Since the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered museums and galleries for over a year, many UK attractions have struggled to regain visitors. In fact, government figures show that between January and March 2023, visitor numbers to Department for Media Culture and Sport sponsored museums remain 23.4% lower than in the same period pre-pandemic[i].
Worryingly, experts say that despite our broad offering of free-to-visit venues, the UK – and London in particular – is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to tempting visitors back in. According to reports, London’s National Gallery, home to iconic artworks such as Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne and Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières, has lost more visitors since 2019 than any other art museum in the world. And while Paris’s Louvre, the museum bouncing back most successfully, is seeing visitor numbers 20% lower than those it enjoyed in 2019, London’s V&A is attracting 40% fewer visitors, while the Tate Britain’s visitor numbers are 49% lower[ii].
So how can museums and art galleries, large or small, continue to rely on the revenue needed to pay staff, maintain buildings and care for priceless artefacts if visitors aren’t hammering down their doors? By ensuring that in-person visitors don’t just exit through the gift shop but that potential fans enter through it too. Now more than ever, a good eCommerce gift shop can help to bolster both the funds and the profile of a museum, helping it to weather the storm of the post-pandemic years while futureproofing income and popularity too.
Why do customers love museum and art gallery online gift shops?
Don’t assume that only in-person visitors to your museum or art gallery will shop with you. There are a whole host of reasons that online shoppers might pay a visit to your eCommerce website:
1. Shoppers love unique gifts
In an online world of copycats, the offerings of museum gift shops can really stand out. From exhibition posters to unusual jewellery and statement homewares, a good gift shop offers much more than those standard souvenirs making them the perfect places to shop for talking point gifts friends and family will love.
2. Online shopping is simple
Many of your online customers won’t be local to your museum. Just as in-person visitors often come from far and wide so do web shoppers. An online store with fair shipping rates will attract customers who can’t pop in in person, whether they live a long bus ride away, in another town or even overseas.
3. Supporting a good cause
At a time when the wealth gap is wider than ever, some consumers may be reluctant to spend their hard earned cash with the billionaire big boys. With most museum and gallery gift shops ploughing profits back into the running of their attractions, they provide consumers with an opportunity to make a difference without giving away hard-earned cash.
4. Now isn’t always the time
While most visitors to a museum will take the time to browse the gift shop many appreciate the opportunity to pick up a souvenir later. Perhaps the kids are misbehaving, maybe the entrance fee, travel and lunch blew their weekly budget or maybe they’re about to miss their train home. Giving visitors the opportunity to belatedly browse and buy is a sensible move, letting visitors know that you value their precious time.
Why online gift shops are a must for modern museums and galleries
Creating and promoting an eCommerce gift shop can be a costly process. So what’s in it for you?
1. Online shops promote brand recognition and customer loyalty
Most Brits will have heard of the British Museum or Tate Modern but have they heard of the Whitworth in Manchester, Bristol’s Arnolfini or indeed the tiny Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle? No matter how small or how remote your museum, an online shop makes you accessible to the world. And when the world is visiting your neck of the woods? Well, you’ll be at the forefront of their minds.
2. Online shopping helps museums with vital fundraising
When visitor numbers are low, an online gift shop is the ideal way for museums and galleries to create income. In addition to attracting non-visiting customers, an online gift shop allows shoppers to make bigger, more valuable purchases as they buy items they can’t carry home or try to up their spend for free home delivery. In addition, many customers will check a ‘make a donation’ box if prompted.
3. Gallery gift shops support small scale makers
Not only can your gift shop promote your own products and exhibitions, it can also provide a showcase for local artisans should you choose to stock them. This is a great way to expand your offering, support the artistic community and enjoy passive promotion as those makers signpost their fans to your website.
4. Online selling ensures continued revenue during venue closures
We’re all still reeling from the financial impact of the Covid pandemic which, for many museums and galleries, meant that income was close to zero for more than a year. An online shop continues to make money at a time when your fans and customers can’t reach you, whether that’s due to a deadly flu bug or a much needed refurbishment project.
How to make your online museum gift shop stand out
As content marketing experts working with brands including Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum, we know how to make your shop stand out from the eCommerce crowd. Here are our top tips:
1. Sell really great products
Museum gift shops should offer much more than rainbow erasers and branded pencils. Hero products – like the Ashmolean’s limited edition John Ruskin fountain pen – are once-in-a-lifetime buys that consumers will click on whether they’ve visited a venue or not. A wide but well-curated range of gifts and souvenirs will capture buyers’ imaginations and have them reaching for their PayPal password.
2. Search Engine Optimisation can improve search engine visibility
As content marketers we harness Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) knowhow to help brands climb the Google ladder. With smart keywords, clever internal linking and content optimised for search, your online store can become much more than just an add-on to your venue.
3. Engaging content makes shopping an experience
Museums and galleries know better than anyone the importance of curation. SEO might get your visitors through the virtual door but it’s a great experience that’ll keep them coming back for more. Content that goes beyond simple product pages, such as online exclusive product ranges and informative blog posts capture the spirit of your venue and make your shop a destination for online buyers.
4. Good product descriptions
Sure, you could take iPhone pictures of your products and bung them on a Squarespace website. Or you could make your products stand out and minimise the risk of costly returns with great product descriptions. A good product blurb tells your customer just what they need to know about an item and ensure their questions are answered. Our expert writers do all this and more, creating descriptions that don’t just sell but that make your products super searchable too.
Want to supercharge your eCommerce gift shop?
We’re eCommerce experts and we love a good museum gift shop too. Get in touch with our talented team to talk about what we can do to help you upgrade your shop to futureproof your funds and engage new shoppers.
[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/museums-and-galleries-monthly-visits
[ii] https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2023/03/17/london-museums-struggling-to-regain-visitors-after-covid-closures-exclusive-survey-shows
References
https://www.apollo-magazine.com/e-commerce-museum-shops/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-021-00921-8
