Why did art sales explode online in 2020?

2020 created the perfect storm for online art and photography sales. All offline venues closed instantly. Lockdowns became the norm. Everyone worked from home. E-commerce adoption compressed 10 years of growth into three months. People fled cities, new home sales exploded, and home decor (including art) boomed. The only places left to buy art were online galleries or directly from artists. Buyers had no choice but to discover and embrace buying art online. For artists who were prepared—who had their own websites and knew how to market—it was record-breaking. Average Q4 sales growth was 300% year-over-year. This shift is permanent. Art and photography went from 10-15% online to 70-80% online, and they’re not going back.

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Asked by an artist wondering why 2020 was different · Answered by Patrick Shanahan and Nick Friend · art-marketing-podcast · 2021-01-05