Art Storefronts vs Squarespace: Which is Best for Artists?

Artwork Storefronts vs Squarespace: Which is finest? Finally, all of it depends upon the kind of enterprise you wish to run. Squarespace is a simple web site builder, with stunning templates, and loads of helpful instruments if you wish to promote issues like programs, memberships, and subscriptions. Nonetheless, whereas Squarespace advertises itself as a web site builder meant for creators it’s not centered completely on artists.

It’s additionally not probably the most sturdy ecommerce platform I’ve ever used. In reality, while you dive in and truly arrange an account with Squarespace, you’ll discover quite a lot of lacking ecommerce capabilities. There’s no “want record” function, the stock administration instruments are very fundamental, and Squarespace doesn’t even have its personal devoted fee processor (although it integrates with others).

Artwork Storefronts is the one ecommerce resolution I’ve seen thus far truly designed to assist artists promote and promote their merchandise. It’s a specialised resolution, combining web site design with ecommerce, print-on-demand, and specialised providers.

Let’s dive into the comparability.

Artwork Storefronts Professionals and Cons

Squarespace Professionals and Cons

Artwork Storefronts vs Squarespace: Characteristic Comparability

Each Artwork Storefronts and Squarespace provide entry to web site constructing and ecommerce instruments, however they’re very totally different beneath the floor. Artwork Storefronts is a complete resolution designed particularly to handle the wants of artists. Squarespace is extra of a catch-all platform that means that you can promote nearly something, however provides you only a few superior instruments.

Web site Design Options

Squarespace has a superb fame as among the finest web site design platforms, and its straightforward to see why. Not solely are you able to select from an enormous vary of professionally-designed templates on your Squarespace retailer, however you possibly can customise these templates nonetheless you want.

Squarespace’s design instruments are extraordinarily straightforward to make use of, and don’t impose any limitations on what number of pages, blogs, or galleries you possibly can create. Plus, when you’re having a tough time constructing the right retailer, Squarespace means that you can use AI to create a template as an alternative.

Nonetheless, though I like Squarespace’s templates and design instruments, I do assume Artwork Storefronts is a greater web site builder total. It provides you all the identical options as Squarespace, together with stunning, responsive templates you possibly can customise based mostly in your wants.

Past that, although, Artwork Storefronts comes with a number of additional options that actually take your internet design capabilities to the subsequent degree. You possibly can create pop-up lead seize instruments with advertising automation and consumer focusing on built-in. It’s also possible to design augmented actuality experiences for purchasers that enable them to view what your merchandise will appear to be on their partitions.

Though the platform is a bit trickier to navigate, Artwork Storefronts does provide the choice to have a workforce design your retailer for you. You’d must improve to the Enterprise model of Squarespace, or rent a designer to get the identical expertise from them.

Ecommerce and Artwork Promoting Options

As I discussed earlier than, Squarespace is an honest ecommerce platform. It integrates with a variety of fee processing options. Plus, it means that you can promote nearly any form of product, from bodily and digital merchandise, to subscriptions, memberships, and programs.

Should you’re a service-focused enterprise, Squarespace is unquestionably a good selection, with it’s built-in appointment reserving instruments. It’s also possible to make the most of some omnichannel gross sales options, similar to the power to promote on social media, or by way of a point-of-sale system (with Sq.).

Nonetheless, in relation to truly promoting artwork, Artwork Storefronts provides you a lot extra performance. First, Artwork Storefronts will truly create your artwork for you.

When you can combine with Printful to get the same expertise utilizing SquareSpace, Artwork Storefront’s print on demand providers are rather more superior. They’ll create framed items, canvases, and prints in a wider vary of sizes than most POD firms, and even design catalogs for you.

On prime of that, you get a bunch of instruments from Artwork Storefronts that aid you enhance gross sales, similar to:

• Artwork Purchaser AI: An clever device that provides insights into your prospects.
• Distinctive merchandizing choices: Equivalent to reside 3D and augmented actuality previews, and 360-degree merchandising movies.
• Upselling and cross–promoting instruments: Like robotically prompt bundles, lately considered product carousels, automated artwork upsells, and dynamic merch positioning.

In easy phrases, Squarespace could be higher for promoting programs and subscriptions, however it doesn’t maintain a candle to Artwork Storefronts by way of artwork promoting options.

Advertising and marketing and Enterprise Progress

In terms of advertising and rising your corporation, Squarespace is a little bit of a letdown. It does offer you entry to a fantastic running a blog performance, so you possibly can spend money on content material advertising. Plus, the templates you’ll entry on Squarespace are optimized for technical Search engine optimisation.

Nonetheless, there are not any significantly superior advertising instruments. You possibly can create e-mail campaigns (although I’d advocate utilizing a third-party app for this), design trackable hyperlinks for social media campaigns, and use pop-up and announcement bars in your web site. That’s about it.

The perfect function Squarespace provides you to develop your corporation, in my view, is the power to promote subscriptions and memberships to prospects.

Once more, Artwork Storefronts is much more superior. It means that you can earn the belief of your prospects with 3^rd occasion badges from really helpful artwork associations. There’s an built-in pop-up lead seize device included on all web sites, and also you get a Search engine optimisation-ready weblog for content material advertising.

There are AI instruments just like the Artwork Copilot that can assist you create personalised advertising campaigns, and an built-in CRM system for monitoring buyer relationships. Plus, the Artwork Storefronts workforce will construct total advertising campaigns for you, in addition to offering you with art-selling finest observe guides, webinars, programs, and playbooks.

Plus, Artwork Storefronts permits prospects to create favorites lists, share pages with buddies through e-mail with a single click on, and examine merchandise in augmented actuality. On prime of that, you get entry to e-mail advertising instruments and integrations with social media platforms.

Artwork Storefronts vs Squarespace: Pricing and Charges

Whereas Artwork Storefronts is the extra superior ecommerce resolution for artists total, Squarespace does have an edge from a pricing perspective. The platform follows a easy subscription mannequin, with costs starting from round $16 to $49 per thirty days.

Notably, you’ll need at the least a “Enterprise” plan to promote by way of Squarespace, which begins at $23 per thirty days, with transaction charges of three%. If you wish to keep away from transaction charges, you’ll want the Commerce Primary ($36 per thirty days) or Superior ($65 per thirty days) plan.

This pricing does make Squarespace a bit costlier than among the different ecommerce platforms I’ve used prior to now, however it’s nonetheless comparatively reasonably priced, significantly for many who would want to entry add-ons for different platforms (like Shopify) to promote programs and subscriptions.

The primary drawback with Artwork Storefronts is that there aren’t any direct pricing plans to select from. You possibly can solely get a value for the platform while you contact the workforce and request a demo. They’ll ask you particularly what providers and assist you’re going to wish, and offer you a customized quote.

From what I can inform studying different consumer opinions on-line, you’ll spend round $3,000+ to set your retailer up initially, then there are additional month-to-month charges to pay for internet hosting and assist. There are additionally hefty charges for lots of the providers you may wish to entry.

I ought to be aware, nonetheless, that whereas the pricing for Artwork Storefronts could be excessive, you’re getting an enterprise-level expertise. Should you actually wish to scale and develop your artwork enterprise, it could possibly be value paying a bit additional.

Artwork Storefronts vs Squarespace: The Verdict

Finally, when you’re in search of the very best ecommerce platform for artists, and also you’re not frightened about pricing, Artwork Storefronts is the higher alternative, palms down. It’s the way more superior platform, filled with distinctive instruments that can aid you to advertise, create, and promote extra artwork.

It’s additionally the higher possibility by way of customer support and assist, providing end-to-end help with every little thing from internet design to advertising.

Alternatively, when you’re simply in search of an reasonably priced, comparatively versatile, and easy-to-use ecommerce platform, with out the additional bells and whistles, Squarespace continues to be a good selection. Personally, although, I’d advocate it extra to individuals promoting programs and subscriptions than established artists.