North America
For several years now, the world’s major auction houses have focused serious attention on the middle market. This has involved acquiring e-commerce platforms and building lower-cost timed online sales in categories such as prints, photographs, decorative objects and 20th century design.
As a public company, Sotheby’s has been the most visible in targeting a market it defines as $5000-1m. In 2017 the firm hired senior e-commerce talent from the retail sector and in 2018 acquired an online decorative objects marketplace, Viyet.com, renaming it Sotheby’s Home.