. It’s our new reality, and ignoring it is ignoring a major opportunity.

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Asked by general teaching point · Answered by Nick and Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2021-03-25