Car Toys

Established in 1987, Car Toys is the largest independent multi-channel retailer specializing in offering high-quality car audio and mobile electronics in America. With 47+ stores across the major cities of the United States, the client serves a large customer base by delivering durable products and reliable services.

Background

The client was already using a Shopify-based eCommerce solution. However, it required human interventions at different stages of the eCommerce process. They wanted a robust and automated solution that would automate and streamline their online eCommerce operations. ioVista implemented Shopify to optimize various digital processes of CarToys, including inventory management, pricing automation, POS integration, and more.

The Challenge

Incomplete Documentation: The existing Shopify custom app was developed and integrated by a different eCommerce agency. The former agency provided limited system documentation, omitting critical logic paths and configuration details. In the absence of accurate technical details, it was difficult for the ioVista team to troubleshoot the issues. It increased the risk of operational disruption.
Manual Inventory Updates: The client used to update inventory details manually in the original Shopify app. It was making stock management time-consuming and prone to errors, which resulted in inefficient inventory management across store locations.
Inefficient Pricing Sync: The previous app did not support automatic synchronization of pricing data between internal systems and the storefront. It increased issues like inaccurate and inconsistent pricing, which impacted customer trust.
POS & Marketplace Sync Failures: The custom Shopify app contained inaccurate logic for synchronizing data from the backend system to POS and Marketplace. It triggered payment issues in POS and allowed overselling on marketplaces due to unreliable inventory syncing.

Solutions

Shopify App Redeployment: Conducted an end-to-end code audit and solution discovery process of Car Toys’ existing Shopify custom app. Redeployed the optimized solution as a private Shopify app.
Complete Documentation: Recreated the technical documentation with all technical details to facilitate the client with better control and easier future maintainability of the solution.
Automated Inventory Management: Implemented SFTP-based inventory sync with smart logic for stock thresholds, location-specific rules, dynamic store location handling, and Brevo-powered CSV email alerts for discrepancies and updates. Ensured real-time inventory fulfillment via Webhook.
Customized Inventory Management: Through custom logic, we ensured inventory updates were triggered only when stock exceeded three units, unlisted products were marked out of stock, updates could be paused for specific stores, and new locations were auto-added to the system.
Automated Pricing Updates: Enabled automated price sync from SFTP files to Shopify, with detailed email summaries, backup logging, and rollback support to ensure reliable and compliant operations.
POS & Marketplace Stability: Ensured seamless integration of Shopify with POS and marketplace to resolve POS transaction errors and optimized marketplace inventory sync by eliminating overselling, enhancing transaction accuracy, and improving customer satisfaction.
Shopify Workflow Integration: Implemented an automated workflow in Shopify to assign specific tags to orders based on their source by following the predefined business logic. Integrated fraud detection to flag and manage suspicious orders effectively.