Can I run auctions on my website?

In the second series of our 'questions to ask when you are looking for auction software' we are tackling...

Can I run auctions on my website?

Over the past 15 years in the auction software business we have seen three different approaches from vendors;

Sub-domain

A sub-domain approach is where the vendor will create a second site which mirrors the design and layout of your own website. The idea here is that to the user it will look as though they are on the same site, when in actual fact they are navigating two separate websites.

Pros:

• Minimal work required on your own website such as new links in the header or catalogue page

Cons:

• Creating the sub-domain site can be costly and take the vendor weeks or months to produce.
• Any design changes you later make to your own website will not be reflected on the sub-domain.
• Users will need to have an additional login for the sub-domain site, or you will have to remove any user based functionality from your own site.
• Your users are traversing two websites. As much as you try to make the process as smooth as possible, there will always be two websites.

Marketplace Whitelabel

A marketplace site is where a large number of auctioneers list their auctions. Some of these providers offer a 'whitelabel' solution which allow you to embed the auctions that you upload to the marketplace site on your own website.

Pros:

• Auctions on your website
• Quick to set up
• Greater control over styling vs a sub-domain option
• A familiar user experience for your users if you already use the marketplace
• Marketing benefit with your auctions also appearing on the marketplace site.

Cons:

• You do not have full ownership over all of your data
• Users will still be creating an account with the marketplace website
• You wont be able to use tools like Google Analytics to fully track the user journey - making it hard to understand what marketing activities are driving bidders and bids.
• Web design skills required

Embedded Software

With this approach the vendors software works on your own website. Unlike using a marketplace whitelabel the auctions you upload only appear on your own website. There are a wide number of vendors providing solutions, from simple Wordpress plugins to more comprehensive offerings such as BidJS.

Pros:

• Auctions on your website
• Quick to set up
• Near complete control over styling, and in some cases functionality
• You own all the data
• Some providers provide SSO - so users do not need 2 logins
• Fully track user activity with Google Analytics

Cons:

• Web design skills or a web design agency required
• No access to a wider pool of bidders

We hope our 'questions to ask' series is proving useful if you are currently looking at your options for auction software. Please do let us know if there are any other topics you would like us to cover.