Marketplace ready — what changed in March

The past few weeks have been about closing the gap between a platform that exists and a platform that works. Not adding features for the sake of features — removing the reasons someone might sign up, look around, and quietly leave.

Here is what we built, why it matters, and what it means for artists and spaces joining our community.

Artist analytics dashboard

Artists on Herehood now have a dedicated analytics page in their studio dashboard. It shows profile views over time, which artworks are drawing the most attention, and where visitors are coming from — whether that is the map, the gallery, a direct link, or a search engine.

The data is presented simply: sparkline charts for trends, a ranked view of your most-viewed pieces, and a breakdown of traffic sources. No vanity metrics. No follower counts. Just the information that helps you understand what is resonating and where people are finding you.

This was a deliberate design choice. We do not display sales rankings or comparative data. Every creator's analytics are private to them, and the metrics we surface are about visibility — not competition. The goal is to give artists a clear picture of their reach without creating pressure to perform.

For artists, this means you can now answer basic questions that were previously invisible: Is anyone looking at my work? Which pieces are getting attention? Did that Instagram post actually send people to my profile? These are small questions, but they matter when you are deciding what to upload next or where to focus your energy.

AI artist recommendations for spaces

When a space on Herehood is looking for creators to display, they can now receive AI-generated recommendations. The system considers the space's location, available display surfaces, aesthetic preferences, and the kind of work that has done well in similar venues. It returns a shortlist of creators who might be a good fit.

A few things about how this works, because it matters. The matching algorithm weights location (25%), style compatibility (30%), physical fit — whether the work suits the available surfaces (15%), budget alignment (15%), creator activity (10%), and a deliberate element of randomness (5%). That last part is intentional. It ensures that emerging creators who have not yet built a track record still appear in recommendations. Every shortlist of three or more includes at least one emerging creator.

For spaces, this means less time browsing and more time connecting. Instead of scrolling through every artist on the platform, you get a focused set of suggestions tailored to your specific venue. The recommendations are a starting point, not a decision — you still choose who to reach out to and what to display.

For artists, this means your work is being actively surfaced to relevant spaces, even if you have not been on the platform long. The system is designed to work against the pattern where established names absorb all the attention and newer voices get buried.

Pricing guidance widget

Setting prices for original artwork is one of the most consistently difficult parts of being a creator. Price too high and nothing moves. Price too low and you undervalue your practice — and make it harder for other creators in your area.

The new pricing guidance widget appears when artists set or update the price on a piece of work. It draws on contextual data — the medium, the dimensions, and comparable work in similar categories — to suggest a price range. It does not tell you what to charge. It gives you a reference point so your pricing is informed rather than guesswork.

This is especially useful for creators who are exhibiting for the first time. Pricing original work when you have no prior sales history is genuinely hard, and the widget helps bridge that gap without being prescriptive.

Onboarding checklists

The first ten minutes on a new platform determine whether someone stays or leaves. We rebuilt the onboarding experience for both artists and spaces to make those first ten minutes productive.

For artists, there is now a guided checklist that appears after signup: complete your profile, upload your first piece of work, and browse spaces in your area. Each step is clear and specific. The checklist tracks your progress and stays visible until you have finished or dismissed it. It does not lock anything — you can skip ahead or come back later.

For spaces, the flow is similar but tailored: add your business name, upload photos of your venue, describe your available display areas, and browse creators nearby. The goal is to get a space from "I just signed up" to "my venue is ready for artists to find" in a single sitting.

Both flows use progressive disclosure — showing what matters now and keeping everything else out of the way. The result is a first experience that feels guided without feeling constrained.

Welcome emails

Every new member of our community now receives a welcome email within minutes of signing up. The email is tailored to the role they chose — artist, space, or neighbour — and includes the specific next steps that matter for that role.

This sounds basic, and it is. But a well-timed, well-written email after signup is one of the strongest signals that a platform is real, maintained, and paying attention. It sets the tone for the relationship. Ours is warm, brief, and useful — not a sales pitch.

Map redesign

The Herehood map — where you can discover artists and spaces near you — has been rebuilt from the ground up. The new version uses CartoDB Voyager tiles for a cleaner, more readable base layer. Custom SVG markers replace the default pins, so artists and spaces are visually distinct. Clustering ensures the map stays usable even as more locations are added — instead of a wall of overlapping markers, nearby points group together and expand as you zoom in.

Each marker opens a branded popup with the key details: name, type, a thumbnail image, and a link to the full profile. The map is now faster, clearer, and more pleasant to use on both desktop and mobile.

For our community, the map is one of the most important pages on the platform. It answers the question "what is near me?" — which is the question Herehood exists to answer. Making it work well was not optional.

Performance improvements

Behind every visible change, there was a layer of infrastructure work:

Database indexing. Eight new indexes targeting the queries that power search, discovery, and the map. Pages that previously took a noticeable moment to load now return in under a second.

N+1 query fixes. Several background processes were making one database call per item instead of batching. These have been consolidated, which matters as the platform grows.

Image optimisation. All images now use Next.js optimised image handling with proper sizing, lazy loading, and format negotiation. The result is faster page loads and lower bandwidth, particularly on mobile.

Server component refactoring. Pages that were previously rendered entirely on the client — requiring the browser to fetch data after the page loaded — have been moved to server components where possible. The page arrives ready, with data already in place.

None of this is visible in a screenshot. All of it is visible in how the platform feels.

What comes next

The platform is ready for people. The tools are in place for artists to present their work, for spaces to find and display it, and for neighbours to discover what is happening around them.

The next chapter is not about features. It is about our community — the artists who join, the spaces that open their walls, and the conversations that start when creative work meets a physical place. Everything we have built so far is in service of those connections.

If you are an artist looking for a space to exhibit, or a space looking to display original work, now is a good time to set up your profile. The infrastructure is here. The neighbourhood is waiting.