Core Concepts
Before diving deeper into Artbase Studio, let's understand the key concepts and terminology you'll encounter.
Organizations
An Organization is the foundation of your Artbase account. It represents your art business or studio.
- Every piece of data (products, orders, customers) belongs to an organization
- You can have multiple organizations (e.g., different brands)
- Team members can be invited with different roles (Owner, Admin, Member)
Organization: "Sarah's Art Studio"
├── Products (your artwork)
├── Orders (sales from all channels)
├── Customers (your buyers)
├── Email Subscribers
├── Channel Connections (Etsy, Gumroad)
└── Team Members
Guest Workspaces
New users can try Artbase in Guest Mode for 7 days:
- Full access to all features
- No credit card required
- Data is preserved when you upgrade
- Workspace expires after 7 days if not converted
Products
Products are the items you sell. Artbase supports four Product Types:
Original
One-of-a-kind artwork that can only be sold once.
- Single inventory item
- Marked as sold after purchase
- Ideal for paintings, sculptures, unique pieces
Print
Reproductions of your artwork in various sizes/formats.
- Track inventory quantities
- Support for variants (8x10, 11x14, etc.)
- Automatic stock updates across channels
Digital
Downloadable files (images, PDFs, brushes, etc.).
- Unlimited inventory by default
- Instant delivery after purchase
- Supports multiple file formats
Commission
Custom work requests from clients.
- Manage availability
- Accept deposits
- Track project progress (future feature)
Variants
Variants are different versions of the same product:
Product: "Mountain Sunrise Print"
├── Variant: 8x10 - $25
├── Variant: 11x14 - $40
├── Variant: 16x20 - $65
└── Variant: Digital Download - $15
Each variant can have:
- Its own price
- Its own SKU
- Its own inventory level
- Different options (size, format, paper type)
Orders
An Order represents a purchase from any channel:
Order Sources (Platforms)
- Direct — Sales through your Artbase storefront
- Etsy — Synced from your Etsy shop
- Gumroad — Synced from your Gumroad account
- Manual — Orders you create manually
Order Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Pending | Order placed, awaiting payment |
| Processing | Payment received, preparing to ship |
| Shipped | Order shipped, tracking available |
| Delivered | Order delivered to customer |
| Cancelled | Order cancelled |
| Refunded | Payment refunded |
Channels
Channels are external marketplaces connected to Artbase:
Supported Channels
- Etsy — Full order sync, OAuth connection
- Gumroad — Order sync via API key
Channel Features
- Automatic order import
- Unified order view
- Inventory sync (when products are mapped)
- Channel-specific analytics
Product Mapping
You can map channel products to your Artbase inventory:
Etsy Listing: "Sunset Print 8x10"
↓ (mapped to)
Artbase Variant: "Sunset Print" → 8x10
When this Etsy listing sells:
→ Order imported to Artbase
→ Inventory automatically decremented
→ Analytics updated
Customers
Customers are people who have purchased from you:
- Automatically created from orders
- Deduplicated by email address
- Track purchase history and lifetime value
- Unified across all channels
Customer Data
- Contact information (email, name, phone)
- Shipping addresses
- Order history
- Total spent
- Tags for segmentation
Email Contacts
Email Contacts are newsletter subscribers (distinct from customers):
Subscription Sources
- Storefront signup forms
- Checkout opt-in
- Manual import
- Link-in-bio pages
Contact Statuses
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Subscribed | Active subscriber |
| Unsubscribed | Opted out |
| Bounced | Email address invalid |
| Complained | Marked as spam |
Segments
Segments are dynamic groups of email contacts based on rules:
Segment: "High-Value Customers"
Rules:
- Has purchased = Yes
- Total spent > $100
- Subscribed = Yes
Use segments to:
- Target campaigns to specific audiences
- Send personalized content
- Exclude certain groups
Automations
Automations are triggered email sequences:
Trigger Types
- New Subscriber — Welcome series
- Product Published — New drop announcement
- Cart Abandoned — Recovery emails (automatic)
Automation Components
- Trigger condition
- Delay (wait time before sending)
- Email template
- Active/paused status
Platform Fees
Artbase charges a platform fee on direct storefront sales:
| Plan | Fee Rate |
|---|---|
| Starter | 2.0% |
| Growth | 1.5% |
| Pro | 0.5% |
- Fees apply only to direct sales through your Artbase storefront
- No fees on orders imported from Etsy or Gumroad
- Fees are in addition to Stripe's payment processing (~2.9% + $0.30)
Founding Artist Exemption
Early adopters in the Founding Artist Program pay 0% platform fees for their first 2 years.
Multi-Tenancy
Artbase is a multi-tenant platform:
- Your data is completely isolated from other users
- All queries are filtered by your organization
- Row-Level Security (RLS) ensures data protection
- You can only see data for organizations you belong to
Next Steps
Now that you understand the core concepts: