Product Update, March 2020
More Support for Virtual Auctions
With all sorts of large gatherings being cancelled, fundraising events like dinners and galas are certainly impacted. But if these events were to include silent auctions, Bid Beacon can help.
With Bid Beacon, you can still invite all your guests that would have been going to your event, and they can view and bid on items from the app from the comfort and safety of their own homes. And with Online Payments added to your auction, guests can pay with a credit card, leaving just the pickup or delivery of their winnings to be worked out.
Note: Online Payment is offered for free during this time of crisis
In fact, we’ve added a few new features on the payment front that might be of interest to people running a silent auction with remote bidding:
Immediate Payment Where it Makes Sense
Buy Now and Donation items can now require immediate payment, using your chosen payment provider (Stripe, Square or PayPal). See screenshot of online payment configuration below:
Credit Card Pre-Authorization
If using Stripe, you can require credit card pre-authorization before guests can place bids. Guests can still view items, but the bidding buttons will be hidden from them until they have entered their credit card number.
When the auction ends, their card will be charged to pay for their winnings. All credit card information is stored with Stripe, not on Bid Beacon servers, as we continue to adhere to the strictest of data protection policies!
Additional Features in This Release
- Max bid now available for guest bidding. Now admins can take max bids from guests who don’t want to register into Bid Beacon themselves, allowing the system to increase their bids when outbid, up to the selected maximum
- Better support for keeping track of payment type, and access to guest receipts from the results page
- Auction Info is now easier to find, and includes more links and QR codes to share with guests
Get Started With Your Own
Free Bid Beacon Account
