How to choose an art marketplace as a gallery owner: the criteria that matter

01Quality of audience over quantity of visitors

The first criterion, and the most important, is the nature of the audience the platform attracts. A platform claiming millions of monthly visitors has no value for a dealer if those visitors are browsers who will never purchase a work of art. What matters is the proportion of active collectors, meaning people with the intention and means to buy. The dealer must ask the platform precise questions: what is the average buyer basket, what proportion of visitors make a purchase, what is the geographic breakdown of the clientele, what is the typical profile of a registered collector.

A platform that refuses to share these figures or drowns them in vanity metrics, such as page views or social media followers, should be regarded with suspicion. Serious platforms know their audience and do not hesitate to share this information with prospective galleries, just as a fair communicates the number of accredited collectors and their geographic origin. The Hiscox report emphasised that collectors' trust in a platform is directly linked to the perceived quality of the audience, and this trust directly impacts sales volume.

02Editorial positioning and curation

A gallery is a place of programme, choice and aesthetic conviction. The platform on which it presents its works must reflect the same level of standards. A platform that accepts any seller without prior selection dilutes the value of every gallery present and sends a signal of mediocrity to collectors. The dealer must evaluate the platform's selection process: is there a committee that reviews applications, what are the admission criteria, does the platform reject applications, and if so, in what proportion.

The Hiscox report regularly emphasised that collectors' trust in a platform is directly linked to the perception of curation exercised there. A collector buying on a selective platform does so with greater confidence than on one open to all, because the selection itself constitutes a form of quality guarantee. The dealer should also examine the platform's editorial content: does it publish articles about artists and market trends, does it organise thematic selections, does it produce content that enriches the collector's experience. A platform that merely functions as an online catalogue without editorial dimension does not offer the added value the dealer has a right to expect.

03Presentation of works and respect for identity

The way the platform allows works to be presented is a determining criterion that directly affects the gallery's image. A poorly cropped photograph, a generic layout, the absence of context around the work: these elements degrade the collector's experience and therefore the perceived value of both the work and the gallery. The dealer must examine whether the platform offers a presentation space that respects the gallery's visual identity, allows works to be contextualised with accompanying text, artist biography and installation views, and displays photographs in sufficient quality to do justice to the artists' work.

Platforms that impose a single standardised format for all galleries flatten the distinctive qualities that define each programme. A collector consulting your space on the platform should find something of your gallery's identity, your way of presenting artists, your quality standards. If your online space looks identical to every other gallery's on the same platform, you lose what differentiates you.

04The relationship with the collector

In a physical gallery, the dealer knows their collectors, understands their tastes, anticipates their desires and maintains a personal relationship at the heart of the sales process. The online platform must not sever this relationship but facilitate and enrich it. The dealer must verify whether the platform allows direct communication with interested collectors, whether they know the buyer's identity, and whether they can maintain a post-sale relationship. These questions are essential because in the art market, a sale is never an isolated event: it is the beginning of a relationship that can last decades.

Some platforms interpose an opaque screen between dealer and collector, managing the transaction end to end without either party knowing the other. This model is acceptable for a seller of standardised products but is unsuited to the art market where the human relationship is a constitutive element of value. The collector buying a work for 5,000 or 50,000 euros wants to know who they are buying from, and the dealer wants to know who they are selling to in order to nurture that relationship over time.

05Financial terms and their real impact

The pricing structure of platforms varies considerably and deserves close examination that goes beyond simple comparison. Some charge a fixed monthly subscription, others levy a commission on each sale, others combine both. The dealer must evaluate the total cost based on their projected sales volume and calculate the margin impact for each scenario. A fixed subscription benefits a gallery that sells regularly online, as the cost per transaction falls as sales increase. A pure commission is preferable for a gallery just starting online that does not wish to commit financially before confirming the platform suits it.

The commission rate deserves particular scrutiny. Rates of 20 to 30 per cent, practised by certain platforms, significantly erode the dealer's margin and, by extension, the artist's remuneration. When the artist typically receives 50 per cent of the sale price, a 25 per cent platform commission leaves the dealer with 25 per cent of the sale price, which often does not cover operational costs. Add shipping, packaging and insurance costs, and the margin can turn negative on certain sales. The dealer must make the full calculation before committing and not be seduced by volume promises that do not account for the reality of margins in the art trade.

Ancillary fees also deserve scrutiny: some platforms charge supplements for featuring works, payment processing fees or professional photography costs. The accumulation of these fees can transform an apparently attractive offer into a significant cost line.

06Real visibility and search optimisation

Being present on a platform does not guarantee being visible. The dealer must understand how the platform features galleries and works: is there a recommendation algorithm, how does it work, do longer-standing or better-known galleries receive preferential treatment, does the platform invest in organic search optimisation to attract qualified traffic from search engines. A platform that attracts collectors through its own editorial and marketing efforts is more valuable than one that merely hosts catalogues and leaves each gallery to generate its own traffic. The former brings you new collectors; the latter asks you to find them yourself.

07Compatibility with your overall strategy

The choice of platform must fit within the gallery's overall strategy, not contradict it. If your positioning is high end, joining a platform that mixes contemporary art and low-priced interior decoration sends a contradictory signal to your collectors. If your programme centres on emerging artists, a platform dominated by established names will render you invisible in the crowd. If your clientele is predominantly European, a platform whose audience concentrates on the American market will not bring you the collectors you seek. Alignment between the gallery's positioning and that of the platform is a prerequisite for any fruitful collaboration. Before signing up, ask yourself whether the galleries already present on the platform are galleries you would be proud to share a fair booth corridor with. If the answer is no, the platform is not the right one.

08Day-to-day support and assistance

The dealer joining an online platform enters territory they do not necessarily master. The quality of support offered by the platform is an often underestimated but determining criterion in the daily experience. Does the platform provide a dedicated contact who knows your programme and objectives, onboarding assistance with tutorials adapted to the art world rather than generalist commerce, advice on optimising the presentation of works based on genuine market knowledge, responsive technical support when problems arise. Dealers who have left a platform frequently cite lack of support as the reason for departure. A platform that leaves the dealer alone facing an interface without assistance does not deserve the investment of time and money it demands. Support is not an accessory service; it is a reliable indicator of the value the platform places on its partner galleries.

Artedusa was designed for galleries that want an international showcase without sacrificing their identity. The platform provides partner galleries with a tailored space to present their programme to qualified collectors worldwide. Every criterion discussed in this article — audience quality, curation, personalised presentation, direct collector relationships, transparent financial terms, dedicated support — guided the platform's design to meet the specific requirements of professional gallery owners.