Is Crowdsourcing the Next Big Thing in Retail? This Art Based SMB May Find Out

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. - Aug. 23, 2013 - PRLog -- Recently, Sandra Canning Photography was selected for the audition round of Walmart’s Get on the Shelf (GOTS) crowdsourcing contest. GOTS is an American Idol style competition that gives entrepreneurs and inventors a chance to have their products offered by Walmart.

Canning’s video pitch is centered on offering her fine art photography at affordable prices. Typically, her signed pieces retail for hundreds of dollars and are handmade by master printers. Although Canning made it to the first round, she will need votes from the public to advance to the next level. Anyone can vote daily until September 2.

To vote and see her video pitch click here:

https://getontheshelf.walmart.com/product/1bec/Sandra-Canning-Fine-Art

Canning said, “These contests make the impossible possible. Get on the Shelf seemed like a great opportunity to raise awareness and increase sales. What artist or entrepreneur does not need this kind of support?” She also said that without this contest it would have been almost impossible for an unknown artist to get on the radar of the retail giant.

The web is quickly changing how art is bought and sold. Canning’s proposal is unique in that it intersects the major trends of crowdsourcing and the exploding growth of online art sales. A recent Hiscox study shows that, “online art buying soars as almost three-quarters of collectors go online”. The launch of Amazon Art also has industry insiders watching closely. Amazon’s model is closer to that of a traditional gallery except that the gallery is massive and it’s online. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/amazon-art_n_3728968.html 

“In the final analysis, crowdsourcing is about the future. Traditional business models are changing right before our eyes. The winds of change are upon us. The Web will force the democratization of art, business, education, and anything else you can think of. Crowdsourcing is an evolutionary step, and this is only the beginning. I would rather go with the flow of change than drown in its rising tide”, says Canning.

For more information visit  www.sandracanning.com