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📋 Collecting Required Bidder Info Before Your Event

Want to make event check-in easier? Collecting required information before your event is the way to go. By giving bidders early access to your auction site, you can gather their contact details and speed things up onsite.

⚙️ Set Up a Preview-Ready Auction

Make sure your auction site is ready for early access.

  1. Go to Items > Manage Items.

  2. Set any items you’re not ready to show to Invisible (to hide them completely) or Closed (to preview but not allow bids).

    1. Select the items you wish to hide (use master checkbox to select all).
    2. Scroll down to the Batch Update section.
    3. use the Item Status field to switch items to closed or invisible. 



  3. Make sure at least one item is set to Active or Closed — otherwise, bidders may see a blank page.

Tip: Set up an active donation item as a placeholder until your full auction opens.

⚙️ Enable Early Access to the Auction Site

Let bidders start filling out their info before the event.

  1. Go to Software Settings > Landing Page Content > Login/Register Area.

  2. Turn Open Auction Early to Yes.

This allows bidders to log in and complete their profiles even if the full auction isn’t live yet.

➕ Invite Bidders to Log In/Add Information

Both phone and email are required in ClickBid, however credit card and address can be an additional requirement. This can be set under Software Settings > Auction Settings > Bidder Settings. 

Use mass messaging under Bidders > Email/Text Bidders to send a quick text or email to prompt bidders to log in.

  1. Go to Bidders > Text Bidders or Email Bidders. You may want to do both depending on which information is missing.

  2. Send a message (text or email) with your Landing Page URL or include the [u] shortcode.

    • The message should guide bidders to log in and complete their profiles.

  3. Make sure you have at least one contact method (either email or phone) on file before sending.

ClickBid only checks for duplicate records using email or phone — not names. Uploading incomplete bidder info can lead to duplicates.

The more complete your bidder list, the smoother your check-in process will be.

👥 What Bidders See

Here’s what happens when a bidder receives your message and clicks the link:

  1. They go to your Landing Page and click Sign In.

  2. They'll enter their email or phone number.

  3. They receive a login code via text or email and enter it into the field. 

  4. They are then prompted to provide any required fields (like credit card or address, depending on your settings).

     

    • You can customize which fields are required under Software Settings > Auction Settings > Bidder Settings.

  5. Once done, they are redirected to the landing page — where any active items (like your donation placeholder) will be visible.

After a bidder completes this, the bidder’s updated information will automatically appear in your Manage Bidders page.

🔁 Future Logins Are Even Easier

Once a bidder completes the process once:

  • Next time, they only need to enter their email or phone, then the authentication/login code.

  • No need to re-enter the required information.

🔚 Wrap-Up

Collecting contact info and preferences before the event saves time, reduces duplicates, and sets your event up for a smooth start. Give bidders a head start — and give yourself one, too.