What is an auction site?
At an auction website, the price of the products and services are determined by the winning bid. Bidders have a choice at placing the bid within a certain timeframe. The person who sets the highest bid within a time frame is the winner.
Why create auction website from scratch
A range of advantages come in with creating a custom auction website from the scratch. Such online auction sites are personalized in the finest of ways to meet client requirements.
Instead, if one chooses to work upon a readymade, open-source website, extending the functionality is going to be difficult. Since numerous coders have worked over such a website, knowing the source code is going to be difficult. One may have to write the source code from the scratch to extend the functionality unless it is well explained. Similarly, the efficiency and scalability of the prevailing source codes may be an issue. Customization may become time-consuming.
Identifying the users:
Buyers: Buyers will buy a consignment or items at the auction by bidding.
Sellers: Sellers will sell a lot or items at auctions
Admin (Owner): Owner of the website who offers the platform for auction mechanism, and gets a commission from Seller and fees from Buyers.
Designing an auction website
Logo design
Color combinations
Designing the logo is an important part to consider when you build an online auction website. Logos of auction websites are relatively simpler as compared to other websites. The focus is frequently upon the name of the website, rather than the icon. This makes the website more memorable for the users. The text is presented in memorable fonts, typographies, and color palettes. This is frequently defined by the domain of operation for a website.
Designers frequently try and ensure that the logos are not created using loud color combinations. Innovative and lively color palettes that are soothing on the eyes deliver the best outcomes in this regard and attract more customers to your website. This makes a website come by as reliable.
Competitor analysis defines logo design
Ideally, logos for an auction website should be designed after conducting a close competitor analysis, and considering other online auction sites, because logos are often meant to attract a default customer profile. Such innovative logos are best placed to deliver the best outcomes for your requirements when you build an auction website.
Website front design
Easy to navigate
When one considers how to set up an auction website, the website front end design is one of the key factors to look at. The front page design should be intuitive and easy to understand and use for someone using the website for the first time. CTA should be placed at locations where they are easy to find for any user. Similarly, a viewer should be able to comfortably navigate through the website and get to the auction page.
User friendly
If one has any queries regarding the website, he should be able to easily access the resolutions over the website. The relevant labels should be easy to locate and click on. Such small pieces of information make a site more attractive for the end-user. With great auction portal development, the site comes by as reliable.
It is then a nice idea to place self-explanatory images, designs, and videos over the websites with relevant content, and windows that appear by hovering over the buttons. This should be done while keeping the overall design simple, neat, and attractive.
Mobile compatible and responsive
With a vast majority of customer interactions taking place over mobile devices, it is important to pay heed to the responsiveness of your website during auction website development. All elements of website design should meet the best practices for a responsive design. This will let the websites deliver a prime performance irrespective of the screen size or device used to access them. Your consumers can access and use the websites on the go, over their mobile devices.
Main functions for auction website development
The home page of an auction website should feature easy links that let a user navigate to any section of the website. It is a fine idea to display a demonstration of the navigation path towards the top of the page. This allows one to resume where he earlier was over the website. It is preferable if the website is fast loading, and a visitor can return to the home page by clicking on the logo.
Let us take a look at the best practices to be kept in mind when you create your own auction website. The home page and all content pages should be aesthetically made. The text should be high on legibility and there should be sufficient blank spaces.
The essential information should be meticulously distributed over the home page and other pages for an easier understanding. One should give an introduction to a service over the home page. The details of the information should be presented over the dedicated page.
Over the home page, the information should be presented in short paragraphs. A read more button should take the user to other content pages. The information should be enriched with SEO keywords. It should be precise, to the point, engaging, and well defined in paragraphs that capture the viewer’s attention, and entice him to read through the paragraphs.
A visitor should have easy access to all relevant information, such as services, privacy, bidding guidelines, and locations.
Auction listings
Auction listings should be easy to navigate and should be consumer-centric. Searching the listings and returning to the home page should be easy for an end-user.
Lot listing
Lot listings should be clearly defined in categories and subcategories. When considering how to make a bidding website, a developer can create drop-down menus for sub listings if there are many sub listings.
Upon clicking on a sub listing, a viewer should see all items in the subcategory. The listing should be separated by pages.
A seller should be able to comfortably make listings based on categories and subcategories.
Lot filters
A viewer should be able to view all the relevant listings by applying one or more filters. When a viewer finds his desired products comfortably, he is more likely to make a purchase.
Lots details
By clicking over an item on a catalogue, a viewer should get to lot details. This may be in the format of professionally written product descriptions or additional photographs.
Countdown clock for auction ends
This lets a bidder be sure about the timeframe within which he can place his bids. Digital clocks mentioning hours, minutes, and seconds while the bidding is live deliver the best outcomes in this regard.
Bidding mechanism
A bidding website should have a proper bidding mechanism in place, by which a buyer can bid and see other users’ bids.
Payment Options
Payment integration
Payment integration is one of the most important factors a developer has to think of when he considers how to create a bidding website. With payment integration, a consumer can make a payment in ways that best meet his requirements, such as debit cards, credit cards, net banking, PayPal, Aurthorize.net, Stripe, etc.
Purchase of a lot
The shopping cart for a bidding website should be so defined that a buyer can check out in three simple steps after making payments. He should be able to download and print a receipt for maintenance and future reference purposes.
Bidding stream for online auction
The bidding stream for an online auction should be in the format of video streaming, which lets an online user see the real-time auction.
Buyer Section
A buyer should be able to access in-depth information regarding his browsing history. He may choose to bid for similar products again. This makes the bidding website attractive from his viewpoint.
Upcoming auctions
Similarly, a buyer should also be able to view the upcoming auctions. The focus should lie over the auctions that are most likely to capture a buyer’s interest.
Payment history
When a buyer sees his payment history, the website comes by as reliable. The options should hence be enabled with a single click.
Purchased lot shipping status and tracking
Purchased lot shipping status and tracking information let a buyer be sure about his orders. In the event of a delay, he would be sure about where his order is currently located, and that the processes for shipping have started. This section should mention a stipulated date of delivery.
Seller section
A seller should be able to easily submit the lot he wants to sell to a website. Similarly, the information pertaining to payment history and the status of the lot – how many items are sold and how many remain unsold should be visible at a single click.
Admin section
Defining the admin section well is one of the most important tenets of how to make a bidding website. An admin should be able to manage or edit the entire content of the website, create new sections or delete sections based upon his requirements.
Similarly, an admin should be able to manage auctions, lot details, and also the buyer and seller sections through a dedicated CMS section. Another section that an admin should be able to manage is the invoices and payment sections. He can then rework any discrepancies that may occur.
An admin should be easily able to check a buyer’s bidding history and a seller’s selling history. He can deliver relevant offers and personalized services for both categories. He should be able to alter the entire settings of a website.
The auction website CMS should also generate relevant reports for an admin, which are in a highly understandable and a well-illustrated format. This helps with planning out strategies, overcoming loopholes, and making business-critical decisions.
Conclusion:
When you consider how to build auction website, having an in-house team do it for you is one of the options at your disposal. Cyblance is a professional software development firm, with specialization over how to create an auction website.
Important financial information stored at your website stays secured when we create an auction website from the scratch for you. We come up with high performing, fast-loading, SEO friendly, aesthetic, responsive, and reliable websites for you, customized in the finest of ways to meet your requirements.
The cost to build an auction website is no longer a matter of concern with our services. We make our best in the class services available across domains at the best prices in the industry.
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