From Helicopters to Heirlooms: How Spicer’s Auctioneers Connects with Customers

When you walk into Spicer’s Auctioneers in Goole, East Yorkshire, you never quite know what you’ll find. It could be a mahogany chest of drawers from the 1800s and a vintage motorcycle gleaming under the showroom lights. Or, if you happened to visit on the right day, a full-size helicopter perched atop a shipping container.

Spicer’s Auctioneers is a full-service auction house that handles everything from antique furniture, fine art, and jewelry to classic cars, motorcycles, and rare collectibles. Their auctions serve a diverse audience through both in-person events and multiple online bidding platforms.

Trading the office for the auction floor

The company’s recent chapter began in 2018, when Andy Spicer purchased an existing auction business in Driffield. With decades of experience at multinational auction houses, Andy saw an opportunity to bring his expertise to a more personal, community-based operation. He was soon joined by his wife, Barbara Spicer, now the company’s director, who left behind more than 20 years in the civil service, trading a quiet home office for the high-paced buzz of auction day.

As the business grew and evolved, Barbara quickly found that the energy and unpredictability of auction life suited her perfectly. “Variety is the Spicer’s Life,” she said, quoting the company slogan that sums up their ever-changing inventory.

The shift was immediate and dramatic. “I went from sitting at home on my own to being in a busy environment where everything’s happening at once. Telephone bids, online bidding, people walking through the door,” Barbara recalled. “It was so exciting, and I thought, why have I never done this before?”

Those early days brought significant changes: moving auctions from Saturdays to Fridays, introducing online bidding platforms, and expanding into categories like classic cars and motorcycles. In just a few years, the business grew from six employees to 11, and from 120 lots per auction to around 700. What was once a local auction drawing mostly Yorkshire bidders now attracts buyers from across the globe – Australia, Canada, Malta, Chile, and beyond.

Bringing auctions to the inbox

Running a weekly auction means an endless cycle of promotion, and that’s where Constant Contact plays a central role. Since becoming a customer in 2019, Spicer’s has used the platform to communicate with thousands of customers and keep engagement high between auctions.

“Making sure we get accurate, timely information out to our customers is key to the success of our business,” Barbara said.

Constant Contact’s reporting tools help Spicer’s see what’s working and adapt quickly. After each send, the team reviews open and click rates to identify patterns – what subject lines grab attention, which images drive clicks, and which topics inspire new sign-ups.

When a unique auction is coming up, Spicer’s can gauge interest ahead of time, segment accordingly, and craft targeted follow-up emails to the audience most likely to engage.

Year after year, their subscriber list has steadily climbed, with 7.8% growth in the last year alone. With Constant Contact’s list segmentation, Spicer’s customers can choose exactly what they want to hear about. Classic car enthusiasts receive updates on upcoming motorbike and car auctions. Antique lovers get notified about vintage homeware. Niche collectors hear about specialty auctions – like the time Spicer’s cleared a Yorkshire country estate filled with taxidermy. “The great thing about Constant Contact is that we can segment so people can choose what topics they want to hear from us about,” Barbara explained.

Connecting with customers across platforms

At Spicer’s Auctioneers, every email is more than just an inbox touchpoint; it’s the starting point for a multi-channel conversation. Through Constant Contact’s social media tools, each campaign can be pushed directly to Facebook and Instagram, turning one send into a message that spans multiple platforms.

This seamless integration means auction highlights don’t just land in email inboxes; they appear in the social feeds of over 5,500 followers, where eye-catching images and quick captions drive instant engagement. This cross-channel approach has helped Spicer’s achieve a social reach of more than 200,000 within the last 90 days alone.

It also allows them to repurpose the same visual and written content across platforms, saving time while keeping messaging consistent. A newsletter promoting a vintage motorbike auction, for example, becomes a Facebook post that sparks hundreds of likes overnight.

Looking ahead

While growth is on the horizon, Barbara and Andy are mindful of preserving the personal service that sets them apart. As they expand sales space, increase staff, and add more auction days, Constant Contact allows them to scale their marketing without losing the personal touch. The platform helps them automate campaigns, segment bidders, and extend their reach across email and social, so every stage of growth is supported by clear and consistent communication.

“Winning to me looks like leaving the building, switching the lights off every day, and all the staff have gone home, waving a cheery goodbye,” Barbara said. “If we get an odd five-star review, that is an amazing day.”

From helicopters to heirlooms, Spicer’s Auctioneers proves that when you combine tradition and smart communication, you can connect with customers anywhere in the world and keep them coming back.