Daniela Bergek - Auctionet

DVJ Research Group

for 2 timer siden

5 min læsning

How do you transform a centuries-old industry into a modern digital marketplace? For Daniela Bergek, Head of Digital Marketing at Auctionet, the answer lies in making auctions more accessible, understanding customer behaviour and using technology to remove barriers to growth. Founded in Sweden in 2011, Auctionet has grown into one of Europe's largest digital auction marketplaces, connecting traditional auction houses with buyers around the world. In this interview, Daniela shares how Auctionet is opening up a traditionally exclusive industry, why turning interest into action matters more than simply attracting traffic, and how AI is reshaping the future of marketing without replacing human judgement.

Opening up a Traditional Industry

For generations, auctions have been associated with exclusive art, expensive antiques and traditional auction rooms. Auctionet has challenged that perception by bringing the experience online and making it accessible to a much broader audience. “Previously, auctions were associated with something expensive and exclusive, only available to a very limited group of people,” Daniela explains. “We have opened the doors of auction houses to the general public.”

By combining the expertise of traditional auction houses with the convenience of a digital marketplace, Auctionet has made it possible for anyone to discover and bid on unique objects without physically attending an auction. The company also supports its partner auction houses with technology, logistics, customer service and operational processes, allowing them to reach more buyers and work more efficiently.

Daniela believes the strength of this offering has been a fundamental driver of Auctionet's growth. “I would say the product itself has been the main reason for our success,” she says. But making auctions accessible is only the beginning. The next challenge is encouraging more people to discover the platform, participate and ultimately become returning customers.

“Previously, auctions were associated with something expensive and exclusive, only available to a very limited group of people. We have opened the doors of auction houses to the general public.”

Turning Customer Interest into Action

For Daniela, brand growth is not simply about generating awareness or attracting visitors. What matters is whether that interest translates into meaningful customer behaviour. Auctionet already attracts considerable traffic, particularly when unique and desirable objects are listed. “If you have beautiful objects, getting clicks and sessions on the website isn't the biggest problem,” she explains. “The big challenge is getting someone to actually become active on our site.”

This distinction shapes how Auctionet measures performance. While Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and the number of bids remain central business metrics, Daniela also looks closely at customer activity.

How many registered users become active bidders within 30 days? How frequently do existing customers participate? And how many previously active bidders have stopped returning? These indicators help the team understand the health of its customer base rather than focusing exclusively on immediate sales.

An important part of this approach is identifying gaps between what marketers expect customers to do and what actually happens. “I get most of my inspiration from finding gaps between what we think should work and what our users actually do,” Daniela says. A campaign might perform well within an advertising platform but fail to generate business growth. Similarly, many people might register without ever placing a bid. For Daniela, these discrepancies are not simply performance problems; they reveal where the next growth opportunities might lie.

“I get most of my inspiration from finding gaps between what we think should work and what our users actually do.”

Making the Right Object Relevant to the Right Person

Unlike conventional retailers, Auctionet works with an enormous and constantly changing assortment of largely unique objects. This creates a distinctive marketing opportunity: the products themselves can become the communication. “I would say there is an object for every person in Sweden on our website,” Daniela says. “It's a bold statement, but that's how broad our assortment is.”

Rather than relying solely on generic brand messages, Auctionet puts individual objects at the centre of its marketing. Through paid advertising on Google and Meta, retargeting and email marketing, the company aims to expose relevant objects to potential buyers at the right moment. Data-driven segmentation also allows Auctionet to recommend items based on customer interests and behaviour.

This approach creates opportunities to make Auctionet relevant across a wide range of buying situations. Someone might be searching for a particular piece of furniture, looking for something distinctive for their home or simply browsing for inspiration. The challenge is to connect these different needs with the objects available on the platform. By helping consumers discover something personally relevant, Auctionet can turn an individual product into an entry point for a longer relationship with the brand.

“I would say there is an object for every person in Sweden on our website.”

International Growth Requires Understanding Local Behaviour

Auctionet's international expansion shows that digital adoption varies considerably between markets. While the platform has registered users in more than 150 countries, the UK has become a particular growth focus, presenting different challenges from Sweden.

“In Sweden, we're very used to things happening online,” Daniela explains. “In the UK, people are much more suspicious of things like having to verify their identity before they can place a bid.” Traditional auction culture remains strong, making both auction houses and buyers more hesitant to embrace digital processes.

For Auctionet, growth therefore depends on removing barriers throughout the customer journey. Whether reassuring buyers about identity verification and international shipping after Brexit or demonstrating the benefits of online auctions to traditional auction houses, clear communication is essential to turning interest into participation.

AI should Increase Capacity, not Replace Judgement

Looking ahead, Daniela expects artificial intelligence to fundamentally change performance marketing. AI is already making it easier to produce content, optimise campaigns and test ideas that previously required considerably more time and resources. “It has made my work and my team's work much more efficient,” she explains. “We've been able to test more ideas and do things that previously required far more resources.”

However, she also believes that as AI becomes increasingly accessible, technical execution alone will become less of a competitive advantage. “It's becoming harder and harder to create an advantage simply by being skilled at managing an advertising account.” Instead, marketers will need to focus on understanding their businesses, interpreting data and making the right strategic decisions.

Daniela is particularly concerned about the risk of relying too heavily on AI-generated analysis. Although AI can process large amounts of data, it does not automatically understand the context behind business decisions. “You can have a perfectly optimised advertising account, download the data and ask AI to find mistakes, and it will always find mistakes,” she explains. The danger is that marketers act on confident recommendations without questioning whether they make sense. “AI should increase our capacity, but we still need to keep our judgement.”

“You can have a perfectly optimised advertising account, download the data and ask AI to find mistakes, and it will always find mistakes.”

Standing out in an Increasingly Crowded Media Landscape

As AI makes content easier to produce, Daniela expects competition for consumer attention to intensify. “AI can produce enormous amounts of content, but our attention isn't increasing at the same pace,” she explains. Simply producing more content or following every new format will no longer be enough to stand out.

At the same time, consumer behaviour is changing, with AI-powered tools increasingly influencing how people search for information and discover products. Daniela believes marketing budgets must follow these shifts, even if that means moving away from familiar channels. The key question is whether brands are reaching new potential customers or simply spending more to target the same audiences.

For Daniela, sustainable growth ultimately comes down to understanding which customer behaviours create real business value. This requires testing new audiences, messages and channels while looking beyond short-term performance metrics. “What behaviour actually creates value for our business? What do we want people to do, and what do potential customers need to dare to take that step?” By identifying the gaps between interest and action, marketers can uncover new opportunities for growth.