Software for auctions and direct sales Online Auction Platform

  • Client:
    FinTech company, Switzerland
  • Request:
    To build a platform for auction and direct sales.
  • Result:
    The platform was successfully launched in the Swiss market and brings our client a stable income.
  • Technologies:
    • PHP
    • Yii 2
    • HTML/CSS
    • jQuery
    • Apache HTTP Server
    • MySQL
    • Google Maps API
    • Payone SDK
    • Twilio

Challenge

Cogniteq was contacted by a Switzerland FinTech company. The organization’s stakeholders requested us to build a web application - an online auction platform. This software had to include different selling types, bidding functionality, auction management software, and various auction features.

The main aim of the platform was to earn money by selling subscriptions for platform usage. One of our main tasks was to provide users with the possibility to create different sales projects depending on their subscription type.

Solution

  • Subscription types.
    The Cogniteq team divided platform users into different groups and created various types of subscriptions for them. Depending on the subscription, users get certain rights.
  • Various types of online sales in the app.
    Users are able to create direct sales, exchanges, and auctions.
  • Selling methods on the platform:
  • 1. Direct sale.
    On the platform, users can sell their items for a fixed price. Other users can offer their items for exchange or haggle over the price. This takes place in a separate chat room within the sales project.  The item can be offered for sale for 30 days. After 25 days, the user receives a personal message informing them about the deadline. The user can extend the sale period, otherwise, the item will be removed from the online store and put into an inactive state.
  • 2. Auction.
    We created all the necessary functionality for online auction creation. Auction items are not exchangeable and cannot be bargained over. The items can be up for auction for 30 days if no one bids on them. After someone bids, the auction time is reduced to 72 hours. The sale cannot be canceled at this stage.
  • Chats.
    On all sales projects, we enabled a private chat where users can discuss prices and terms of sale. Also, our team created a public chat, where users can provide additional information on the items.
  • Sales project completion.
    After the item is sold, a buyer and a seller get a confirmation email and the proper contact data.
Backend features
With the server-side, portal administrators are able to:
・ Manage items: delete and rate,
・ Award for high-quality items,
・ Manage users: verify, delete, block,
・ Monitor the compliance with the content policy,
・ Set articles to active or inactive mode,
・ Send automated emails,
・ Change or delete messages in chats,
・ Create and administrate portal news,
・ Manage order pages, subscriptions, and additional items for sale,
・ Administrate a report page and get there all information on purchases.
Frontend features
On the client-side, the Cogniteq team enabled to:
・ Send messages from the platform,
・ Show items for sale in different categories,
・ Create, change, delete items for sale,
・ Search items by applying different filters,
・ Participate in public auctions,
・ Check out the portal news,
・ Exchange items with other users,
・ Buy a subscription and additional services,
・ Pay via a credit card, PayPal, or PostFinance.

Result

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    The platform was successfully launched in the Swiss market. The project continues to develop.
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    According to the client feedback, their expectations are fulfilled and the platform brings them a stable income.
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    The client is fully satisfied with the project implementation and the communication with our project managers.