Take your auctions online
When Covid put a stop to in-person auctions, Hobbs Parker needed an alternative fast.
Using BidJS they had their first online auction running in just 10 days.
In business since 1850, Hobbs Parker is a specialist auctioneer based in Ashford, Kent. The company holds several hundred auctions each year including cars, commercial vehicles, plant and equipment and livestock. The total value of their sales is well in excess of £60m per annum.
Necessity, the mother of invention
Hobbs Parker Car Auctions usually run several times a week, selling over 5,000 vehicles in a typical year. But the Covid crisis brought these activities to a sudden halt. Car and commercial vehicle auctions were suspended during the first lockdown in Spring 2020. In Summer 2020 rules still prevented physical auctions, but online auctions were allowed to operate again. The company decided to pivot immediately to online auctions for general car and commercial auctions. But they'd not conducted online auctions before.
They needed a solution that would integrate with existing systems in particular email marketing, the website and with the back office auction system too. There was no time to lose as business was being lost by the day. This had to be implemented fast. They had just 10 days from making the decision to the date of their first online auction.
I found the team very friendly, helpful and responsive and the task of integrating BidJS into our systems was simple and quick.
BidJS is simple and quick
BidJS proved the perfect solution. The set-up process was quick and intuitive, integrating easily with the existing systems. Additionally, the company's strong brand and quality marketing databases meant getting customers to switch to using online auctions was fast and efficient.
The results were exceptional. Hobbs Parker is now selling as many cars and commercial vehicles as they were by physical auctions. But they are reaching a wider audience – over 7,500 buyers have taken part in these auctions in the first 15 months. BidJs has proved to be efficient, resilient and cost-effective.
In fact, the team at Hobbs Parker were so impressed, they went on to expand online auctions with BidJS into new areas including marine auctions, professional tool auctions and insolvency auctions.
Bidlogix software is built around the needs of our users and we're regularly adding new features as a result of customer feedback. So when Hobbs Parker told us they felt the bidding extension of 30 seconds was too long for some types of auction, we added 5, 10 and 15 second extensions as additional options. The 10 second extension proved a real winner helping to drive bids for lots higher.
With auction rooms opening up again, Hobbs Parker’s Specialist Online Auctions using BidJS are now a fundamental part of the business and the team have ambitious plans for increasing both the volume of auctions and number of lots.
We are selling as many cars and commercial vehicles as we were by physical auctions. But we are now reaching a wider audience