Buying Art Online Is Here to Stay

 

In early August, Amazon launched its second entry into the art category with Amazon Art, promising fine art to the masses at reasonable prices. With the new marketplace, you don't need to leave your bedroom to peruse or purchase. In fact, it's downright convenient.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon Art is the culmination of the digitization of art commerce. In just a few years, over 300 online art selling/buying platforms have launched, with the category trying to catch up with demand. And the demand is there. Fully, 71 percent of art collectors have now purchased art of some form online. Now, more than ever, art is becoming less physical, evolving into a more accepted digital-first experience.

 

This shift is largely representative of our culture's habituation to shopping online. According to a recent UPS study, 70 percent of more than 3,000 online shoppers surveyed in February 2013 say they prefer to shop their favorite retailer online. Beyond shopping, look at online dating. 22 percent of heterosexual couples and 61 percent of same-sex couples report having met on the web. Doing things online is the norm.

 

Buying art -- which some would argue can be as difficult as dating -- has now been added to the list.

 

But there's more to the picture here. Yes, selling and buying art online has benefited from an online shopping trend that has been ongoing for years (led by none other than Amazon). But, the migration of the art experience online has actually helped address longstanding issues that hindered artists from succeeding and art collectors from buying.

 

Here are some of the more noticeable advantages we're seeing from the shift toward online art.

 

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