Real Time Auctions
Connecting sellers to buyers to get the most value for their material
Overview
In 2024–2025, feedback from Matium’s network revealed the need for real-time, competitive bidding on raw materials. We launched the Auctions feature in February 2025, partnering with ADS and Total Energies to pilot high-value auctions directly on the platform. This milestone marked a step forward in modernizing and streamlining material trading for the plastics and supply chain industry.
Problem
Sellers were already running auctions, but doing so outside of Matium added friction and extra steps. They wanted the convenience of hosting auctions directly on the platform, creating an all-in-one solution for trading and customer engagement.
Solution
We worked both internally and with our business partners to define an ideal auction flow for the plastics and supply chain industry. Together, we designed two tailored experiences: an Owner View for sellers to launch and manage auctions in real time, and a Bidder View that made placing bids fast, transparent, and engaging.
Impact
30% Increase of materials traded compared to previous months
Industry first solution built specifically for raw materials in supply chain
User activity rose to about 20% more due to real time bidding
Role
Lead Product Designer
Team
Product Management
Back-end and Front-end Engineering
Sales and Client Services
Company
Matium
Type
B2B
Launch Date
February 2025
Objectives
Maximize Seller Value
Empower sellers to maximize the value of their materials by driving competitive bidding. This ensures sellers can capture stronger margins and move inventory more efficiently.
Simplify Buyer Access
Enable bidders to quickly and easily place offers, improving access to material opportunities. A seamless flow lowers barriers to entry and encourages broader participation.
Drive Market Momentum
Increase market activity by creating movement within auctions, helping sellers capture the best price and buyers secure supply in real time. This momentum fosters a more dynamic, transparent marketplace for all participants.
Discovery
Adapting existing features and functionality
Before Auctions, raw material trading on Matium relied on fragmented, manual workflows. Sellers lacked tools to maximize inventory value, while buyers missed opportunities due to delays and poor visibility. This created friction and lost revenue across the supply chain. We saw an opportunity to design a dedicated auction experience that made bidding fast, clear, and accessible.
To move quickly, we built on existing platform capabilities. Our public offers feature provided the backend architecture and UI foundation we needed. From there, we added split views for owners and bidders, updated cards for bids, a countdown timer, and clear status indicators for winning, trailing, losing, or cancelled bids.
Product Strategy
Define Owner and Bidder Flows
We mapped the auction journey end to end to understand where owner and bidder needs diverged. Owners required quick visibility into who was bidding and at what price, while bidders needed a clear, simple way to participate.
Establish Statuses
To keep users informed, we introduced clear status tags such as Leading and Trailing. Cancelled bids remained visible in the “My Bids” view, giving users full transparency into their activity.
Simplify Bid Creation
We adapted our “Create Public Listing” form for auctions, adding fields like price, weight, shipping terms, end date, and bid increments. This streamlined the process and made auction setup intuitive for owners.
Auctions Launch
February 2025 - Auctions goes live
We launched the first version of Matium’s Auctions with strong adoption. Bids flowed in, and our launch partner, Total Energies, was able to quickly determine winners based on real-time pricing.
Users highlighted the convenience of being able to place bids from anywhere—even while traveling—directly from their phones. This flexibility and engagement marked a clear improvement over previous auction processes, which were slower and harder to manage.
Evolving Auctions
Iterating post launch
After running our first two auctions, we shifted focus to refinement and scalability. User interviews revealed friction points and uncovered new opportunities to enhance both owner and bidder experiences. I introduced flexible editing states, allowing owners to add or remove bidders mid-auction, giving them greater control.
We also redesigned network listing pages with a dedicated Auctions tab and updated auction cards, surfacing key bid statuses at a glance to improve transparency and decision-making. Finally, we made declaring a winner and winning an auction more engaging with a slight gamification enhancement.
Auctions as its own product offering
To make live auctions more visible across the network, we introduced a dedicated Auctions tab on listing pages. When an auction is live, a subtle green “broadcast” beacon appears, signaling activity in real time. When no auctions are active, the beacon disappears, keeping the interface clean while ensuring users never miss an opportunity to bid.
Dedicated Auction Product Tiles
I designed custom tiles for the new Auctions tab to surface the most important details—time remaining, bid status, and activity level. Based on user feedback, I reduced thumbnail size since images were less critical, allowing users to scan listings faster. These replaced our generic public offer tiles, giving auctions a clearer, more purpose-built experience.
Adding or Removing Bidders
One recurring pain point from users was the inability to update bidder lists after launching an auction. If an owner forgot to include a company or needed to remove one, there was no way to make changes. To solve this, we introduced flexible editing tools that allow owners to easily add new participants or uninvite existing ones, giving them greater control and reducing missed opportunities.
Declaring a Winner 🎉
We realized that we wanted the final step of the process to feel as rewarding as the competition itself. To make it memorable, we added a celebratory touch: confetti. When an owner declares a winner, the action triggers a burst of confetti, turning a routine click into a small victory. Bidders also experience their own confetti moment when notified of a win, adding delight to what is often a high-stakes transaction.
Final Thoughts
Since its launch in February 2025, Auctions has become a key driver of activity on Matium’s platform. Over 5 million pounds of material have been traded through the feature, and participation continues to grow month-over-month. Sellers report capturing higher prices for their inventory, while buyers gain quicker access to essential supply.
This release not only addressed an immediate user need but also set the stage for future features, proving that fast, clear, and competitive bidding can transform how an industry moves critical materials.
What went well
There’s a lot of positive things that I can say about how the team came together for this – both design and engineering collaborated to develop a net-new feature with little to no roadblocks. Since we were building off of an already established feature (public offers) we were able to really focus on creating new functionality for live bidding.
What could have been improved
We were working under a relatively tight deadline so much of the additional features and functionality that we wanted to introduce initially was pushed for the next iteration due to either timeline impact or resource availability.
What was memorable
As auctions went live we held a virtual launch party where we got to see bids coming in from different buyers.