--- title: "Hagerty Marketplace Auctions — Joshua Martens" url: https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/hagerty markdown_url: https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/hagerty.md author: Joshua Martens author_url: https://www.joshuamartens.com summary: "Case study: bringing high-touch, time-based online auctions with escrow and title transfer to Hagerty Marketplace. Launched October 2022." images: 29 videos: 4 --- > Case study: bringing high-touch, time-based online auctions with escrow and title transfer to Hagerty Marketplace. Launched October 2022. ![Hagerty](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/logo-hagerty.svg) # Bringing online auctions to market High-touch, time-based auctions for Hagerty Marketplace — with escrow and title transfer handled for every sale. [View Marketplace](https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace) Case Study - **Timeline:** 2022 - **Role:** Senior Product Designer - **Design team:** Joshua Martens, Nick Boes, Nicholas Swardt - **Contributions:** Research, Product Design, Design Systems [Video, silent loop: hagerty](https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty.mp4) (poster frame: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-poster.jpg) In short ## TLDR - **The product.** Time-based online auctions for Hagerty Marketplace, with escrow and title transfer handled for every sale. - **My role.** Senior Product Designer on a team of three designers, covering research, product design and design systems. I added custom icons and hundreds of components to GigaHorse, the company’s design system. Each week I presented to the wider team (PMs, developers, managers, our copywriter and designers): user flows, from happy paths to edge cases; product decisions like interstitials, timer states and homepage carousels; and feature roadmap trade-offs. - **The result.** Launched on time in October 2022, with 2,665 listings against a goal of 1,000 by year’s end. - **What’s below.** Who we designed for, then the experience for sellers, team members and buyers. The whole case study takes about 5 minutes to read. Overview ## High-touch, time-based online auctions In keeping with its customer-first approach, Hagerty Insurance launched Marketplace in 2022 to give car enthusiasts a way to buy, sell, bid on and win rare and desirable vehicles — on a platform built by a brand they already trust. Bring a Trailer already had a strong reputation in the industry, but it didn’t offer buyers or sellers the kind of support and security Hagerty could. Auctions launched in October 2022 to do exactly that: high-touch, time-based auctions with title transfer and escrow — something no other platform had been willing to take on. ![A Hagerty auction on a phone](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/auction-on-mobile-in-hands.jpg) ![A supercar on parade at The Amelia](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/amelia-parade.jpg) ![Three mobile screens from the bidding flow](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/flow-bidding-flow-transparentx2.png) Research ## Comparative analysis > “Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.” > — Jakob’s Law, Jakob Nielsen Our subject-matter experts and the team at Hagerty had already lived the joys and pitfalls of the existing platforms, and much of that was documented in the early business plans and user journeys. With every feature and update, we kept going back to those platforms to make sure we were designing something familiar — and improving on what was already out there. ### Where we looked - ![Bring a Trailer](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/logo-bat.jpg) - ![Cars & Bids](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/logo-carsandbids.jpg) - ![eBay Motors](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/logo-ebaymotors.jpg) - ![Hemmings](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/logo-hemmings.jpg) - ![Other auction and classifieds sites](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/logo-others.jpg) ![Auction cards from competing platforms, side by side](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/comparative-analysis-cards-images-with-logos.png) *Caption:* Competitor auction cards ### Building on the familiar ![Annotated auction card designs](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/annotated-cards.png) *Caption:* The card updates we designed for auctions Research ## Who are we designing for? Nothing quite like this had been done before, so we worked with the product managers to write interview scripts, then talked with prospective buyers and sellers as well as Hagerty’s own auctioneer and consignor. Those conversations gave us solid requirements for what to build so launch would go smoothly. [ ![](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/seller-portrait-square.jpg) ### Sellers Every seller has their own reasons for selling, and a different level of comfort with selling online. - Needs: An online auction that takes care of escrow and title transfer - Needs: Trusting Hagerty to resolve issues and help with transportation - Pain point: A buyer who backs out or is difficult to deal with ](#sellers) [ ![](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/team-member-portrait-square.jpg) ### Hagerty team members Team members vary widely in role, responsibilities and level of admin access within the auction system. - Needs: Everything they need to decide on an auction submission promptly - Needs: An easy way to reach the seller and the auction winner - Needs: A system that’s intuitive and fits their normal workflow ](#team-members) [ ![](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/buyer-portrait-square.jpg) ### Buyers Buyers want the rare find you usually only read about. They’re enthusiasts, and they have a community. - Needs: An online auction that takes care of escrow and title transfer - Needs: Hagerty staying involved to the end — not just a hand-off to the seller - Needs: Confidence they’re bidding on quality vehicles against real buyers ](#buyers) ![A 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 in a garage](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/dodge-coronet.jpg) 01 Design ## Sellers Sellers told us they’d happily pay a small premium, because they trusted Hagerty to provide escrow and title transfer. Owners of the calibre of vehicle this platform wanted expect white-glove service and a submission flow that just works. We built one that gives them the best chance of getting the best value for their car. > “What if I sold that one I love but hardly ever drive anymore?” We heard plenty of complaints across the industry about beloved cars being turned down for auction on other platforms. Enthusiasts don’t like hearing that their pride and joy isn’t good enough to list — and our vetting wasn’t going to be any more lenient if we wanted the quality of vehicles buyers would appreciate. So we made the forms as well designed and easy to fill out as possible, giving the Hagerty team what they needed to make initial evaluations and decide on next steps as efficiently and painlessly as possible for everyone involved. ### Form design, from making that first decision… ![The Sell a Vehicle button](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/primary-large.png) ![Choosing between auction and classified listing](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/decision-page-choices.jpg) *Caption:* Part of the decision page that starts the sell-your-vehicle flow ### …through every scenario and state… ![Vehicle submission form, section 1](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/section1-filled.jpg) ![Vehicle submission form, section 2](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/section2-filled.jpg) ![Vehicle submission form, section 3](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/submission-section3-filled.jpg) *Caption:* Tell us about your vehicle: the main form sections ![Photo upload, default state](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-default-with-tag.png) ![Photo upload, minimum photos added](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-filled-min-with-tag.png) ![Photo upload, error state](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-error-with-tag.png) ![Photo upload, six or more photos added](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-filled-max-with-tag.png) *Caption:* Form states: uploading photos of your vehicle when submitting it for auction ### …to listed. ![Submission confirmation on desktop](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/mup-submitted-clay-desktop.png) 02 Design ## Team members Hagerty already had a well-designed customer management interface, plus auction specialists we could lean on for feedback as we planned features. Clear, concise requirements — ones that made sense to, and had the confidence of, the people already doing the job — made it straightforward to design new functionality for the auction management team. ![Auction management table with the actions menu open](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/mvp-overflow-pressed-blurred.png) ![Transaction details panel](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/transaction-details-02.png) ![Refund dialog](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/refund.png) 03 Design ## Buyers “If you build it, they will come” just isn’t enough with buyers and bidders. A platform needs inventory — constantly fresh, high-quality inventory. It also needs to be somewhere buyers feel safe and can engage with each other. Hagerty Marketplace Auctions set out to deliver all of that and more. ### Introducing auctions to Marketplace ![Annotated Marketplace home page on a tablet](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/marketplace-home-with-annotations-tablet.png) ### Auction cards Vehicle cards are a key element of Marketplace, appearing in different places, at different times and on different devices. They had to be designed for every case, state and context. [Video, silent loop: hagerty-card-newbid](https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-newbid.mp4) (poster frame: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-newbid-poster.jpg) [Video, silent loop: hagerty-card-sold](https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-sold.mp4) (poster frame: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-sold-poster.jpg) ![Vehicle card variants](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/new-vehicle-card-lesser.png) *Caption:* Card variants I created in Figma ### A registration and bidding flow for every type of bidder To create the auction space we wanted, we added a little extra security by using Marketplace’s existing verification methods. That made registering to bid slightly longer than on competing sites, but the added peace of mind was worth the extra steps. ![Registration checks: registered to bid, Hagerty account, logged in, garage owner, payment stored](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/yesno-switches-export-bidding.png) ![Bidder registration flows, zoomed out](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/screenshot-bidder-reg-flows-zoomed-out.png) ![Customer experience journey map](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/customer-experience-journey.jpg) *Caption:* A customer journey map of potential pain points in the registration and bidding flow ### Bidding and the bidding engine Bidding had to work perfectly at launch, so we made sure every component behaved as it should. A two-minute anti-snipe reset on each new high bid isn’t groundbreaking, but making it engaging through micro-interactions — and working with stakeholders on when a vehicle should switch into red “countdown” mode as it nears the end — was important, and something we spent a lot of time on. [Video, silent loop: hagerty-bid-winner](https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-bid-winner.mp4) (poster frame: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-bid-winner-poster.jpg) ![Auction status badge variants](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/badge-variants.jpg) ![Bidding panel in the right rail](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/right-rail-bidding-alt.jpg) Results ## An on-time launch that exceeded our own expectations 2,665 listings by October, against a goal of 1,000 by the end of the year 300+ standalone Hagerty Drivers Club (HDC) sign-ups ![Hagerty Marketplace auction bidding page on a desktop display](https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/mockup-on-block-desktop-bidding.jpg) --- ## Image index Every image of the work (logos aside), in page order, with its alt text and size in pixels. | # | Alt text | Size | URL | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | A Hagerty auction on a phone | 500×430 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/auction-on-mobile-in-hands.jpg | | 2 | A supercar on parade at The Amelia | 1000×750 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/amelia-parade.jpg | | 3 | Three mobile screens from the bidding flow | 750×401 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/flow-bidding-flow-transparentx2.png | | 4 | Auction cards from competing platforms, side by side | 1000×233 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/comparative-analysis-cards-images-with-logos.png | | 5 | Annotated auction card designs | 1000×541 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/annotated-cards.png | | 6 | (decorative) | 500×500 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/seller-portrait-square.jpg | | 7 | (decorative) | 300×300 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/team-member-portrait-square.jpg | | 8 | (decorative) | 300×300 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/buyer-portrait-square.jpg | | 9 | A 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 in a garage | 2500×1407 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/dodge-coronet.jpg | | 10 | Choosing between auction and classified listing | 500×393 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/decision-page-choices.jpg | | 11 | Vehicle submission form, section 1 | 300×383 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/section1-filled.jpg | | 12 | Vehicle submission form, section 2 | 300×355 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/section2-filled.jpg | | 13 | Vehicle submission form, section 3 | 300×401 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/submission-section3-filled.jpg | | 14 | Photo upload, default state | 300×412 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-default-with-tag.png | | 15 | Photo upload, minimum photos added | 300×412 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-filled-min-with-tag.png | | 16 | Photo upload, error state | 300×412 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-error-with-tag.png | | 17 | Photo upload, six or more photos added | 300×412 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/sell-section2-filled-max-with-tag.png | | 18 | Submission confirmation on desktop | 1000×448 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/mup-submitted-clay-desktop.png | | 19 | Auction management table with the actions menu open | 750×476 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/mvp-overflow-pressed-blurred.png | | 20 | Transaction details panel | 300×303 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/transaction-details-02.png | | 21 | Refund dialog | 300×211 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/refund.png | | 22 | Annotated Marketplace home page on a tablet | 1000×1057 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/marketplace-home-with-annotations-tablet.png | | 23 | Vehicle card variants | 1000×901 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/new-vehicle-card-lesser.png | | 24 | Registration checks: registered to bid, Hagerty account, logged in, garage owner, payment stored | 500×353 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/yesno-switches-export-bidding.png | | 25 | Bidder registration flows, zoomed out | 1000×1378 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/screenshot-bidder-reg-flows-zoomed-out.png | | 26 | Customer experience journey map | 1000×486 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/customer-experience-journey.jpg | | 27 | Auction status badge variants | 300×283 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/badge-variants.jpg | | 28 | Bidding panel in the right rail | 300×425 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/right-rail-bidding-alt.jpg | | 29 | Hagerty Marketplace auction bidding page on a desktop display | 2500×1818 | https://www.joshuamartens.com/images/hagerty/mockup-on-block-desktop-bidding.jpg | ## Videos Silent, looping screen recordings. Each has an MP4 and a poster frame. - https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty.mp4 (poster: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-poster.jpg) - https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-newbid.mp4 (poster: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-newbid-poster.jpg) - https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-sold.mp4 (poster: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-card-sold-poster.jpg) - https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-bid-winner.mp4 (poster: https://www.joshuamartens.com/videos/hagerty-bid-winner-poster.jpg) ## About this document - **Source page:** https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/hagerty - **Author:** Joshua Martens, founder and designer (https://www.joshuamartens.com) - **Contact:** https://www.joshuamartens.com/contact - **Other case studies:** https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/magnitude (https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/magnitude.md), https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/lunch (https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/lunch.md) - **Generated from the live page.** If anything here disagrees with https://www.joshuamartens.com/work/hagerty, the page is right.