Primer
About Primer
Primer is an art gallery software that helps collectors, non-profit organizations, and artists manage clients, handle documents, store product information, and more on a centralized platform. It allows staff members to utilize the inventory management functionality to store and track product details, such as quoted price, art dimensions, authentication certificates, and product descriptions.
Primer enables team members to store client contact details, monitor transactions, handle payables, track offers, and manage other customer relationship management (CRM) processes from within a unified platform. The exhibitions module allows employees to track sales operations for several art pieces and add notes related to ongoing customer interactions. It also lets supervisors set up custom online viewing rooms, generate invoices, define price lists, create consignments plus labels, store art images, and more.
Primer enables supervisors to import data, schedule data back-ups, and manage updates to optimize the user experience and ensure data security. The advanced search and filter functionality lets staff members find art pieces based on name, description, and creation date.
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- Industry: Fine Art
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
I love Primer's function, and user-friendly operation system
Reviewed on 2023/11/09
My experience with Primer has been very good, and one of the best things is that the support is...
My experience with Primer has been very good, and one of the best things is that the support is excellent. Whenever I have any questions, the Primer technician resolve the issues!
Pros
I used to use different databases, but with Primer, "data management" started making much more sense for the business. It is intuitive, and the customer service/assistance is swift and accurate. I am a one-person operation and do not have another brain to consult with, but Primer is THE brain I always consult with.
Cons
I don't have any issues. And with any problems, the Primer is very responsive to troubleshooting.
- Industry: Arts & Crafts
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 1+ year
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
I strongly recommend Primer!
Reviewed on 2022/09/26
I have had a great experience with Primer. The developers are very responsive and quick to answer...
I have had a great experience with Primer. The developers are very responsive and quick to answer any question or issue I've ever had. I love this software and can't imagine doing business without it.
Pros
Primer is trusted for me as one of the best software for art galleries and art advisory companies. It is well designed, clear, and offers everything you need in one place. I especially love that it's one fee without a bunch of add ons and extras. This software is absolutely worth the subscription fee.
Cons
There is little, if anything, that can be improved. Whenever I have needed something altered to suit my business needs, they've either offered me a work around or created a solution to my problem. They are also always adding to the software to make it work better for all on the platform.
Alternatives Considered
ArtlogicReasons for Switching to Primer
The value for what you get is unmatched. I also love that it's filemaker-based. Primer doesn't try to charge you extra for every add on. They stick with their price and are very communicative and helpful at every turn.- Industry: Retail
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10
Easy to use and very functional!
Reviewed on 2024/05/07
Pros
I use this program daily and it is very easy to use. You can keep track of everything in once place. Also the customer service is great and responds quickly,
Cons
Nothing! Primer is a great software, I'd recommend it to any gallery or artist to keep track of their inventory.
- Industry: Fine Art
- Company size: 2–10 Employees
- Used Daily for 2+ years
-
Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Designed by a gallery owner, for galleries
Reviewed on 2020/06/14
First and foremost, the client service is tremendous. It would seem that they are on it 24/7....
First and foremost, the client service is tremendous. It would seem that they are on it 24/7. Explanations and fixes are dealt with practically immediately. I feel like Primer cares deeply about our experience with the product and they act on that.
We are extremely pleased with the architecture of the interface - it's simplicity and functioning belie a complex software that evens out the playing field with our competitors in the business.
The introduction of new features and refinement of established ones seems ongoing and perfect.
Pros
As a daily user of Primer I am particularly pleased with its ease of use. As a relational database it makes accessing and searching for information to create transactions extremely simple. Invoices, offers to clients, loans, consignments in and out, exhibition checklists are all intuitive and take very little time to create. The speed with which it takes to output necessary forms and reports is a lifesaver.
My previous inventory system was a bespoken application which I included barcoding for inventory control and labeling in. Primer's willingness to integrate barcoding was essential to my decision to switch.
The recent addition of online viewing rooms - one of the most widely used advancements in the gallery industry with the onset of the pandemic - was swift and very effective. We have used it successfully since the first release of it. I willingly agreed to work with the beta version of it and it is nearly perfect.
The online hosting and automatic upgrades to the most recent releases of FMP are worth the price of admission alone.
Cons
There is very little to Primer that I am critical of. FMP is not great at word processing and there are a few areas where adjusting text could make it a little smoother perhaps. Sometimes the syntax used to describe functions is a little cloudy but these are hardly anything more than idiosyncratic details that most users probably wouldn't even notice.
I wish there was a PDF download function to the online viewing rooms because some of my clients like to keep records of the works offered but I am sure that will come soon enough
Reasons for Choosing Primer
The main reason I switched was that [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] was a gallery owner who intrinsically understood what we needed from an inventory system and CMS. Also, the features that Primer offered would have been prohibitively expensive to develop on our own and at the time we were approached I was already considering a switch.Reasons for Switching to Primer
I particularly liked that upgrades and tech support were included in the fee. Others seemed to universally charge for them or limited the access to tech support. Primer was also willing to integrate barcodes in the inventory module, which was both essential for our work flow but also showed a real interest in our needs and business. While some had features the Primer lacks, they were not deal breakers. The fact that it is FMP based makes it attractive so that we are not caught up in a proprietary software that cannot be accessed with other systems. Some of the out of the box solutions were woefully lacking in certain features and came about as an afterthought to their original functions. Primer is about inventory control, client contact and communication.- Industry: Arts & Crafts
- Company size: Self Employed
- Used Daily for 2+ years
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Review Source
Overall rating
- Value for Money
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10
Great for studios, artists, and galleries alike
Reviewed on 2020/07/17
Intuitive design, ease-of-use, superb customer service, and their quick help desk response time are...
Intuitive design, ease-of-use, superb customer service, and their quick help desk response time are the standouts of Primer. I have created archives for three different art studios as well as used the platform for a commercial gallery. Artists often ask my advice for what database to use for tracking inventory and invoicing and I always recommend Primer. Also, I have seen artists become more involved in the care of their archive by the very act of creating one.
Pros
I love how all of the data can be tagged to relate with one another. This makes tracking collectors, works, collections, invoicing, shipping, and exhibitions seamless and creates a robust history of interactions between all of these categories (and more). Quickly making .pdfs for offer letters and checklists for shows is a huge plus.
Cons
I can't think of anything that is not a positive with the database or the service.
Alternatives Considered
Artwork ArchiveReasons for Choosing Primer
Primer is by and far more sophisticated and robust.Switched From
Artwork ArchiveReasons for Switching to Primer
Price, usability, sophistication, customer service. For artist's studios when we are discussing which database to use I often will mention that many galleries use the platform, so there is an immediate shorthand between the studio and galleries.Primer FAQs
Below are some frequently asked questions for Primer.Q. What type of pricing plans does Primer offer?
Primer offers the following pricing plans:
- Starting from: US$45.00/month
- Pricing model: Subscription
- Free Trial: Available
Q. Who are the typical users of Primer?
Primer has the following typical customers:
Self Employed, 2–10, 11–50, 51–200
Q. What languages does Primer support?
Primer supports the following languages:
English
Q. Does Primer support mobile devices?
Primer supports the following devices:
iPhone (Mobile), iPad (Mobile)
Q. What other apps does Primer integrate with?
Primer integrates with the following applications:
Stripe
Q. What level of support does Primer offer?
Primer offers the following support options:
Email/Help Desk, Knowledge Base, Phone Support, Chat
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