This article describes the importance of categorization as well as the process for adding and editing Lot Categories and Lot Details (metadata) individually or in bulk.
This article contains the following sections:
- Why is Categorization Important?
- Categorization Tools
- Categorizing Lots
- Adding Categories via .CSV
- Adding Metadata via .CSV
Why is Categorization Important?
Categorization is vital for ensuring that lots appear in bidder searches, creating an improved bidder experience. Bidders are likely to grow tired or become frustrated with scrolling through thousands of lots trying to find items pertinent to their search. For example, a bidder searching for "toy tractors" may not find the lot they're interested in titled "Massey-Harris Challenger tractor" because it either has not been categorized as a toy, or because it has been incorrectly categorized as an actual agricultural tractor.
In order to ensure bidders are able to find items as quickly and accurately as possible, Proxibid aims to categorize every single item on our platform down to its correct sub-category. Properly categorized items get more views, and subsequently more bids, than their uncategorized counterparts. In fact, properly categorized items can sell for three times the price of an uncategorized item. This means the more precise the categorization, the more valuable the item.
For a list of all of Proxibid's current categories and sub-categories, see Category Legend.
Categorization Tools
Lots can be categorized and updated individually or in bulk using one of the two methods listed below.
Via Bulk Loader
- Click the Bulk Loader link located on the left side of AuctionBuilder under Auction Tools.
- Use the Select Catalog drop-down to select the event.
- Only auctions in a Disabled, Pending, or Online status will be listed in the drop-down.
- Click the Edit Items button. The Enhanced Search Editor window will open.
Via Catalog Generator
- Navigate to the applicable auction from the AuctionBuilder Dashboard and click on the Catalog link.
- Select a lot from the Lot Selector panel on the right side of the page.
- Or create a new lot by entering a Lot Number, Lot Title, and Lot Description and then clicking the Create Lot button.
- Click the Edit Item Details button. The Enhanced Search Editor window will open.
Categorizing Lots
- In the Enhanced Search Editor page, click the Multi Lot Selection button in the top right corner of the page to edit multiple lots at once. Click the Single Edit Mode button to edit individual lots.
- If edits are being made to multiple lots, check the box to left of all the lots to be edited, or check the box in the column header to select all lots.
- Lots can be filtered by Lot Number, Keyword (Text), or Category.
- Click the Show Only Lots Without Detail box to see lots that do not currently contain any Lot Details (metadata).
- Click the Edit Selected Items button.
- Use the drop-down to select a Category.
- Once a Category is selected, a Sub-Category drop-down will appear. Select a Sub-Category if needed.
- For information on categorizing vehicles for events using atgPay, see atgPay: Vehicle Sales.
- Once a Category is selected, a series of Lot Details (metadata) fields will appear that pertain to that category. Complete these fields as needed.
- Click the Save button. All of the selected lots will be updated. A confirmation message will appear.
Adding Categories via .CSV
To assign a category to items in bulk using a Comma-Separated Value (.CSV) file, enter the appropriate Category Code into the Category column of the .CSV file. For a list of all of Proxibid's current categories and sub-categories and their Category Codes, see Category Legend.
Please note, the title of the column must be 'Category' in order for the Bulk Loader to accept the column and its values.
There is no need to enter separate sub-category columns on the .CSV. The lowest category/sub-category selected is what should be entered into the Category column on the .CSV. For example, U.S. Coins is a sub-category of Coins, which is a sub-category of Coins & Currency. Rather than entering each category/sub-category in their own column, "USCOIN" can just be entered into the Category column.
For information on categorizing vehicles for events using atgPay, see atgPay: Vehicle Sales.
Adding Metadata via .CSV
When entering metadata on a .CSV, the column headers (titles) must match the fields (ex. Make, Model, Year, Mileage, etc.) exactly as they appear in order for the bulk loader to accept the column and its values.
Additionally, some fields can contain any combination of letters and numbers, while others must contain values already listed in AuctionBuilder's metadata.
For example, any value can be entered into the VIN or Serial # columns, but the Make and Model columns must contain one of the makes or models already listed in AuctionBuilder.
Please note, for vehicles being sold via atgPay, the VIN must be added to either the Lot Title field in the catalog, or the Lot Comments field on the invoice. For more information, see atgPay: Vehicle Sales.
To view a list of all of the fields pertaining to a specific category, navigate to an existing lot in AuctionBuilder and click on the Edit Item Details button. Select a Category and Sub-Category as described above. Once a Category is selected, a series of Lot Details (metadata) fields will appear that are specific to that category.
