What to do When Sales are Slow in Your Print on Demand Store

what to do when sales are slow on print on demand
What to do when sales are slow print on demand stores

Today I’m sharing my thoughts on what to do when sales are slow in your Print on Demand stores.

In retail, whether online or brick and mortar, there are sales cycles.  This means that sales slow down at certain times of the year and peak during other times, like at Christmas.

It can be frustrating and confusing to go from making several sales in a month to barely any, but that is totally normal and just the reality of retail. It does not mean you’ve failed, so don’t get down!

Think about how you personally shop. What times of the year do you spend the most money and when do you save? You will most likely find this reflected in your sales.

Here you can easily see the cycle peaks and lows during the year from my Redbubble analytics:

sales cycles on print on demand online retail stores

You can see my sales peak in November and December and drop down in the spring. Then they steadily climb back up until August when people shop for Back to School.

This sales cycle is totally normal and something you will need to get used to and prepare for, especially if your sole income is through online retail shops.

Instead of getting frustrated and throwing in the towel, there are lots of things you can do during these low times to get your shops ready for when the sales start to rise again!

Here is a list of things you can do when sales are slow in your print on demand stores:

  • Update your website or blog. Start creating one if you haven’t yet.
  • Create and add new designs to your shops.
  • Find new ways to promote your shops. Start using Pinterest for example.
  • Grow your social media followings.
  • Go through your stores and update or delete under-performing designs.
  • Go through your designs and update titles and keywords to be more SEO friendly.
  • Enable new products you haven’t offered before.
  • Do a brand overhaul: refresh your logo, banners, etc.
  • Create designs for upcoming holidays or other themed days of the year.
  • Promote sales going on in your shops. If your sales are slow, so are the websites you sell on and they will often have really good sales during slow times to get people to buy.
  • Ask others for feedback. You could ask friends or other Print on Demand artists for feedback on your stores and/or designs.
  • Network. Find and join support groups with like-minded individuals. There are lots of Print on Demand groups on Facebook.
  • Learn new business and marketing strategies through YouTube, Skillshare or other sources.
  • Take a break. Sometimes we need some time away to replenish our creativity.  Go on a holiday or spend time with friends and family and come back with new ideas.
  • Open a new print on demand store. There are lots of print on demand sites out there, perhaps there is one more suited to your style. Here is a list of Print on Demand sites to try.
  • And most importantly don’t give up!

Looking for more print on demand tips? You can find lots more tips about selling your art through Print on Demand websites in the resources section of my blog.

Happy selling!


Cheers,

julie signing off

Why You Should Start Blogging for your Art Business

how to blog for your art business
blogging for your art business

So, you’re an artist (or some sort of creative), and you want to start selling your work online. Where do you start? Do you already have a website but struggle to get traffic to it? What do you do now? Well I  think the answer is… blogging for your art business!

Why start blogging for your art business?

Why shouldn’t you? What’s the worst that can happen? It’s one of the easiest ways to get your artwork out there and seen by potential fans and buyers.

I’m not the most popular blogger ever, but way more people have seen my artwork now than if I had never started blogging.  Now that I have a few years of experience, I can share that experience with you!

Why should you blog for your art business? To build a community of supporters and like-minded individuals.  I think this is the main point of starting a blog for your art business (or any business), besides just getting your images out there and seen by as many people as possible.

As time goes by and people start following your blog you will find fans of your work. You will also connect with other bloggers to create a supportive community for your art business!  Not only does this drive traffic to your blog but it will boost your confidence and allow you to blossom into the creative entrepreneur you want to be!

betta fish canvas art print
Show your artwork to the world on your blog!

How to start blogging for your art business?

First of all you need to choose a platform that works for you.  I like WordPress because it comes with a built-in audience. If you tag your post with the word “art” then it will show up on anyone’s reader feed who follows the “art” tag.

Since art blogs are not as popular as blogs about, say, blogging, recipes, or health/beauty for example, I think it’s important to take advantage of this potential readership.

You could also consider blogging on Tumblr, Blogger, or another blogging platform of your choice. You can even self-host your site if you have the knowledge and funds to set it up.

Since you are showing off your artwork, when you are writing your posts you want to use pictures, NICE pictures. Art is a visual communication and, especially if your work is a hand made drawing or painting, you want the image to reflect your work as truly as possible. Try to make it true to colour, and as clear as possible.  Show off your best work!

  • Write a little bit about your art – what inspired this particular piece?  How did you make it?  What materials did you use?  What exactly is it?  You don’t have to write a super long essay since you want the main focus to be your art, but just a couple of paragraphs will do.
  • Use alt tags when uploading your images – keywords describing your art piece – so it will show up on Google image search!  This is very important and could be a key driver of traffic to your art blog.  When you add an image to your post there should be a section to add alt tags. Search for “how to add alt tags on (your blogging platform here)” if you are having trouble finding it.
  • Connect with other bloggers.  Follow the “art” tab and other tabs that interest you and start liking, following and reading other blogs!  Eventually some of them will come check out yours too.  You might even find other artists to collaborate with on future projects!
ladybug mandala instagram

Share Your Blog Posts to Social Media

Now that you’ve written a blog post about your art, what do you do next? Share it! If you don’t already have a business Facebook page, Twitter, and/or Instagram account, start one now!  Share your art and blog posts to each of these, and any others you enjoy using.

Pinterest – Pinterest is an image-based sharing website, which is great for artists, and can be a big driver of traffic to your blog. Pin to your own boards and try to join group boards for even more potential readers.

Add your social media and blog addresses to your social media profiles, and any other websites where you post your art.

Monetize your Blog: Sell your artwork online!

If you’re an artist then one of yours goals is probably to sell your artwork. Get started by checking out my post Selling Art Online for Beginners. Then you can show off all your products on your sparkly new blog!

I currently sell my work on the following Print on Demand websites:

Start with the sites listed above and see what works for you. There are also other ways to make money from your artwork and you can use your blog to promote these endeavors! Take a look at the Artist Resources section of my website for even more tips on how to monetize your art online.

Also, don’t sleep on collecting e-mail addresses. Encourage people to sign up to your e-mail list for first dips on your new art, products, and latest blog posts.

Conclusion

I hope this blog post has convinced you of the benefits of starting a blog for your art business, and given you some tips to get started!

Feel free to add any other benefits of blogging for your business that I might have missed. You can also ask any questions or post any comments in the section below.


Cheers,

julie signing off

Further reading and resources: