The Auction company connects retailers with vetted business buyers seeking returned, excess, and liquidation inventory. Through private, branded marketplaces, The company helps major retailers recapture value from returned goods while enabling buyers to access deeply discounted merchandise at scale. The company partnered with SFWP Experts to evolve its marketplace platform, modernize its digital experience, and increase traffic and conversion across multiple touchpoints
Project Overview
Industry
E-commerce · Logistics · B2B Marketplaces
Services
Web Design, Web Development, Content Strategy, UI/UX, SEO/SEM, Marketplace Development
Challenges
Fragmented user experience
The buyer journey varied wildly across marketplaces, leading to inconsistent conversion paths
Low conversion from organic traffic
SEO architecture and keyword targeting were outdated, limiting visibility and engagement
Legacy codebase bottlenecks
Page speed, mobile responsiveness, and accessibility all suffered across core pages
Limited flexibility for partners
Retailers wanted more control over their marketplace brand presence without sacrificing company’s backend infrastructure
Research & Discovery
Our discovery process included behavioral analysis of B2B buyers, retailer partner interviews, and an in-depth performance audit of the multi-marketplace platform. Key takeaways:
Simplicity wins trust
Buyers valued clear product photos, quick access to auction timelines, and filtering by product condition and shipping zone
Retailers needed autonomy
Partner marketplaces required customizable templates while maintaining backend consistency
Mobile-first mattered
Over 70% of small business buyers browsed from mobile or tablet devices during off-hours
Solution
Marketplace UX & Development
Developed a modular marketplace system with customizable branding layers per retailer partner
Introduced improved filtering and sorting tools (by condition, category, price, shipping terms)
Integrated real-time bidding interface with live auction countdown timers and automated notification flows
Web Design & Content Strategy
Overhauled homepage and marketplace landing pages with improved information hierarchy
Simplified platform value proposition for first-time buyers through clearer microcopy and visual aids
Wrote keyword-optimized content for high-volume categories like electronics, apparel, and home goods
SEO, SEM & Performance Optimization
Re-architected sitemap and internal linking to surface key categories and product verticals
Improved Core Web Vitals with lazy loading, optimized asset delivery, and server-side rendering
Launched PPC campaigns targeting long-tail liquidation queries and B2B wholesale terms
Responsive Design
Company’s marketplace experience was reimagined for mobile-first navigation, including easy-to-use filters, bidding forms, and payment flows. Auction experiences were optimized for clarity on small screens without losing urgency or detail. Each component was tested across dozens of device types for stability and performance
Outcome
71
decrease in average mobile page load time
167
increase in monthly buyer sign-ups
72
improvement in bid-to-win ratio.
259
increase in indexed category pages
