Case study, Fine art and antiques auctions
Helping auction consignments visitors state their purpose
Day to day with auction consignments, visitors identify their purpose before typing a word. Staff receive a meaningful category with every message and can keep ongoing conversations apart from new ones.
- ClientFine art and ceramics saleroom
- RegionNaperville, Illinois
- Team17 staff, one locally managed operation
- Timeline15 working days
- Plan it fitsPaddle, $127 / mo
The climb
From the first problem to what changed
How the fine art and ceramics saleroom in Naperville, Illinois went from where it started to where it is now, one rung at a time.
Starting point
The auction consignments contact route made no distinction between a first approach and a follow-up on an active matter.
The problem
For auction consignments, nothing in the inbox indicated what a message was for. Staff opened each one blind, sorting new requests from follow-ups by hand.
What we built
Visitors now begin by choosing their purpose: a new inquiry, an existing request or a general question. Each leads to its own route, with the new-inquiry form collecting asset category, collection area and proposed sale date.
What changed
Day to day with auction consignments, visitors identify their purpose before typing a word. Staff receive a meaningful category with every message and can keep ongoing conversations apart from new ones.
What the build used
The pieces of work, as the fine art and ceramics saleroom described them, and where each sits in the website every plan includes.
The pieces of work
- Contact categories
- Separate follow-up route
- Relevant form fields
- Clear button labels
On the feature list
- Inquiries and registrations routed to your CRMEvery form on the site lands where your team already works, by API, Zapier or Make, not in an inbox nobody checks.
- Accessible pages and the policy pages that come with themKeyboard and screen reader friendly pages, an on-page accessibility toolbar, and the privacy, terms, cookie and accessibility pages a public site needs.
- Websites for fine art and antiques auctionsProvenance and condition layout, and the full page set for this sale type.
The categories match how people really contact us about auction consignments. The guesswork about who is new has gone.
How long it took
15 working days
15 working days after content approval, including staff review and handover. The fine art and ceramics saleroom runs with 17 staff, one locally managed operation.
Timed from content approval, because that is the part we control. Launch windows on each plan are on the pricing page.
Want the same fix on your own site? On a 30-minute call we show you how it would work for your sales, and which plan fits. Plans from $127 a month.
Book a demoQuestions about this case study
How long did this fine art and ceramics saleroom build take?
15 working days after content approval, including staff review and handover. The team is 17 staff, one locally managed operation, and the clock started once they had approved the content, so the time is ours, not theirs.
Which plan covers this kind of work?
Everything used here (inquiries and registrations routed to your CRM; accessible pages and the policy pages that come with them) is part of Paddle, from $127 a month, and of every plan above it. The $697 build fee is invoiced only after launch, and changes like these later count toward your included monthly revisions.
Why is the auction house not named?
Client business names stay private on this site. The page names the kind of auction house and its region instead. The quote is from Leonard Chatsworth, cataloguing assistant, and is published with their permission.
Does this mean you run the consignment process for us?
No. We are not a licensed auctioneer, bidding platform or escrow provider. We build and manage the website, so consignment inquiries arrive in good shape; the assessment, the terms and every decision stay with your team.
Related lots
More builds like this one
Other case studies from fine art and antiques auctions and from builds that used the same work.
Services
The services this build belongs to
- auction website designA custom-coded auction website design built around catalog pages, bidder registration and settlement, not a generic template with a lot list bolted on.
- bidder registration website setupA dedicated bidder or paddle registration page, built into your site and linked to the bidding platform you already use.
Put your own sale on the board
A live walk-through of the site you would get, in about 30 minutes. The $697 build fee is invoiced only after launch, and domain and hosting are included.
Book a demoOr email and a person replies within one working day.