BiddingForGood Announces Record Mobile Bidding Results

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- BiddingForGood, the nations largest charity auction platform announced that its in-room mobile bidding solution is experiencing accelerated market traction with over 30% of new accounts now using its in-room mobile bidding solution.. The number of fundraising organizations planning to offer mobile bidding has increased 300% in Q2 over Q1, 2013. 

"Our auction this year tripled last year's raise using BiddingForGood's mobile service and we're already scheduling our next event. It's hard to see how mobile bidding won't become the norm in the coming years," says Louise Packard, Executive Director of the Trinity Boston Foundation.

"When you compare a clipboard and bid sheet to the capabilities of a smartphone as a bidding device, the smartphone wins hands down. Event planners are increasingly getting that," says CEO Jon Carson.

A recent BiddingForGood customer survey shows that fundraisers are choosing to bring mobile bidding to their events to open up their auctions to more bidders and to try something new. What they find is that in addition to attracting more bidders, they often do raise more money. The most pleasant surprise comes at checkout, which is dramatically simplified compared to manual bid sheet bidding which can make checkout the most difficult part of the event.

To understand the power of mobile bidding it is important to understand the inherent challenges with silent auctions at fundraising events. "There is an awful lot going on at these events that distracts from bidding notwithstanding a roaring party," says Carson.

Bidders typically have to fight the crowd to find items they want to bid on and constantly have to return to see if they are still winning. The social aspects of the party and numerous other fundraising activities such as raffles and live auctions frequently distract guests. Finally, event organizers often have no idea how well the auction is performing until it is over.

Mobile bidding, by contrast, changes all of that. First, it enables the guest to quickly identify the item categories they prefer and place a bid from anywhere in the room. If they are outbid they receive an outbid alert and can even place a proxy bid and let the system bid on their behalf. A giant leaderboard shows real time bids coming in and the total amount raised in addition to featuring key items the organizers want to showcase. BiddingForGood clients are also seeing that  30% of their bids are coming from the 370,000 registered bidders who frequent BiddingForGood.com every day in search of unique items and experiences that benefit charity.

About BiddingForGood
BiddingForGood is a charitable e-commerce company that connects fundraisers, shoppers and businesses. Online auctions powered by BiddingForGood have generated over $190 million for nonprofit organizations and schools. Many of the top private and public schools and nonprofits in the country use the BiddingForGood platform. The 370,000+ shoppers in our Bidder Community are buying unique and valuable items across our many auctions - all to support the important organizations and causes they care about. Businesses are unlocking new sources of value while managing their philanthropic outreach and impact, and are discovering unique, powerful ways to reach new customers within our community. Visit www.BiddingForGood.com for more information.

Contact: Perry Allison
Tel: (617) 252-6477
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE BiddingForGood