NextLot- New Bidding System Release Notes from 2/14-2/28

Below is a summary of the updates made over the past few weeks on the online Bidding platform. These updates are only sent to employees of auction houses using the NextLot platform, NOT bidders.

DEV-1282- FEATURE- Incorporate Auction ID as a Custom Field

NextLot's integration with Cardpointe allows auction houses to process bidder's debit/credit cards for purchases in their auctions. In order to increase an ease of use with Cardpointe, NextLot has added in the auction's ID number as a field within cardpointe's reporting. This auction ID number is viewable within the auction's admin UI when you click into it and view any of the tabs within that particular auction (see below # 1464094.

This number is then brought over to the transaction within cardpointe (see below an example of a transaction and listing both the Auction ID and the bidder # in the custom fields).

This allows you when you go to the Reporting area of Cardpointe to easily search for all of the transactions related to a particular auction. NextLot elected to use the auction ID number instead of the auction name because auction companies routinely host the same auctions on an annual base, and having repeat auction names year over year could present some search challenges Once filtered down to JUST show this auction, you can click to Export this data into a spreadsheet if you wish to be able to view/manipulate the data.

You can also search in the search area for the bidder # to bring up all of the transactions for a bidder. Keep in mind this will also bring up their card validations from when they updated their card on their profile or initially registered their account.

Also keep in mind that you will want to set the DATE of the search to be long enough to show you the transactions for the period of time that you want to be able to view them. For example, the default date range is usually 7 days. If you are looking for transactions for a particular auction that was 2 months ago- make sure to set the date to be at least the last 90 days to get all those transactions.

DEV-1163- FEATURE- Store Additional Field for Bidder From Bid Request Process

NextLot has introduced new custom bid request fields to accommodate auctions that may require additional details not captured in the current online bidder registration process. These new fields will enable the collection of necessary information, such as a car dealer ID for car auctions or a real estate agent number for real estate auctions and similar auction specific information that bidders will be required to submit before being able to participate. These fields are referred to as "Custom Bid Request Fields" and can be enabled or disabled on a per-auction basis. These individual fields are set up in the Bidders Accounts Settings for the entire site, and the settings can be applied per auction in the bidder approval section of each individual auction. The client will not see this option when initially creating the auction; instead, it can be found under the ‘Bidder Approval’ tab.

The creation of the fields is limited to super administrators (NextLot employees Only). NextLot employees can modify these fields by navigating to Site-Wide Settings → Bidder Accounts → General Tab and scrolling to the bottom of the page. Currently up to 4 custom fields per site can be created.

The "Custom Bid Request Fields" can be enabled regardless of whether the bidder approval process is set to automatic or manual. Clients can currently select which fields per auction they want to require by simply checking the boxes next to the desired fields. For instance, a car auction may require the Dealership ID field, while not needing the agent name or phone number.

After a bidder logs into their account and accepts the terms and conditions for the auction they are interested in participating in, the bidder will be prompted to update their profile IF they do not have the required field filled out. 

The bidder will then be informed of any additional required fields for the specific auction in the header on the page (see below Agent Name and Agent Phone). Once the necessary information is provided by the bidder, the bidder will be redirected back to their account. However, they will need to manually return to the auction they wish to bid in. Please note that saving the "Custom Bid Request Fields" does not automatically redirect the bidder to the auction listing; they must navigate to it manually.

If a client wishes to obtain the "Custom Bid Request Fields" information entered by a bidder in the "Custom Bid Request Fields," they must export the bidders from the specific auction where these fields apply. While the data entered in the "Custom Bid Request Fields" is stored in the bidder's profile, this information will not appear when a client performs an export of all the bidders. 

It is important to note that the information that is put into the "Custom Bid Request Fields" CANNOT be edited by clients or NextLot employees. Only bidders themselves can edit this information within their bidder profile. Please reach out to your account manager if you have any questions or concerns. 

Updated Knowledge Base Articles

1. How To Access Reports

2. Assisting Bidders with Notifications

3. Troubleshooting Admin Issues on Webcast