Ambrosiano
Enterprise WordPress platform for precious metals trading featuring real-time quotations, lead generation with SMS notifications, and 95% bandwidth optimization.
About the Client
Ambrosiano Milano is a Milan-based company specializing in buying and selling precious metals, including gold jewelry, silver items, and collectible coins. They serve both retail customers and wholesale B2B clients across Italy.
The Challenge
The client needed a modern web platform that could:
- Display live pricing – Gold and silver prices change constantly; customers needed to see current rates before visiting the store
- Generate quality leads – Capture potential sellers’ contact information efficiently
- Prevent spam – Stop automated bots and repeated submissions from flooding their inbox
- Support two customer types – Different pricing and experiences for retail vs. wholesale clients
- Load quickly – Fast performance despite showing real-time data from multiple sources
- Send instant notifications – Alert staff via SMS when high-value leads come in
The Solution
Real-Time Price Display
Built a system that automatically fetches current gold and silver market prices every 2 minutes from trusted financial data providers. Prices are displayed across the website and update without requiring page refreshes, giving customers confidence they’re seeing accurate, up-to-date information.
Smart Lead Generation Forms
Created customized contact forms that:
- Capture essential customer information
- Validate Italian phone numbers automatically
- Track which marketing campaigns bring in leads
- Include the current price quotation in email notifications
Spam Protection System
Implemented an intelligent rate-limiting system that allows only one submission per phone number every 12 hours. This dramatically reduced spam while ensuring legitimate customers can always reach the business.
Dual Pricing System
Developed separate pricing displays and dedicated pages for:
- Retail customers – Standard buying prices for walk-in clients
- B2B wholesale – Special rates for jewelry shops and professional traders
Instant SMS Notifications
Connected the website to an SMS gateway so staff receive text message alerts within seconds of a new lead submission, enabling rapid follow-up with potential sellers.
High-Performance Architecture
Optimized the entire system to minimize server load and ensure fast page loads:
- Intelligent caching reduces unnecessary data transfers by 95%
- Database queries reduced by 88%
- Server load reduced by over 70%
Results & Impact
| Area | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Lead Quality | Spam submissions virtually eliminated through rate limiting |
| Response Time | Staff notified within seconds via SMS |
| User Experience | Real-time prices always visible, no page refreshes needed |
| Performance | 95% reduction in bandwidth usage |
| Server Efficiency | 70%+ reduction in server load |
| Scalability | System handles traffic spikes without slowdown |
Key Features Delivered
For Customers
- Live gold and silver prices updated every 2 minutes
- Easy-to-use contact forms with instant confirmation
- Mobile-responsive design for on-the-go access
- Dedicated wholesale portal for B2B clients
For the Business
- Automated lead capture and notification system
- Marketing campaign tracking (know which ads work)
- Spam-free inbox with legitimate leads only
- Admin dashboard for managing quotations
- Secure webhook for external system integration
Technical Excellence
- Custom-built WordPress theme with modular architecture
- 30+ specialized page templates
- 6 custom API endpoints
- Comprehensive documentation for future maintenance
Technologies Used
| Category | Solution |
|---|---|
| Platform | WordPress (custom theme) |
| Database | MariaDB with Redis caching |
| Hosting | Cloudways managed hosting |
| Forms | Contact Form 7 with custom extensions |
| SMS | Esendex gateway integration |
| Data Sources | GoldPrice.org, DaytradingSA APIs |
Project Scope
- Duration: Initial build + ongoing maintenance since 2020
- Codebase: ~20,000 lines of custom code
- Templates: 30+ custom page designs
- Integrations: 4 external services connected
- Documentation: Full technical documentation delivered
What Made This Project Successful
- Deep Understanding of the Business – Took time to understand precious metals trading workflows and customer expectations
- Performance-First Approach – Every feature was built with speed and efficiency in mind
- Scalable Architecture – System designed to grow with the business without requiring rebuilds
- Proactive Problem Solving – Anticipated issues like SMS service outages and built resilient fallbacks
- Comprehensive Documentation – Detailed guides ensure easy maintenance and future updates