The rise of Art & Craft Online

THE RISE OE The ubiquity of the internet has given artists and creators numerous ways to ARTS O CRAFTS showcase and market their Showca works by opening new opportunities, finding new markets or audiences, and enabling a virtually limitless reach never seen before in a pre-Internet world. This is a look at how arts and crafts made their presence felt in the online marketplace within the last decade. ONLINE HISTORY 2000 2005 DeviantArt, headquartered in the Hollywood area, was launched on August 7. Etsy launched. Meanwhile, DeviantArt held its 1st convention, the DeviantArt summit. 2007 2006 Etsy passed $1.7 million in sales on May A study done in England identified potential craft buyers to number 11.3 million people, or 29% of the adult population in England. 2010 2012 SOLD 30% of people said they preferred buying arts & crafts online (17% in 2004). $69.5 million of goods sold on Etsy, a 75.2% increase from July 2011's total. MAJOR PLAYERS E ebay DeviantArt provides a platform for artists to exhibit and discuss works along with extensive downloadable resources. Etsy, an e-commerce website, focuses on handmade ar vintage EBay.com, an online auction and shopping website, allows people to buy and sell goods and services worldwide. items as well as arts and crafts supplies. Art Fire Pinterest, a photo sharing website, allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections. ArtFire, an interactive handmade marketplace and craft community, has innovative features and functions. POPULAR TRENDS PAPERCRAFT Papercraft is a sort of Western form of origami. Paper is an inexpensive medium, readily available, and easy to work with. Paper crafters make unbelievable and inventive structures. KNITTING Knitting, once a pastime of older, homebound folks, is now something all the kids are doing and is called, " guerilla knitting." Guerilla knitters come out at night to transform everyday objects into street art conversation pieces. JEWELRY MAKING One of the most interesting trends in jewelry making is repurposing old goods. The best part about this new recycled jewelny is that it's not necessarily kitschy but can be genuinely beautiful, beyond novelty. CROCHET Crochet is more than just doilies and fancy tea cozies. Crochet is experiencing a renaissance in the area of crocheted jewelry. Simple, delicate crochet accents add beauty to jewelry. BOOKBINDING AND PAPER Papermaking and stationery is another arena that has benefitted from the Internet's wide market. Stationary making is an inherently accessible craft. You can find all sorts of paper goods on Etsy. TIPS SET UP AN INTERNET PRESENCE It's easy to get your company up and running on the Internet. Using Microsoft FrontPage and Adobe Dreamweaver are recommended. Hire a website designer for a truly custom look, or sign up for third-party marketing through sites such as eBay or Yahoo stores. TAILOR PAGES TO YOUR WEBSITE A policy page gives customers the full scoop on your return, shipping and other company policies so there's no confusion about the terms of the sale. Informed customers are happy customers. Give them a lot of info so there are no surprises regarding the order. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) You can have a fantastic website but it will do you no good unless people can find it. Go worldwide, let the world now about you. Increase your chances of potential customers finding you through search engine optimization. SHOPPING CART SOFTWARE Check with your merchant account provider to see which shopping cart software works with its system. Also, protect your customers by using only shopping cart software that has Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protection. AsaiH S26/27 Cnr Gooding Drive & Manchester Road, CARRARA QLD AUSTRALIA 4211 PHONE +61412 777 666 art supplies and home FAX +617 5676 6691