Background

Keys Fine Art Auctioneers are one of the leading provincial auction houses in the UK. They
hold regular auctions at their Aylsham salerooms, situated halfway between Norwich and
Cromer. Sales include weekly Country Auctions, which usually include up to 2000 lots, to
regular sales of antiques, fine art, books and collectables. Established in 1953, Keys
Auctioneers have grown over the years from a small livestock market into a local firm with
an international reputation.

Opportunity

Arnolds Keys had decided to invest in developing its web presence as the auctioneering
sector has experienced significant global growth. A website is one of the prime tools
available for provincial auctioneer businesses such as Keys Auctioneers to maximise its
growth nationally and internationally through attracting high value items to sell and high
value buyers to purchase. Therefore the provision of a comprehensive and efficient
website was essential for Keys Auctioneers to continue to develop and expand it’s online
brand both in the UK and overseas and to establish themselves as the “go to” online
auctioneers.
Keys had identified that they needed to make changes to their website so that it reflected
the image, consistency and professionalism of their business.

Solution

We are working with Keys to significantly grow the business by enhancing their online
provision including building a brand new website which includes functionality such as;
archive and search past sales, the ability to attach a gallery of images to each lot, a
permission based mailing list function that can be used to notify customers of new lots
relevant to them and the ability to bid online for commissioned bids. The design of the
website now projects an image of prestige and exclusivity to reflect the stature of the lots
of many of the auctions.
We will work with Keys on an ongoing basis, holding quarterly review meetings including
website statistics and evolving the website based on the measurement of the website
against agreed website goals.

What The Client Said

“We decided that we should tender the work needed to four web designers. The Mackman’s Group’s proposal was easily the best received. Overall our experience working with the Mackman Group has been very positive in all regards – we were kept well informed at all stage of the process, all our many queries were met with courtesy and understanding and in terms we could easily comprehend. We now have a superb website that we can manage and update ourselves as well as the expertise at Mackman available to call on when needed. We would recommend their services in the future.” (Roy Murphy, Director Keys Fine Art Auctioneers)