Art Gallery Software

Art gallery owners have to manage overall gallery operations—from handling administrative work to ensuring artwork is safe. Communicating with collaborating artists and in-house teams, devising marketing plans, conducting sales exhibitions, and handling expenses are some of the key responsibilities of gallery owners. However, managing operations single-handedly can be a challenge. Art gallery software automates daily tasks to help gallery owners streamline operations and focus on business growth.

Choosing art gallery software that’s right for your business can be difficult, as there are several options available on the market. You’ll need to ensure that software features and benefits align with your requirements. To help you make the right choice, we’ve created a buyers guide that has all the information you’ll need to start evaluating software options.

Here's what we'll cover:

• What is art gallery software?
• Common features of art gallery software
• What type of buyer are you?
• Benefits of art gallery software
• Key considerations for choosing art gallery software

What is art gallery software?

Art gallery software is an application that helps art gallery owners track their inventory, manage exhibits, and run daily operations. It allows users to create detailed catalogs that have images of artwork as well as related information, such as year of creation, edition, size, and price.

The software assists galleries in selling their artwork online, recording the purchase offers made by interested buyers, and tracking sales. It can also be used to store buyer information, conduct marketing campaigns, and receive alerts about customer leads.

Common features of art gallery software

Art gallery software helps gallery owners streamline their business processes. Here are some key features offered by most art gallery solutions.

What type of buyer are you?

Based on the type of gallery operated, there are two broad categories of software buyers. Let’s read more about these categories.

• Artists operating independent galleries: Some galleries are artist-run initiatives, operated independently by an individual artist or a small team working along with the artist. In these cases, the artist is the gallery owner. Software that supports just a single user is a good pick for an artist-run gallery. Such buyers should look for features that will help them manage the complete art inventory, sell artwork online, run and track online exhibitions, and create reports on the production and sale of artwork.
• Owners of commercial galleries: Commercial galleries are privately owned, for-profit ventures that choose certain artists and display their artwork for sale. Both the gallery owner and artist get a cut of the revenue made. These types of buyers should opt for software that supports multiple users and helps organize art exhibitions and marketing campaigns, manages sales and suppliers, tracks inventory, stores client and artist information, generates catalogs, and supports artist and in-house team collaboration.

Benefits of art gallery software

Understanding the benefits of art gallery software will help you further refine your software search. Following are the key benefits offered by the software:

• Reduced chances of artwork being misplaced: Art gallery software allows owners to store a digital copy of every piece of artwork displayed in their gallery. These copies are stored either on the cloud or on internal servers. Owners can control the access rights to this storage pool, thereby reducing the risk of artwork being stolen or lost.
• Improved collaboration between teams: Gallery owners have to collaborate with different teams, such as branding, sales, legal, and logistics. Art gallery software offers a common communication platform for all teams to collaborate and ensure that sales exhibitions, both online and offline, are conducted without any hindrance. The software also makes it easier to reach out to team members in real time, irrespective of where they are located.
• Better client relationship management: Art gallery software maintains a record of the purchase history of all clients. Analysis of purchase data can help identify trends and understand each client’s interest area and purchase frequency. This information can be used to send invites and reminders about events that are of interest to clients. It can also be used to build targeted marketing campaigns.

Key considerations for choosing art gallery software

Here are a few key considerations that you should keep in mind when choosing software for your art gallery:

• Ecommerce integration: Art gallery software that supports ecommerce integration will allow you to manage a personal website where you can exhibit and sell artwork. An ecommerce website will help you upload your entire art inventory with a few clicks. It will allow you to conduct online auctions, thereby offering access to a wider buying audience. You can also send notifications to clients about upcoming exhibitions and events.
• Availability of a mobile application: Software that offers mobile accessibility will allow you to remain connected with your business at all times. From managing inventory to ensuring sales figures are correctly recorded, a mobile app will help you complete tasks on the go. You can also attend to ad-hoc requests, such as urgent purchase requests, in real time.

Note: The application selected in this article is an example to show a feature in context and isn't intended as an endorsement or recommendation. It has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.