I was thinking about enclosing a coupon for a discount on a future purchase in with my thank you card/business card/receipt when I package a piece of art. What do you think about that? Is it pushy or rude? Or good business and thoughtful? Iāve never received one in the art Iāve purchased and Iām not sure how I feel about it. If I did get one in with the art, I think I would like that.
And if I do, I am thinking of a one time use, limited time, (3 months?), and only 15-20% and maybe only on my abstractsā¦maybe up to $300 pieces.
Well, my daughter just gave me the feedback I needed. She said a coupon is fine and may be good business but makes you seem a bit less āfancyā and maybe a bit cheap.
You may be on to something. In retail it is called a ābounce back coupon.ā It normally is issued to be used within a specific timeframe. If you renamed it an āappreciationā coupon and gave it an expiration date of say, six months, it may work. I worked in retail management for many years and I can assure you customers love deals and coupons. Iām not sure about the art world, but maybe collectors on a budget would appreciate it. I donāt think itās pushy or rude, as artists we hang our hats on social media marketing, but I donāt see much actual retail marketing, which is interesting, since in the end we are selling a product. Just some thoughts.
How would you track that 1-time use on your coupon? You donāt want to create an administrative project for yourself doing that. Also, if you do send the coupons, be explicit on what it goes to and how long (abstract only, size limit on the art, does not apply to shipping costs or taxes, etc.). Although I love coupons for using, Iām hesitant to use them for my art. It makes me think more store-like than artist-like somehow. The word āSALEā and āDISCOUNTā scream store to me. Itās a fine line - you just have to go with what āfeelsā right for you. Just remember to be explicit on your offer and donāt do something you may wish you hadnāt in 3 months time!
I use to do an end of year inventory reduction sale in December. Iāve phased that out - actually had some buyers tell me āIāll just wait until you put it on sale at the end of the year.ā
I would just use a random password generator, and when they are used-give them a quick check. I donāt think thatās a big deal simply because I donāt have a huge volume of sales. Hence the thought of the couponsā¦
I agree with you, it seems more like a store thing-for prints or something maybe at some point. I have abandoned the idea.
I like the ideaāespecially the previously mentioned āappreciation couponā. I have received anything from note cards, sketches, sketch pads, and an additional painting as āappreciationā gifts from fellow artists with a purchase. I would be thrilled with an appreciation discountāif I was excited about the art enough to purchase, chances are, I will be a repeat buyer. These little āappreciation tokensā enclosed are just an added bonusāto me, a personal touch, as if a friend giving a friend a āThank youā.
I have thought about that tooā¦ a ādiscountā when sales are slow or for older work. But I donāt know how you could āapplyā a coupon. For example, if a piece sells for $150 on DPW, and the customer has a coupon for 10% off and they pay via PayPal, how would they get their discount when they pay?
Coupons are great when you are thinking about a purchase. Too often these days business give coupons to customers once they have already made a purchase. I find this annoying because I have spent the money I allotted for this expenditure and rarely go back to purchase more. It seems like a good idea, but I feel like it is an insensitive after thought by the seller. An incentive before a purchase empowers the customer.
It is no different than some of the marketing I have seen; end of year studio sale, open house and sale, Christmas open house, the list goes on. A coupon worth actual dollars off usually works better, as in $10.00 off your next painting purchase. You print on the coupon how you want the customer to redeem, giving it an expiration date and your email address. There are many ways to encourage future sales, refer a friend and get a discount, buy one get one half off, Collectors Club, go into any retail store and see how they market. Will it work in the art world? Who knows. As far as being annoyed about getting a coupon, they simply pitch it if they donāt want it. If you are sending emails to your collectors it might be used during times when sales are slow to generate some interest. I donāt think coupons are any different than the barrage of social media marketing artists are expected to do. In some way, since you already know the customer from a prior purchase it is a lot more personal. Just some thoughts. Interesting conversation Sunny, thanks for bringing it up.