Presentation for conference organized by Center for Creative and Cultural Industries, Chapman University, USA. 20 May 2021 by Erasmus University team Trilce Navarrete, Emmy van Arent, Kim van Buuren

1. Strategies of online shops
Experience from museums in
The Netherlands
Dr. T. Navarrete, E. van Arent, K. van Buuren
Culture Clash: Emerging Methods of Monetization
18-20 May 2021 | Chapman University

2. Summary
After 2020, museums are expected to have a shop online and to be
part of the online market.
Merchandise or Educational reinforcement?
● 24% direct / partial reference to collection (74% museum theme)
● 33% educational goal
● 20% collaboration in production (8% handmade)
● 90% products < €50 (range €0 - €16,453)
● 10% products for children (avg. €29)
There is much room for product development to easily increase the
educational value of the products through storytelling.
Products allow consumers to take the museum home.

3. Background
Sale of objects in museums is not new, as is the market for souvenirs (Larkin, 2019)
Museum shops are part of the museum experience (Falk and DIerking, 1992; Kent, 2010; McIntyre, 2010;
Komarac, et al., 2019).
As such, products sold contribute to
● Free-choice learning (Falk and Storksdieck, 2010; Falk and Dierking, 1992),
● Cultural capital formation (‘taste-making’) (Larkin, 2019; Macdonald, 2012),
● Reflection of the visit (construction of meaning) (Kent, 2010; Gazin-Schwarts, 2004; Larking, 2019),
● Linking back to real life (Kent, 2010), and
● Strengthening the relationship museum-visitor (Lord and Lord, 1997).
As well as additional income from a global market. In the spring of 2020 and due to the pandemic, a few
museums considered the webshop as alternative source of income (NEMO, 2020), though it is not clear how
many have a shop or actually started one.

4. Evidence on product characteristics
Little evidence from museum shops (none online?) due to
perceived contrast to core activity of education about collections
(rather than commercialization and copying).
Tourists prefer reproductions, replicas and adaptations, as
literal reference to the visit. Locals prefer interpretations and
new creations made by local artists (Iranowska, 2019).
Products can enrich free-choice learning by amplifying emotion
from the experience (Falk and Dierking, 2000).
Perception of quality of the gift shop influences overall
experience (Falk and Dierking, 1992).
Visitors spend ± $1 in smaller shops and ± $1.5 in larger shops
(Lord and Lord, 1997).
Rijksmuseum physical shop in 2018 = €1.30 per visitor (Annual
report, 2018).
https://shop.mauritshuis.nl/en/fleeting-box-mauritshuis.html

5. Types of products
Larkin (2019) proposes:
1. Souvenirs meant to validate consumer experience.
2. Informal educational products for enjoyment or pleasure.
3. Authentic products to convey museum quality (hand made).
4. Associative products inspired by the collection.
Iranowska (2019) considers:
1. Reproductions, replicas, and adaptations - for tourists.
2. Interpretations and creations - for locals.

6. Method
From the 437 registered museums in the Netherlands, 96 have an online shop.
We collected data from 880 products in three steps.
Step one (N=421): 1 product per ‘category’ in each shop was collected, aiming at
capturing diversity of collections. Elements of education, values and relation to
collection and museum were noted.
Step two (N=489): common products were collected from all shops to compare
frequency and range in price.
Step three (N=106): image capture shows narrative, image quality and overall
online shop profile.

7. Preliminary results 1: Educational goal

8. Preliminary results 1: Typology by values

9. Preliminary results 2: Price / product comparison
Category
Avg
Price N Min Max Freq %
Postcards 6 42 1 250 40
Shawls high 110 21 15 250 20
Shawls low 37 13 13 65 13
Jewelry high 853 26 4 16453 25
Jewelry low 18 20 1 52 19
Mugs 13 24 4 45 23
Poster 16 25 5 75 24
Catalogue 28 25 3 65 24
Tea towel 13 18 4.59 29 17
Face mask 11 30 3 28 29
Most Expensive 647 102 8.7 16453 98
Least Expensive 5 102 0 48 98
Special object 188 98 1.95 13460 94
1.49
0.99
90% of products are > €50

10. Preliminary results 2: Diversity
There is no Museum product
+ shipping costs €4.96
Shawls low

12. Preliminary results 3: The idea object

13. Take the museum home
Ideal object would:
● Represent the museum and its
collection (literally and conceptually)
● Engage the public emotionally
● Inspire learning (free choice, taste
formation) and provide learning
● Bridge the museum (visit) with home
● Develop a community bond through
collaborations
● Provide a range of prices (also for
children to pay)

14. Thank you
Please share your favourite
online museum shops and
products with us.
Navarrete@eshcc.eur.nl