PHOENIX -

The days of stick-on badges for auction bidders are numbered at Dealers Auto Auction of the Southwest.

The company announced this week that beginning with its sale this coming Wednesday, DAASW.com will offer what it calls a “first in the nation bid number text service,” which eliminates bidder lines and uses mobile technology via smartphones and iPads.

DAASW vice president and former NAAA president Jim DesRochers said the auction “is always looking for ways to make attending our sale easier and the one thing that has always concerned me in this high-tech era, is we still 'stick' badges on people's shirts.”

So, auction general manager Stephanie Gingras has implemented a day-of-sale system the company says will allow dealers to receive their bidder numbers prior to arriving at the sale. Then, they will show that number to enter the auction, obtain their breakfast, and present it to the ring man when they purchase a vehicle.

“In this era of using your smartphone to read window stickers and decode VINs with Black Book, Carfax and related software, it only made sense to extend the bidder number ability to that tool as well,” Gingras said.

“For those that still enjoy the bidder badge stickies and standing in line, DAASW has removed its traditional kiosks and installed two wireless iPad stands to provide that service.

“My belief is mobile technology is not about self-service, but truly about our industry providing high-tech service for our customers, and this is one way I think that can be accomplished,” she said.
 

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