(Edited Keeneland press release)
Keeneland is unveiling technological innovations and features for all its sales, including a new service to promote the sale of horses that did not reach their reserve in the auction ring, as well as the re-launch of its mobile site.
Keeneland’s new Kee-Bid service allows buyers to submit a bid via Keeneland.com on horses that did not reach their reserve in the auction ring. Interested buyers will be able to submit an offer, along with their contact information, via a link on the results summary page for horses listed as RNA (Reserve Not Attained). An email detailing the bid amount and the potential buyer’s contact information is sent to Keeneland officials and to the consignor. Then, the consignor and buyer can move the process forward via Keeneland’s sales channels.
"The Kee-Bid program gives buyers the opportunity to purchase a horse that they might have missed in the auction ring," said Keeneland’s director of sales Geoffrey Russell. "Our goal is to initiate a dialogue between an interested buyer and the consignor and promote additional channels for selling horses."
This is the second time Keeneland has given its customer the option to buy horses online. The sales company first tried at its 2000 September yearling sale, with limited success. Out of 230 horses offered during its three-day internet auction, only 13 sold for a total of $500,200. Online auctions later that year at its November/December sale, and again in January and September of 2001 saw declines. Keeneland suspended the experiment in 2002.
Keeneland.com users also will notice improved usability for downloading CSV files of catalogs and summary results, allowing customers greater flexibility to sort and assess key information.
Keeneland also is re-launching its mobile site this fall at m.keeneland.com. Keeneland was among the first sales companies to launch a mobile site. The new mobile site will still include the latest results and outs, but will also include updated Twitter feeds and the price for the last few horses that went through the ring.
"We view technology as a tool for helping us provide outstanding service to our customers," said Russell. "We offer outstanding personalized service, but we like to augment it with products and services that leverage technology as well."