Sell Portraits

  |  7 Views

How to Sell Portraits Online with Ordefy: A Step-by-Step Guide

Selling portraits online can be a rewarding business for artists who specialize in capturing the likeness and personality of individuals, pets, or even entire families. Whether you’re creating custom oil paintings, digital portraits, or charcoal sketches, there is a market for personalized artwork, and Ordefy offers a powerful platform to help you sell your portraits directly to customers.

Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to set up your portrait-selling business on Ordefy and start reaching clients.

1. Set Up Your Portrait Store on Ordefy

Before you start selling portraits, it’s important to create an online store that reflects your art style and personal brand. Ordefy’s intuitive platform makes it easy to build an online presence for your portrait business.

Key Features:

  • Customizable Store Design: Choose from a range of themes and templates that match your art style, whether it’s minimalist, elegant, or vibrant. Customize colors, fonts, and layouts to showcase your unique approach to portraits.
  • Portfolio Page: Include a gallery or portfolio section where potential clients can browse through your previous work. This allows them to get a sense of your artistic style, from realism to abstract, digital art to hand-painted portraits.
  • Mobile-Optimized Design: Since many potential customers browse and shop on their phones, Ordefy ensures your store is responsive and easy to navigate on all devices.

Example:
A clean, minimalist design that focuses on showcasing portraits in high-resolution images, with categories like “Family Portraits,” “Pet Portraits,” “Custom Artwork,” and “Available for Commissions”.

2. Upload Your Portrait Products

Now that your store is set up, it’s time to upload your portrait products. Offer a variety of options based on medium, size, and style. Each portrait listing should include high-quality images, clear descriptions, and relevant details about the custom nature of your work.

Key Features:

  • High-Quality Images: Upload detailed, high-resolution photos of your work. Show portraits from different angles or zoom in on fine details, such as facial expressions or background elements, so potential clients can fully appreciate your skill.
  • Product Descriptions: Include comprehensive descriptions for each portrait style and explain what’s included in the price. For example, if you offer custom oil paintings, describe the painting size, materials, and how long it takes to complete.
  • Pricing: Pricing should reflect the complexity, size, and medium of the portrait. For custom portraits, consider offering tiered pricing based on the number of people, pets, or intricate details involved.

Example:

  • Custom Pet Portrait: Hand-painted, oil on canvas, with intricate details capturing your pet’s personality.
    • Price: $150
    • Size: 16 x 20 inches
    • Delivery time: 2–3 weeks.
  • Digital Family Portrait: A high-resolution digital portrait based on a photo you provide.
    • Price: $100
    • Size: 3000 x 4000 pixels (suitable for printing up to 24 x 36 inches).
    • Delivery time: 1 week.

3. Offer Custom Portrait Services

One of the biggest selling points for portrait artists is offering customized work. Whether your customers want a custom family portrait, pet portrait, or a portrait from a favorite photo, offering personalized options adds immense value and makes your service unique.

Key Features:

  • Custom Orders: Allow customers to submit their favorite photos, along with specific requests for details, backgrounds, and style preferences. Make sure your portrait descriptions specify the type of portrait you create (e.g., realistic, cartoonish, abstract).
  • Variety of Mediums: Offer a range of mediums for your portraits, from traditional oils, acrylics, and watercolors to digital portraits and pencil sketches. Each medium can have its own pricing, description, and lead time.
  • Add-ons: Consider offering add-ons like framing, background options, or gift wrapping for a more personalized touch.

Example:

  • Custom Family Portrait: Commission a one-of-a-kind portrait featuring you and your family.
    • Price: $300
    • Size: 20 x 30 inches (oil painting)
    • Includes custom background and framing options.
  • Cartoon-style Pet Portrait: Turn your pet’s photo into a fun, cartoon-style digital portrait.
    • Price: $75
    • Delivery time: 5–7 days (digital file).

4. Set Up Payment Methods

When selling portraits online, offering seamless and secure payment options is crucial to making the buying process easy and fast. Ordefy supports various payment gateways, ensuring that you can accept payments from a wide range of customers.

Key Features:

  • Multiple Payment Methods: Ordefy supports credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe, and other payment methods, giving customers a variety of ways to complete their purchase.
  • Secure Payment Processing: Ensure the safety of customer transactions with SSL encryption, preventing fraud and protecting sensitive payment information.
  • Deposit or Payment Plans for Custom Portraits: For more expensive portraits, consider setting up a deposit system, where customers can pay half upfront and the remaining balance once the portrait is completed.

Example:

  • Pay a 50% deposit for custom portraits, with the final balance due upon completion.
  • Accept payments through Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal.

5. Shipping and Delivery

Once your portrait is ready, you’ll need to package and ship it securely to your customer. Whether you’re sending physical paintings, framed artwork, or prints, Ordefy allows you to offer reliable shipping options.

Key Features:

  • Shipping Calculator: Ordefy automatically calculates the shipping fees based on the product size, weight, and delivery location.
  • Packaging: For physical portraits, ensure safe and secure packaging. Use rigid mailing tubes for rolled artwork and sturdy boxes for framed paintings to prevent any damage during transit.
  • Tracking: Provide customers with tracking information to monitor their portrait’s journey. For high-value or delicate items, consider offering insurance for shipping.

Example:

  • Free Domestic Shipping on portraits over $150.
  • International Shipping options for a flat rate, depending on the destination country.

6. Marketing Your Portraits

Attracting customers to your portrait shop is essential for growing your business. Ordefy provides a suite of marketing tools that make it easy to drive traffic to your store and increase sales.

Key Features:

  • SEO Optimization: Make sure your product descriptions and images are optimized for search engines. Use keywords like “custom family portrait,” “pet portrait,” or “digital portrait commissions” to rank higher on Google.
  • Social Media Promotion: Showcase your portraits on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Share images of completed works, behind-the-scenes videos of your creative process, and testimonials from satisfied customers.
  • Influencer Marketing: Partner with influencers in the art or lifestyle niches to showcase your portraits to a broader audience. You could offer them a free portrait in exchange for a shoutout or review.
  • Email Marketing: Collect customer emails and send out regular newsletters with updates on new portrait offerings, special promotions, and limited-time offers.

Example:

  • Post before-and-after transformations on Instagram to showcase your portrait style.
  • Offer a limited-time discount for customers who order a portrait within a specific timeframe.

7. Provide Excellent Customer Service

Customer service is key to building long-term relationships and a loyal client base. Ordefy gives you tools to manage customer inquiries and ensure smooth interactions.

Key Features:

  • Live Chat: Provide real-time support for any questions customers may have about custom orders or portrait details.
  • Return and Refund Policies: Clearly define your return policy, especially for custom work. For example, you could offer revisions for portraits if customers are not fully satisfied with the final product.
  • Customer Reviews: Encourage satisfied clients to leave positive reviews and share photos of their portraits, which can help build credibility and attract new customers.

Example:

  • Offer free revisions for custom portraits if the client isn’t satisfied with the initial version.
  • Respond to inquiries within 24 hours via live chat or email.

8. Scale Your Portrait Business

As your portrait business grows, Ordefy provides tools to scale your operations effectively.

Key Features:

  • Sales Analytics: Track your best-selling portrait styles and identify trends in customer preferences. Use this data to improve your offerings and tailor your marketing campaigns.
  • Inventory Management: Keep track of supplies, such as canvas, paints, and frame stocks, so you don’t run into shortages or delays.
  • Expansion Opportunities: As your business grows, you can expand by offering different styles of portraits (e.g., cartoon portraits, surrealist portraits, or historical re-creations) and adding art prints or portrait bundles.

Example:

  • Use analytics to determine that pet portraits are particularly popular during the holidays, then offer special discounts or promotions during the peak season.

Start Selling Portraits on Ordefy Today!

Selling portraits online is a fulfilling way to turn your artistic passion into a profitable business. Whether you’re offering custom family portraits, pet portraits, or digital artwork, Ordefy provides all the tools you need to succeed in the art world.

Start your portrait business on Ordefy today and showcase your creativity to the world!