What are the three ways to grow an art business?

There are only three ways: (1) Acquire new customers—this is what everyone focuses on. (2) Get existing customers to come back and purchase again—this is significantly easier than getting someone to buy for the first time, yet most artists ignore it. (3) Raise your average order value (AOV)—either by raising prices or adding additional items to purchases, like suggesting small prints for a bathroom when someone buys an original. The most important metric predicting your revenue potential is how many new customers you acquire per year, regardless of the dollar amount of that first purchase. Focus on that number, market consistently, and a percentage will return again and again, eventually becoming collectors who stay with you for life.

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Asked by a photographer in Scotland preparing for their first art fair · Answered by Patrick · Art Business Webinar · 2026-09-11