8 eCommerce strategy tips: Lessons from building a global art brand

November 11, 2024

*This article was written by Laura El, artist and founder at Stellar Villa.

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In 2019, I took a huge risk and left my job to pursue my passion, art, full-time. I set out with the goal of creating beautiful, meaningful artwork that would bring joy and inspiration to peoples’ homes. My journey began on Etsy, where I found my first customers by creating custom illustrations of pets for their owners. Little did I know the world was about to change forever.

Several months later, the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged New York City. My community was scared and filled with despair, so I decided to do something to give back and spread some positivity. I launched a fundraiser offering pet portraits in exchange for donations to a local animal shelter; what started as a modest $500 goal snowballed, and funds raised quickly surpassed $10,000.

My efforts went viral and before long, local news picked up the story – which put my art in the spotlight. Even after the fundraiser concluded, my email inbox was flooded with requests for commission artwork, and so Stellar Villa was born.

*The animal shelter fundraiser in the news*

Marketing tips for eCommerce success

Here are some tips that could help propel any eCommerce business in the early stages (but not only):

1. Utilize media coverage for growth

During the pandemic, the news cycle was filled with negativity. I think the fundraiser I put together was a refreshing story that people really resonated with. Receiving an illustration of their pet and participating in a good cause brought them happiness during dark days.

Lesson learned: While media coverage was not the goal of my campaign, it taught me how powerful the press can be in reaching new audiences and connecting people with my work. My audience grew exponentially—literally overnight!

Takeaway: Every business should incorporate PR and media into their eCommerce strategy. There are two methods to obtaining media coverage: either do something newsworthy, or be proactive and seek it out. Head over to Google and search for topics related to your business, sort by “news” to refine the results, and you can discover many journalists who cover your industry. You can often find their contact info in the profile linked to their article, or on their social profiles. Also, you may search for your competitors and see who is covering them and if there’s an opportunity to be featured alongside them. Keep your pitches relevant and strive to add value.

2. Harness scarcity as an eCommerce strategy

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Social media virality and press coverage helped create strong demand for my work. I realized the opportunity I had, and to meet this newfound demand – I launched my website, Stellar Villa. I accepted orders on an ongoing basis but soon realized I wasn’t able to keep up. So I then transitioned to offering a limited number of pet portrait commission spots on the first of every month. To my surprise, this only increased the demand, and spots sold out within minutes, month after month.

Lesson learned: When you limit the supply of something desirable, you’re actually creating scarcity which is an age-old marketing tactic. People would be waiting on my website, refreshing the page in an attempt to secure their spot. After creating scarcity, I then was able to raise my prices, which ended up being a more effective tool to balance demand and increase profitability.

Takeaway: Scarcity can heighten interest and build anticipation. It can also motivate your audience to quickly take action, which is hard to do these days when everyone is vying for their attention. If you don’t already, try incorporating limited edition or supply products into your business.

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3. Define and refine your target audience

Through customer inquiries driven by having my work in the press and seeing who engaged with my social media content, I was able to define my target audience. A target audience is simply a group of people who are interested in your product or service. Knowing your audience allows you to create more effective marketing messages.

Through social media I discovered that my main audience was pet owners, particularly women over 30. Focusing on this demographic allowed me to tailor my content, leading to highly engaging posts and steady follower growth. I then noticed dog owners made up the largest segment, which helped me fine-tune my target from ‘pet owners’ to ‘dog owners.’

Lesson learned: By tailoring my content to my ideal customer, I was able to achieve highly engaging social media posts and earn my first 10,000 followers on Instagram. With time, I discovered that dog content tended to outperform cat content, so I was able to fine-tune my target audience further from the broader “pet owner” down to “dog owners.”

Takeaway: Regularly analyze your social media insights and eCommerce order data to see who’s engaging with your content and who is actually making purchases. If you are close to your audience, you should be able to craft a buyer persona, which is a fictional profile of your ideal customer based on actual data. Understanding your audience makes it easier to refine your niche and grow a loyal following.

4. Differentiate to stand out

Before launching my own website I spent several months selling on Etsy. Being a marketplace, your product is served to customers in a sea of results that closely match the terms they are searching for. Aside from your listing, the customer is also shown similar listings from competitors. What shows up in search results for a customer query depends on the platform’s search algorithm.

A major ranking factor is sales. What I noticed is that many other sellers offered very similar artwork, and so they used lower prices to try and compete and attract new customers.

With so much art online, standing out was key. Leaving Etsy allowed me to focus on uniqueness and quality without competing solely on price. I invested in creating my own distinct style and focused on quality, using premium materials and archival-grade inks. I wanted people to recognize my work immediately and associate it with my name, Laura El.

Lesson learned: Competing on price isn’t a great eCommerce strategy, especially for small businesses, as this leads to a race to the bottom and loss of profitability. I spent years focusing on developing my own unique artistic style that was different from anything else out there. This, along with using the best, highest quality materials available, allowed me to price my products much higher providing profit margins needed for a sustainable business.

Takeaway: Define what makes your product stand out from the competition. This could be the craftsmanship, a unique style, or various other qualities. Once you know what your unique selling proposition is, make it the centerpiece of your brand.

5. Build a loyal community

After taking a hiatus, I returned to Instagram in 2024 and gained over 90,000 followers, passing the 100,000 milestone. I created a content calendar, and scheduled my posts focusing on sharing high quality content on a consistent basis. It paid off, and a number of my posts went viral. My Instagram strategy goes beyond just sharing my art. I create authentic content that lets my personality shine through and allows my followers to feel like they are part of my journey. I focus on building real relationships, and one aspect of that is that I aim to reply to every single comment someone leaves me. Many of my earliest followers still engage with and support me to this day.

Lesson learned: Instead of focusing just on follower count, you should prioritize building a community. Being authentic and showing the person behind the company establishes a connection with others. People can connect easier with other humans than a faceless company or product. Connections lead to lasting relationships and loyalty.

Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to show the human side of your brand. Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments, asking for feedback and sharing other insights. Focus on creating genuine connections and you’ll find yourself with an army of brand advocates. And don’t forget to build an email list, because it’s among the best ways to stay connected with your community!

6. Adaptability is key to survival

While custom pet portraits initially drove my business, I soon became burnt out and realized it wasn’t scalable. I could only create so many portraits a month, and working under the direction of clients became creatively exhausting. Because of this, several years ago I decided to pivot my business in a major way. Instead of custom artwork, I pivoted to offering wall art prints, which allowed me to sell the same artwork over and over again. Not only was this infinitely scalable, but I could also create with full artistic freedom which was invigorating.

*Laura with her one of her wall art prints*

Lesson learned: In any business, being able to adapt is necessary. While change can be scary, it’s necessary in order to survive. When something isn’t working for you, try something new.

Takeaway: Embrace change and seize opportunities as they arise. Some of the most successful companies in the world are very good at this. Look at Amazon for example, who started as an online bookstore and is now a global eCommerce company, with divisions in streaming, AI, web services and much more.

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7. Diversify income sources

Diversification of income sources has helped me build a stable business by mitigating risks and maximizing profit. Recently, a major publisher reached out to license my work, which sparked me to explore this new avenue. Licensing expanded my reach by putting my product into major retailers. It also created a new income stream, allowing me to use artwork that was already created and sold as prints. Now, I’m developing plans to grow the licensing aspect of my business in 2025, as it requires little additional work but has a lot of potential.

Lesson learned: Diversified income streams can be very beneficial as part of a strong eCommerce strategy. Licensing has allowed us to sustain revenue during months that we typically see a slowdown, maintaining profits despite seasonality challenges.

Takeaway: Explore how you can create new revenue streams from your existing products, through things like licensing or strategic partnerships.

8. Experiment, learn, and optimize

With the growth I experienced on Instagram, this channel has become a large part of the driving force behind my art print sales. Revenue from my print sales relies on strong engagement and reach. Social media algorithms are always changing, and I’ve noticed my still images haven’t been performing as well as they were a few months ago. So I’ve been working on incorporating more video content, to test delivering my content in a different format that I’ve noticed others are having success with.

Lesson learned: Experimentation is necessary. What works today may not work tomorrow. If something stops working, try new things until you find something that works. In general, what works for someone else may not work for you.

Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to test new ideas and change tactics based on results. Experiment, track your KPIs, and concentrate on what delivers the best outcomes.

Closing message for eCommerce entrepreneurs

Believe in yourself. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, but it is incredibly rewarding. Many people told me I’d never make it as an artist, but I trusted my vision and stayed the course. With determination and a sound eCommerce strategy, sustainable growth is within reach.

Trusting yourself and having the right partner in vision is the true key to success. Explore 8fig’s smart funding and financial management tools to find the right path to growth.

Have article ideas, requests, or collaboration proposals? Reach out to us at editor@8fig.co – we’d love to hear from you.

Laura El

Laura El is an NYC-based artist and the founder of Stellar Villa, an eCommerce company bringing unique wall art to collectors worldwide. Her vibrant yet detailed pieces often portray cityscapes and capture everyday moments of the people who live there, creating a sense of connection.

8 eCommerce strategy tips: Lessons from building a global art brand