A framing shop's site should give rough prices, typical turnaround, a plain explanation of conservation framing, photographs of framed work and the last drop-off date for Christmas, so customers arrive ready to choose.

What the site is actually for

Custom framing is something most people buy rarely, with no idea what it costs or how long it takes. They usually arrive with a piece in hand and questions they feel slightly awkward asking.

The site should settle those before the visit: a rough idea of cost, the usual wait, what the choices mean, and whether you can handle this particular piece.

In November it has one more job. Many pieces coming in are gifts, and the customer's real question is whether it will be ready by Christmas.

What customers want to know

The first is the one most framing sites avoid and customers want most. With no guide to price, people assume the worst, or put off the visit until they feel ready for the bill.

Giving a price without a quote

Custom framing cannot be priced exactly in advance. Size, moulding, mat, glazing and mounting all change it, which is why many framers publish no prices at all.

A range still helps. Show two or three common examples, such as a poster in a simple frame, a print with a mat and a mid-range moulding, and a piece of needlework, with a starting price for each.

Then explain what moves the price up: larger sizes, wider or gilded mouldings, double mats, specialty glass, deep shadow boxes for objects.

People who know roughly what a typical print costs come in ready to decide. People who know nothing often do not come in.

Turnaround, honestly

State the usual turnaround in working days or weeks, and what makes it longer: mouldings ordered in, canvas stretching, oversized pieces.

Say whether rush framing is available and what it costs, if you offer it.

Update the turnaround when you are busy. A customer who expected a week and waits three remembers the wait, not the frame.

Say how customers will hear that a piece is ready, by phone, email or text, and how long you can hold finished work.

Conservation framing in plain words

Many customers have heard the term without knowing what it means, and some framers explain it in words only another framer would follow.

In plain terms: materials that will not yellow or damage the artwork over time, glass or acrylic that filters most ultraviolet light, and mounting that can be undone without harming the piece.

Say when it matters most, such as original art, signed prints, photographs, documents and family keepsakes, and when a standard frame is fine, such as an inexpensive poster.

That turns an upsell into advice, which is how customers should hear it.

Show the work

A framing shop sells a visual result, and photographs of finished pieces do more than any description.

Show variety: a jersey or medals in a shadow box, a child's drawing in a gallery frame, a wedding invitation, a mirror, a large canvas. Customers often do not know what can be framed until they see it.

Photograph pieces straight on and without reflections, ideally before they are wrapped. A caption naming the moulding, mat and glazing helps the next customer describe what they want.

Ask customers before showing their pieces, especially family photographs and personal documents.

A worked example

A framing shop on a neighbourhood shopping street had a website with a few frame photos, the address and the hours, and nothing about prices or dates.

Every December the counter filled with customers asking whether a piece dropped off that day could be ready for Christmas. Many could not, and some left upset, still holding an unframed gift.

The owner added a page with starting prices for four common jobs, the usual turnaround and a short section on conservation framing, along with a gallery of recent work.

Last year, in early November, a notice went on the home page and the Facebook page: the last day to drop off pieces for Christmas, with an earlier date for shadow boxes and oversized work.

December still brought a rush. But anyone who missed the date had been told in plenty of time, and most customers now arrived knowing roughly what the bill would be.

The holiday deadline

Set the last drop-off date for Christmas early, and publish it at the start of November, when people begin planning gifts.

Give separate dates where the work differs: standard framing, pieces needing special-order mouldings, shadow boxes and canvas stretching.

Put the date on the home page, the Facebook page and a sign in the window, and say it on the phone. Update the hours on Google My Business if they change for the season.

After the date, keep the notice up with what is still possible, such as ready-made frames or a gift certificate, so late shoppers get an answer rather than a refusal.

Make the first visit easy

Say whether customers need an appointment to choose a frame or can walk in, and how long a design consultation usually takes.

Explain what to bring: the piece itself, measurements if it is too big to carry, and an idea of where it will hang.

Give parking details, and say whether you can help carry large pieces from the car. Framing customers often arrive holding something fragile and awkward.

If you deliver or hang heavy pieces and mirrors, say so. Many customers need that help and never think to ask.

The counter-case

A framer who works mainly for galleries, artists or companies may need a different site, built around trade accounts and volume work rather than walk-in customers.

Some framers also worry that published prices invite comparison with big-box stores. A range that explains what is included usually answers that better than silence.

For a shop that depends on people walking in with a piece in hand, the site should give rough prices, turnaround, conservation basics, examples and the Christmas deadline.

What to build first

  1. Publish the Christmas drop-off date this week.
  2. Add starting prices for common jobs.
  3. State the usual turnaround and what lengthens it.
  4. Explain conservation framing in plain words.
  5. Build a gallery of varied framed work.
  6. Say whether appointments are needed.
  7. Offer gift certificates once the date passes.

Step one is the one that matters this month. Every framing shop hears the same question in December, and answering it in November keeps both the gifts and the goodwill.

Saying what you can order beyond the samples on the wall is covered in special orders nobody knows you take.

Frequently asked questions

Should a framing shop publish prices?

Yes, as ranges. Give starting prices for two or three common jobs and explain what moves the price up, since customers with no guide assume the worst.

What does conservation framing mean?

Materials that do not yellow or damage the piece, glazing that filters most ultraviolet light, and mounting that can be undone without harm.

When does conservation framing matter?

For original art, signed prints, photographs, documents and keepsakes. An inexpensive poster is usually fine in a standard frame without it.

When should the Christmas date be published?

At the start of November, on the home page, the Facebook page and in the window, with earlier dates for shadow boxes and oversized work.

What should the gallery show?

Variety, such as jerseys and medals in shadow boxes, children's drawings, invitations, mirrors and canvases, photographed straight on and with the customers' permission.

What if someone misses the deadline?

Offer what is still possible, such as ready-made frames or a gift certificate, so late shoppers leave with an answer rather than a refusal.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

Framing site with no prices or dates?

Send us your usual turnaround and this year's Christmas dates. We will put them on your site before December.

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