64 arts woven with the online science of StoreHippo

64arts.in is an affordable online art design studio selling unframed canvas art prints of Raja Ravi Varma paintings and iconic famous paintings of world artists as well as many other interesting collections. Owned by Lakshmi Subramanian, the online art gallery created its web store with support from StoreHippo. The gallery has since proven to be a success. Hippo gives you a look into the online journey of 64 arts.

Tells us something about yourself.

My name is Lakshmi Subramanian. I always had an artistic bent of mind and did my Bachelors in Architecture. Today, I am the proprietor of 64 Arts, an online gallery of paintings. This dream took shape with our team’s dedication and deep interest towards art and Indian culture, our commitment to offer it at an affordable price for the connoisseurs of art coupled with the support from StoreHippo to create an online store for us. 

What is your product line?

64arts.in is an affordable art design studio store selling Tanjore paintings, canvas art prints of Raja Ravi Varma paintings, Kerala Mural art paintings and collection of iconic famous paintings of world artists as well as oil paintings, paintings of Gods, collages, wall decor choices & panels using stretched canvas, modern & abstract paintings, reproduction paintings, commissioned artwork, digital art, digital fractal art, POP art and De Stijl.

How have you made it affordable for the modern youth of today?

Most art connoisseurs shudder at the word “reproduction” and many galleries will have nothing to do with them but for the younger generation art “prints” are more popular. Many prefer to buy a glossy poster of a Van Gogh or MF Husain painting, rather than purchase original artworks. Prints are much more affordable than originals, and allow them to enjoy a great work of art, albeit a copy. Thus by offering reproduction of original paintings, we have made art affordable.  

Architect and online gallery owner Lakshmi Subramanian admits, “The first piece of art I ever bought was a copy of Van Gogh’s Irises. It still hangs in my house and I love to look at it.” While Lakshmi is all for encouraging upcoming artists, she points out, “A regular youngster doesn’t have Rs 5,000 to spend on an original painting. But if you can get a paper print for just Rs 350-500, then why not.”  

Besides selling the products on your own online store, which are the online marketplaces on which you are selling? 

We are currently also selling our products on reputed portals like Amazon.in, Paytm, ShopClues and Craftsvilla.com. By selling on online marketplaces we are able to get further brand visibility.

What challenges did you face while selling on a marketplace? 

The marketplaces are highly competitive in nature. So, deciding on the price, as a differentiator with respect to competition, is a challenge. The timely and efficient delivery of the products is another concern which we faced on the marketplaces.

What was the need for your own website when you were already selling online on a marketplace? 

The advantage of making of our web store is that the contact is more personal with our clientele and we can attend to specific criteria for interior spaces. We can customize the products as per the requirements of the clients, and add or delete products easily from our web store.

Is it more convenient to sell on an online marketplace or to sell separately on your website? Give reason. 

For us, both the online marketplace and our website proved to be equally convenient in terms of better reach, more number of orders and improving our packing and delivery standards. The web store has an added advantage, as mentioned earlier, of a more personal touch with our clients.

Why did you choose StoreHippo to create your store? 

We read positive reviews about StoreHippo in the media and heard from friends that StoreHippo is the new age platform for SMEs and individual entrepreneurs and offers all the features to sell online; and it has rung true for me! It has been a fantastic experience with the entire StoreHippo team. 

What are your expectations for growth from your web store? 

From our web store, we expect to expand our product range and incorporate a larger collection to cater to the affordable art design market.