Introduction

Cavallino represents one of the most prestigious names in the classic car industry, with a history dating back to 1978, when the renowned Cavallino Magazine was launched. Over the decades, the brand has consolidated its position as a global reference in the Ferrari universe, progressively expanding into the organization of international events and the creation of an omnichannel brand experience.

With its e-commerce site hosted on Shopify (cavallino.com), the company was transitioning to a new technology provider. In this context, Hoculus was called upon to provide technical support and implement a series of strategic improvements to the platform, focusing on three priority areas: optimizing the checkout experience, implementing innovative features, and consolidating the technical architecture.

The Client

Cavallino Inc. manages a complex ecosystem that includes:

• Cavallino Magazine : Magazine specializing in Ferrari history and culture, distributed globally to collectors and enthusiasts
• Cavallino Classic : A series of top-class events including the renowned Palm Beach Cavallino Classic (running for 35 years), the Cavallino Classic Modena, the Cavallino Classic Monaco and the Cavallino Classic Middle East
• Integrated e-commerce : Manage the sale of magazine subscriptions, event tickets, merchandise and exclusive products

The e-commerce platform serves a global audience with specific needs: high-value, geographically dispersed customers who demand a refined and personalized shopping experience.

Challenges and Goals

The main challenges identified were:

1. Operational complexity : Simultaneous management of multiple product lines (magazine, events, merchandise) with interdependent discount mechanisms and discount codes
2. Internationalization : Supporting geographically diverse markets with specific currencies and logistics needs
3. Advanced user experience : Implementation of sophisticated features that could improve the purchasing journey without compromising performance
4. Data Intelligence : Leveraging the richness of your magazine's historical catalog to increase back-issue sales
5. Technical Stability : Transition to new providers while maintaining business continuity

Some implemented solutions

1. Smart Discount Mechanics and Bundles

Challenge : Cavallino wanted to incentivize magazine subscriptions among customers who purchase event tickets by implementing a sophisticated marketing strategy: those who were not yet subscribers could receive a discount on their first subscription.

Solution developed :

• Implementing a checkout UI extension that intelligently integrates with the Shopify checkout flow
• Created Shopify Flow to automate updating customer metafields when they sign up for new subscriptions
• Development of a Cart Transform Function that informs the customer, during checkout, which subscription products they already own, avoiding duplicates and improving the user experience
• Implement a Discount Allocation Function to automatically apply discounts according to defined business rules

Results : Fully automated system that reduces manual workload, personalizes offers for each customer, and increases average receipt value thanks to intelligent cross-selling.

2. Custom Product

Challenge : Need to offer a special package to VIP customers with integrated accommodation options, without creating clutter in the product catalog.

Solution developed :

• Developing a checkout UI extension that displays the accommodation offer only when the customer adds the Double Patron product to the cart
• Intelligent frontend logic that manages the proposal without creating constraints in the product backend
• Refined UX design that maintains the visual simplicity of the checkout

Results : Increased perception of value for the premium segment without additional complexity in the management system.

3. Multi-Market and Multi-Currency Support

Challenge : Need to expand sales of the "Cavallino Sydney" product to the Australian market with prices in AUD (Australian Dollars) and automatic currency management.

Solution developed :

• Configuring your Shopify Markets system to implement the Australian marketplace
• Extensive modification of the Liquid theme and JavaScript components to support dynamic market-based routing
• Implementation of fixed exchange rate logic to maintain consistency across markets
• Restructuring of pages, products and menus to adapt to the new multi-market configuration
• Automate hardcoded link editing via Python scripts to ensure consistency and reduce manual errors

Results : Platform fully ready for global expansion with native support for multiple markets and currencies.

4. Intelligent Historical Search Database

Challenge : Cavallino Magazine represents an extraordinary archive of 270+ issues containing information on thousands of historic Ferraris. The company wanted to leverage this wealth to increase sales of back issues.

Solution developed :

• Analysis and conversion of archived PDF files containing metadata about cars, models, chassis numbers and magazine numbers
• Developing an advanced Python script for extracting and structuring data from PDFs into structured CSV format
• Implementation of a search page on the Cavallino Magazine website that allows visitors to search by:
  • Chassis specific number
  • Ferrari Model
  • Keyword
• Integrate with Shopify Storefront API to link results to purchasable magazine issues
• Using the Section Rendering API to dynamically display results with issue covers
• Implementation of fuzzy matching algorithms to suggest similar results when exact searches do not produce matches

Results : New commercial driver that leverages the magazine's informational value, increases discovery of back issues, and creates a unique and differentiating digital property.

5. Form-to-Drive Automations and Integrations

Challenge : Cavallino organizes complex submission processes for its annual events (Palm Beach Classic, Classic & Sports Sunday) through integrated forms. These forms collect photographic metadata (chassis number images, car photos) that must be organized and archived.

Solution developed :

• Automation implementation to extract media from export CSVs from form submissions
• Creating a folder structure on Google Drive organized by submission
• Intelligent naming system based on Chassis Number with fallback for null entries
• Automated report generation for easy follow-up and organization

Results : Significant reduction in manual media management work, improved organization and traceability of submissions.

6. Admin UI Extensions for Advanced Order Management

Challenge : Cavallino operators needed enhanced tools to manage draft orders (typically for VIP customers and events), with the ability to:

• Adding custom products (extra services) to orders
• Manage attendees for each product purchased
• Fill in complex data through an intuitive admin interface

Solution developed :

• Implementing Admin UI Extension with Smart Modal Form
• Metaobject configuration system to dynamically define attendee fields
• Handling order attributes with complex structure
• Pre-fill functionality for orders already under review
• Interface for adding custom products to orders with membership tracking
• Validation system and error banner to guide the operator

Results : Fully admin-automated process that reduces manual order creation time, improves data entry accuracy, and maintains attendee data traceability.

7. Advanced Reporting System for Event Management

Challenge : Cavallino organizes complex events with thousands of attendees. Managing sales reports, event capacity, and registration data required:

• Configurable data export with complex filters
• Real-time capacity and availability analysis
• Sales segmentation by type (staff, public, sponsors)
• Integration with serverless backends for asynchronous processing

Solution developed :

Admin UI Extension for Export Report :

• User-friendly interface for export configuration
• Filter selection (by event, sale type, date range)
• Choice of output structure (preview, overview, raw data)
• Definition of email for receiving reports
• Integration with serverless functions for asynchronous processing

Ticket Segmentation and Staff Management :

• Creating "staff" tickets for restricted technical access
• Dynamic discount code implementation with email segment-based access control
• Creating Shopify Flow to add automatic order tags when staff codes are used
• Notification system to detect unauthorized purchases of staff tickets
• Dedicated metafields for tracking permissions and staff affiliations

Event Capacity Report :

• Maximum capacity calculation algorithm for each event
• Ticket group and quantity management with automatic inventory update
• Logical exclusion/inclusion of ticket types from capacity calculation
• Cross-channel (checkout, POS, admin) availability validation

Results : Operators can manage complex reports in just a few clicks, staff events are automatically controlled, capacity is always accurate and synchronized across channels.

8. Advanced Sales Tax and Charity Fee Management

Challenge : Cavallino USA required separating taxation from charity fees for correct tax calculations while maintaining a clean UX in checkout.

Solution developed (in progress):

• Creation of dedicated tax-free products for charity
• Cart Transform Function for Dynamic Charity Calculation Based on Variant Metafields
• Edge case management (subsequent product additions, back-to-shop flow, POS)
• Edit report for separate charity vs. tax view

Results : Correct tax management while maintaining a simple and intuitive customer experience.

9. Platform UI/UX Optimizations

In addition to the major implementations, the team made a number of targeted optimizations and fixes:

• Changes to Charity Fee Management : Realignment of the charity fee description text on the product page to improve readability
• Advanced Text Section Creation : Implementation of a new templated section with support for rich text, responsive images and layout customizations
• "Present your Car" Redesign : Reorganization of the car presentation section with optimization of margins, spacing and text alignment for a better user experience.
• Sponsor Bug Fix : Fixed visual issues with sponsor logos.

Technologies and Tools Used

• Shopify Platform : Admin API, Storefront API, Checkout UI Extensions, Admin UI Extensions
• Shopify Functions : Cart Transform, Discount Allocation
• Shopify Flow : Business logic automations, order tagging, notifications
• Shopify Markets : Multi-market and multi-currency
• Liquid : Custom Theme Development
• JavaScript/TypeScript : Advanced Frontend and Backend Extensions
• Python : Automation and Data Processing Scripts
• Google Drive API : Media Archive Integration
• Digital Ocean Serverless Functions : Asynchronous report processing
• Evey (Event Management) : Attendee and ticket management integration
• Custom Metaobjects : Dynamically configure admin behaviors
• Shopify Segments : Customer segmentation for access control

Commercial and Strategic Impact

Increase in Commercial Value

1. Increase cross-sell : Smart discounting on season tickets for ticket buyers increases average transaction value
2. Premium segment personalization : Specific offers for VIP customers generate a perception of exclusivity and increase retention.
3. Geographic Expansion : Support for the Australian market opens up new revenue opportunities.
4. Inventory Reactivation : Historical Search Database Transforms 270+ Archive Numbers into Commercial Assets, Boosting Backlog Sales
5. Staff access control : Automatic management of staff and sponsor tickets that prevents abuse and maintains event exclusivity

Operational Efficiency

1. Admin Automation : Admin UI extensions for manual orders reduce time and eliminate data entry errors.
2. Self-service reporting : Operators can generate complex reports in a few clicks without technical involvement
3. Scalability : Technical architecture ready for further expansion and new vendor
4. Data-driven decision making : Structured database that enables insights into customer behavior, historical preferences and event trends
5. Error Reduction : Automation of URL, link management, and tax calculation processes eliminates human errors.
6. Multi-Channel Synchronization : Always have consistent capacity and inventory across checkout, POS, and admin.

Customer Experience

1. Seamless Checkout : Non-intrusive UI extensions maintain simplicity while offering customization
2. Enhanced Discovery : Historical Search Engine Enables New Ways to Engage with the Catalog
3. Multi-market support : Native experience for international customers
4. Consistent UX : Standardization of components and sections improves consistency.
5. Tax transparency : Correct separation between product price, service fee and charity on the pages and checkout

Methodology and Team

The project was managed with an iterative agile approach, with:

• Multidisciplinary team : Backend and frontend developer, solution architect, designer, data analyst
• Constant communication : Regular synchronizations with Cavallino stakeholders to validate solutions
• Rigorous testing : Validation on staging before deployment to production
• Post-launch support : Monitoring and fixes during the stabilization phase

Conclusions

The Cavallino platform technical support and optimization project is an example of how Shopify technology, used to its full potential, can transform traditional e-commerce into an intelligent, data-driven business engine.

Through the implementation of advanced features (Shopify Functions, Extensions, Automations), integration with external systems (Google Drive, CSV Processing), and rigorous attention to user experience, Cavallino has achieved a platform that:

• Generate incremental value from intelligent cross-selling
• Leverage historical data as a trading asset
• Supports global expansion with native multi-currency
• Reduce operational complexity through automation and enablement
• Provides a consistent and personalized customer experience

The project demonstrates how investing in modern technology, combined with a clear strategic vision, can generate significant competitive advantages in a niche but high-value market like that of Ferrari enthusiasts.