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What is Mobile Bidding? (New BFG UI)

Norrie Torda

Let's Learn

 

What is Mobile Bidding?

Mobile Bidding enhances the live, in-person event experience for attendees, your organization, and event staff. It simplifies the check-out process while helping you reach your fundraising goals.

With Mobile Bidding, attendees can place bids directly from their smartphones, allowing them to eat, drink, and socialize without guarding a bid sheet or waiting in long check-out lines at the end of the auction.

Important: Mobile Bidding capability is already automatically enabled for all online auctions. Anyone who goes to an online auction on their smartphone will be taken to the mobile-optimized version.

 

Get Familiar with the Mobile Bidding Experience 

It is best practice to familiarize yourself with the supporter's experience in case questions arise during your auction. We have great resources available for bidders. Please be sure to share the Bidder FAQ  with your potential bidders and auction supporters.

 

Registering for a Bidders Account 

Step 1: Register for a Bidder Account
From the mobile homepage, bidders begin by selecting Register. They can either:

  • Tap the Register button displayed on the hero image, or

 

  • Open the menu by clicking the three horizontal lines (hamburger icon) in the upper-right corner and selecting Register

 

Step 2: Bidders will be prompted to: 

  • Enter their email address
  • Create a password
  • Enter their first and last name
  • Enter their mobile number
  • Agree to the Terms of Use

After providing all of the required information, they will select Register to finish creating their bidder's account.

 

Once registration is complete and the bidder clicks Start Fundraising, they will be prompted to enter card details.

 

Purchasing Tickets  

 Step 1: From the mobile homepage, select “Tickets”

 

Step 2: Choose a ticket type, select quantity, then tap Next.

 

On this page, the bidders can also make a donation (if applicable).

 

Step 3: They will be provided with the order summary. It shows how many tickets were selected and how much is the subtotal for the ticket purchase. The bidder will have to select Next to go to the next page

 

Step 4: Enter guest information (optional at this stage):

  • First and last name

  • Email address

  • Meal choice
     

 

The information will be pre-filled if the purchaser is signed in to their BFG account.

This page is only optional during this purchase process. The information can be added later.

They will select “Save & Continue” to proceed.

Helpful Information! If a supporter has selected to order “Tickets” and they are not logged in or have not yet registered for a bidder's account, they will be prompted to sign in on the checkout page. On the new BFG UI, the ticket purchaser is not required to sign in. They have an option to “Continue as Guest”.


 

Step 5. They will be directed to the Embedded Payment Form where they can choose from the available payment options:

  • Pay with Card

  • Apple Pay

  • Google Pay

This page will also give them an option if they want to cover the processing fee.

 

Payment Methods

Pay with Card

Step 1. Contact Information:  When the purchaser selects Pay with Card, the EPF (embedded payment form) will prompt him to enter his card information (if not logged in) or choose the available card on his account (if the bidder has signed in). A signed-in bidder also has an option to add a new card if they prefer to do so. 

The Purchaser will enter their Contact Information

  • First and Last name

  • Email address

  • Address

 

The purchaser will select Next to go to the next page.

Step 2. Payment Details: The EPF will collect the card information: Card Number, Expiration Date & CVV.

 

Step 3. Confirm your payment: This will show the summary of the purchase. The purchaser will select “Submit Payment” to confirm the purchase.

 

Apple Pay


The EPF will ask to add a card and an email address.

 

Google Pay

EPF will prompt them to sign in to their Gmail account and add a card to pay securely.

 

Browsing for Items 

Step 1: From the homepage, bidders will select “Items”. 


 

Step 2: They will be directed to the auction catalog, where they can filter the auction items by category. The bidder can also use the Smart Categories. And choose the Sort Preference.  Once a category is chosen, the auction items associated with that category will display with a corresponding image. 

The bidder can also search for the item name or number using the search bar.

 

To reset the chosen categories and sort preference, the bidder can click on the trash can icon.

 

Bidding on an Item 

Once a bidder has chosen an item to bid, they will be prompted to sign in (if not signed in yet)
 

Step 1: After a bidder has navigated to an item that they wish to bid on, they will: 

  • Enter their bid amount.
  • Select the drop-down menu next to Type to determine if they want to Bid up to the amount they entered above or if they want to bid exactly that amount.
  • Select the credit card they want to use or add a new card.
  • Select Place Bid. 



Making an Online Cash Donation 

Step 1: From the homepage, your supporters will select Donate Now.  

Note: On the new BFG UI, the donor is “not required” to sign in to submit a donation to the event.

Step 2: They will then be prompted to select their donation amount or choose "other amount" and enter their own amount, update their donor display name (display name is autofilled when the donor is signed in to their BFG account). The donor will press Next to go to the next page.

The donor also has an option if they would like to remain anonymous.

Step 3: Donor will then be routed to the Donation Summary, which will show the total donation amount. Donor will have to click on “Donate Now” to confirm the donation amount

 

Step 4. Donor will be asked to sign in, but the donor also has an option to Continue as Guest.

 

Step 5. The donor will be routed to the Embedded Payment Form, where they can either pay with card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

 

Mobile Bidding and the Close Out Process 

Mobile bidding simplifies the close-out process: 

No more sales pads! 

When bidders register online, they provide a credit card, which is then stored for nonprofit admins to charge the cards immediately after the auction closes. 

No shuffling bid sheets! 

Winning Bidder reports are generated for the nonprofit admin within just a few minutes after the auction closes, with a complete list of all the items won by each bidder. 

Nonprofit admins can sort by Bidder's Last Name, Lot Number, and a variety of other factors. 

No printing receipts! 

In addition to the ‘You Won’ email, bidders receive nonprofit admins can also easily send a Purchase Confirmation email to bidders for each of their items. 

Analyze and Improve Year-to-Year! 

Our digital reports capture everything. What were the hottest items? Who were the top bidders? You'll know what items are most successful, which bidders you should encourage to return when bidding peaked during your event, and much more! 

Be sure to check out the Mobile Bidding Resources for a look at what you will need. 

 

PLEASE NOTE:  There are some steps in order for your organization to be approved for mobile, including doing a connectivity assessment of your venue. We offer night-of-event support that can be extremely valuable in running a successful event, and the support must be booked at least 30 days in advance. If support is not provided by Frontstream's BiddingforGood team for your live event, your organization is liable for any issues that may arise.

 

Get Started with our Premium services!

Our Frontstream team provides Premium Services to help your organization feel confident and ready. Start planning your event and schedule a Custom training with our team. If you are looking for more expertise in Event Building, use our team to create your upcoming event!


 


 

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