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AlpenFein
AlpenFein is an online marketplace for alpine-Mediterranean specialty foods based in South Tyrol. The product range includes traditional products like South Tyrolean speck ham, mountain cheese, salami, wines, baked goods, and sweets — all from regional producers.
The shop serves private customers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with temperature-controlled shipping for refrigerated products. The business model combines direct sales with gift boxes and seasonal promotions.
Initial Situation
AlpenFein came to Smart Dato with a functioning but unstable system. The previous agency had ended the collaboration, leaving the client with several challenges:
- Technical instability: Regular outages due to hosting issues and domain configuration
- SEO deficits: The Italian language version was faulty, organic visibility fell short of expectations
- Checkout abandonment: Too many steps between cart and order led to lost sales
- Manual processes: Invoice creation and shipping status updates required manual work
- Marketing tool transition: Switch from Cleverreach to Klaviyo was planned
The complexity was increased by the system architecture: Shopware 6 was coupled with TYPO3, with many frontend elements implemented in TYPO3 rather than natively in Shopware.
Solution
Smart Dato assumed full technical responsibility for shop and website, focusing on five core areas:
Stabilization & Hosting: Migration to stable server infrastructure and resolution of all domain issues — no outages since then.
SEO & Language Versions: Correction of the faulty Italian shop version and technical SEO optimizations as foundation for improved organic visibility.
Conversion Optimization: Implementation of Express Checkout with reduced steps plus execution of recommendations to increase order value and volume.
Process Automation: Development of automations for invoice creation and one-click shipping status changes — significant time savings in daily operations.
Marketing Integration: Replacement of Cleverreach with Klaviyo in collaboration with the client's marketing agency.
Results
Zero outages since migration to Smart Dato servers
Faster checkout — fewer steps from cart to order
Time savings through automated invoicing and shipping processes
Corrected Italian version for the Italian-speaking market
Modern marketing infrastructure with Klaviyo integration
Facing similar challenges with your online shop?
Industry Expertise: Food E-Commerce
The collaboration with AlpenFein has deepened Smart Dato's expertise in food e-commerce:
Temperature-Critical Shipping We understand the requirements of cold chain logistics and time-critical deliveries for perishable products.
Expiry Date Management Inventory management with different expiry dates within the same product line is a non-trivial challenge. We can recommend ERP systems that support this requirement.
Product Range Complexity From fresh meat products to baked goods to alcoholic beverages — each category has its own compliance requirements and shipping rules.
Seasonal Business Gift boxes for Easter, Christmas, and other occasions require flexible campaign management and timely product range changes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why is Smart Dato a suitable partner for food online shops?
Through our work with AlpenFein, we know the specific challenges: temperature-controlled shipping, expiry management, compliance for different product categories, and integration with logistics partners. We apply this experience to similar projects.
Can Smart Dato take over existing Shopware shops?
Yes. We regularly take over shops developed by other agencies. With AlpenFein, we stabilized, optimized, and further developed an existing system — without complete rebuilding.
Which systems can be integrated with a food shop?
We integrate email marketing systems (Klaviyo, Cleverreach), ERP systems for inventory management and expiry tracking, as well as shipping providers with special requirements for refrigerated logistics.
Does Smart Dato also work with external marketing agencies?
Yes. With AlpenFein, we worked closely with the client's marketing agency and technically implemented their recommendations for conversion optimization.