Happy New Year! They say, “New year, new you”, and for us? That means announcing that Artist Shops has officially been upgraded to Artist Shops 2.0! 2017 was huge; there were tons of updates made, and we couldn’t have done that without your input! We took all of your feedback from last year and used it to make your Artist Shops experience even better. Let’s look back at some of the biggest changes and additions made in 2017.
Artist Shops products on Threadless
One of the biggest pieces of feedback we got from Shop owners was that you wanted your products to be on Threadless. So we launched Discover! Discover is a section right on Threadless where new, trending, and featured Artist Shops products appear in a feed; kinda like tumblr (and equally addicting, imo). Customers can even search for Discover Artist Shops designs thanks to our new and improved search tool. This makes it easier for shoppers to find new art in an interactive way, putting your Shop & designs directly in front of a huge crowd.
With Artist Shops 2.0 comes Discover 2.0! We’ve already started making changes to Discover to make it even easier and more fun to use, including…
“Buy now!” & combined carts
Now when using Discover, your customers can hit the “Buy Now” button instead of having to leave Discover to purchase an item from an artist’s shop (like yours), saving them time and hassle (and from having a million tabs open at once). And if someone is buying multiple items from Discover and Artist Shops, now they’ll all appear in your Threadless cart together rather than having to buy them individually.
Discover’s top navigation, collections
We added men’s, women’s, kids, home, and accessories categories tabs to the top of the Discover section so you and your customers can find exactly what you’re looking for.
Another item you’ll notice in that top nav is the “Collections” section. This filters Discover items into six different categories so everyone can indulge their inner animal lover, pop culture guru, foodie, geek, hiker, and gamer!
We may be biased, but we think having your work on Threadless is kind of a big deal; tell the world about it by linking to your new or trending products that appear on the Discover Page. (To show up on Discover, make sure your Shop is switched to “Powered by Threadless” in your settings.)
Fancy new tools
We added a few key tools and tricks to Artist Shops and to your Dashboard to help make selling your designs and running your business even smoother.
In-Browser editing tool
Editing design placement on your products has never been easier. The new in-browser editing tool has design alignment, resizing, and placement capability (think of it like mini Photoshop). You can also preview your designs against a variety of product colors, making it easier to customize the look of your products without leaving your Dashboard.
Collections + homepage lifestyle photos
Don’t want your cat and dog designs mixing together? Create a Collection for each! Collections are a great way of organizing your products by theme. But the best part? With the homepage collection, you can actually add lifestyle photos to your Shop’s homepage, giving your Shop an extra visual edge and making it even more unique to you. Here are some tips on how to use your homepage collection, and here are some tips on taking great lifestyle photos.
New promo price tooling
Gone are the days of lowering each product price individually during promos. The Global Pricing Tool allows you to lower ALL of your prices at once (and to change them all back), making running sales easier than ever. And when you do, our new strikethrough pricing will appear, showing your customers how much of a deal they’re getting.
We also launched free shipping for Artist Shop owners always and periodically for your customers! This means that as a Shop owner, you get free shipping when your order is over the minimum for any products. It also means looking forward to free shipping promos you can share for returning and new customers!
Finally, we also added the friends and family code, which lets family members, friends, whoever you want to share it with pay just the base cost. This can give your deals an extra edge, your customers an extra incentive, and your family big savings!
Customer info
With Artist Shops, your customers are yours. That’s why you get access to their contact info when they purchase from your Shop. You can email everything from thank-yous to newsletters to your customers to connect with them on a personal level!
New Products
Throughout 2017, we’ve added a ton of swanky new products for you to add to your Shop. Take a look! (Haven’t added them yet? Start now!)
- Drinkware (black and white mugs, travel mugs, & water bottles)
- Bags (totes, weekender bags, & drawstring packs)
- Phone cases
- Notebooks (spiral & hardcover)
- Aluminum prints
- Acrylic prints
- The classic tee
If you think 2017 was great, just wait for what we’ve got in store for 2018. If you haven’t tried out some of these features, make it your New Year’s resolution to give ‘em a spin! And if you haven’t started an Artist Shop but you’re feeling inspired, hey: maybe even embrace that artsy New Year’s resolution and start a Shop of your own! Happy New Year!
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Featured illustration & infographic made by Katie Lukes.
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