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Südtirol Musikverlag
Südtirol Musikverlag is a South Tyrolean sheet music publisher founded in spring 2025 by CEO Florian Plattner. The company sells printed sheet music and digital PDF downloads for wind orchestras and ensembles, shipping to Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
As a Shopify development agency based in South Tyrol, we managed the entire project — from account setup and domain migration through to training the CEO on independent store management.
Starting Point & Challenge
The existing WooCommerce store wasn't working as a sales channel — low conversion, a user experience that fell short of professional standards, and technical limitations in catalog structure. Without a functioning shop, the publisher's primary revenue source was missing, and time was pressing.
The product catalog also required more than a standard setup: three purchase variants per work (Digital, Print, Bundle), product pages with audio samples, score previews, and instrumentation details, plus a filtering system across genre, instrumentation, and difficulty level.
Our Solution
We built a completely new Shopify store from account setup and theme selection through catalog build to domain migration from Aruba.
- Product catalog & variants — 50 to 100 products in structured collections, each available in three purchase variants: Digital (PDF download), Print (physical sheet music), and a Bundle combining both at a 30% discount.
- Composer pages via Shopify Metaobjects — A dedicated profile page is auto-generated for every composer, arranger, and lyricist, linked to their works in the catalog.
- Custom product detail pages — Audio sample, score preview, product video, and full instrumentation details directly on the product page.
- Multi-dimensional filtering — Filterable by music genre (Polka, Walzer, Marsch, Modern, and more), instrumentation (full wind orchestra, 7-piece ensemble, and more), and difficulty level (beginner through concert level).
Planning a Shopify store or a platform switch?
Platform & Technical Implementation
The platform is Shopify, fully replacing the previous WooCommerce store. The following technical highlights were implemented:
Metaobject-powered profile pages — Shopify Metaobjects automatically generate pages for composers, arrangers, and lyricists, each linked to the relevant products in the catalog. New entries produce new pages without any manual content creation.
Custom product detail pages (PDP) — Extended with audio preview, score sample, product video, and instrumentation details. Everything on the product page itself, with no external tools or redirects.
Digital product delivery — PDF sheet music is available as instant digital downloads. Customers receive immediate access after purchase.
Multi-dimensional filtering — Genre, instrumentation, and difficulty level as independent, combinable filter dimensions.
Custom surcharge logic — A "Stempelsteuer" (stamp duty) fee of €2 is automatically applied to orders above €77. The surcharge is transparently displayed and clearly labeled in the cart.
SEO and technical foundation — SSL/HTTPS, meta titles and descriptions, XML sitemap, schema markup. The technical basis for organic visibility is in place from day one.
GDPR compliance — Cookie banner and legally compliant pages (imprint, privacy policy, terms) for the EU market.
Domain migration — The domain was migrated from Aruba to Shopify, including DNS configuration and SSL certificate setup.
Results & Business Impact
- Revenue-ready store from day one — The shop is built for conversion: clear product presentation, three purchase options per work, and a bundle incentive that increases average order value.
- Discoverable products — The multi-dimensional filtering system (genre, instrumentation, difficulty) makes the catalog easy to navigate — now and as the assortment grows.
- Digital and physical products in one store — Customers buy print sheet music, PDF downloads, or the bundle in a single, unified checkout. No media break, no second shop.
- Independent management — After training, the CEO manages the store independently — from product updates to order fulfillment. Ongoing agency dependency is minimal.
- Short project timeline — From kickoff in January 2026 to go-live in mid-March 2026: approximately two months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Smart Dato migrate an existing WooCommerce store to Shopify?
Yes. We manage complete platform transitions from WooCommerce to Shopify, including product data, domain transfer, SEO setup, and technical configuration. For Südtirol Musikverlag, we deliberately built the Shopify store from scratch, as a clean rebuild was the fastest route to a converting shop.
Is Shopify suitable for selling digital and physical products at the same time?
Shopify fully supports selling digital downloads and physical products in the same store. For Südtirol Musikverlag, we configured three purchase variants per product — Digital (PDF), Print, and a Bundle.
What are Shopify Metaobjects and how were they used in this project?
Metaobjects are a Shopify feature for creating structured, reusable content types. In the Südtirol Musikverlag project, we used Metaobjects to automatically generate profile pages for composers, arrangers, and lyricists — each linked to the associated works in the catalog. New people produce new pages, with no manual page creation required.
How long does a Shopify project like this take?
That depends on scope. Südtirol Musikverlag — with a catalog of 50 to 100 products, custom product detail pages, digital product support, and domain migration — went live in approximately two months. Simpler projects can launch in four to six weeks.
Does Smart Dato also provide training for independent store management?
Yes. We train our clients on Shopify so they can manage products, content, and orders independently. For Südtirol Musikverlag, the CEO received hands-on training and has been managing the store on his own since launch.