Transforming a Sheet Music Business: Laravel E-commerce Platform Enhancement

A local music business approached me with a Laravel-based e-commerce platform that was underperforming and limiting their growth potential. Built in 2019, the website faced critical issues that were directly impacting revenue and customer satisfaction.

Project Overview

Client: Local Music Business
Timeline: 2019 - Present
Technology Stack: Laravel, PayPal API, Stripe API, Digital Asset Management
Role: Full-Stack Developer & Technical Lead

Challenge

A local music business approached me with a Laravel-based e-commerce platform that was underperforming and limiting their growth potential. Built in 2019, the website faced critical issues that were directly impacting revenue and customer satisfaction.

Key Problems Identified:

  • Revenue Loss:

    Payment processing failures through both PayPal and Stripe were causing abandoned transactions

  • Limited Product Offering:

    Only physical sheet music sales, missing the growing digital market opportunity

  • No Recurring Revenue:

    Lack of subscription-based services to build predictable income streams

Solutions Implemented

1. Payment System Overhaul

Problem: Customers were unable to complete purchases due to payment gateway failures

Solution:

  • Debugged and resolved integration issues with both PayPal and Stripe APIs

  • Implemented robust error handling and fallback mechanisms

  • Added comprehensive transaction logging for better monitoring

  • Optimized checkout flow to reduce abandonment rates

Impact: Eliminated payment failures, resulting in immediate revenue recovery and improved customer experience

2. Digital Product Distribution System

Problem: Business was limited to physical product sales only

Solution:

  • Built a secure digital asset management system within the existing Laravel framework

  • Implemented user authentication and purchase verification for digital downloads

  • Created automated delivery system for instant digital sheet music access

  • Developed file protection mechanisms to prevent unauthorized distribution

Impact: Opened new revenue stream with zero fulfillment costs and instant customer satisfaction

Gems Digital Products

3. Subscription Service Architecture

Problem: No recurring revenue model to ensure business stability

Solution:

  • Designed and implemented a subscription management system using Laravel's built-in features

  • Integrated recurring billing with existing payment gateways

  • Created subscriber-only digital library with on-demand download capabilities

  • Built administrative dashboard for subscription and content management

  • Implemented automated subscription lifecycle management (trials, renewals, cancellations)

Impact: Established predictable monthly recurring revenue and increased customer lifetime value

Gems Subscriptions 1Gems Subscriptions 2

Technical Highlights

Laravel Framework Optimization

  • Leveraged Laravel's Eloquent ORM for efficient database relationships between users, subscriptions, and digital products

  • Utilized Laravel's built-in authentication system enhanced with subscription-based permissions

  • Implemented Laravel's job queues for handling digital product delivery and subscription processing

  • Used Laravel's notification system for subscription updates and download confirmations

Security & Performance

  • Implemented secure file storage and access controls for digital assets

  • Added rate limiting to prevent abuse of download systems

  • Optimized database queries for subscription and product management

  • Ensured PCI compliance for payment processing

Gems Subscriptions Banner

Results & Business Impact

Quantifiable Improvements:

  • 100% elimination

    of payment processing failures

  • New revenue stream

    from digital products with higher profit margins

  • Recurring revenue model

    providing business stability and growth predictability

  • Enhanced customer experience

    with instant digital access and flexible purchasing options

Technical Achievements:

  • Maintained and enhanced legacy Laravel codebase without breaking existing functionality

  • Successfully integrated multiple third-party APIs while maintaining system stability

  • Built scalable architecture supporting both one-time and subscription-based transactions

  • Created comprehensive admin tools for business management

Technologies & Tools Used

  • Backend:

    Laravel Framework, PHP

  • Payment Processing:

    PayPal API, Stripe API

  • Database:

    MySQL with Eloquent ORM

  • File Management:

    Secure digital asset storage and delivery

  • Authentication:

    Laravel's built-in auth system with custom subscription logic

Key Learnings & Approach

This project demonstrated my ability to:

  • Diagnose and resolve complex integration issues

    in production environments

  • Architect new features

    within existing codebases without disrupting operations

  • Balance technical requirements

    with business objectives to drive measurable results

  • Maintain and enhance legacy systems

    while implementing modern e-commerce practices

The success of this project showcases not just technical proficiency in Laravel, but also business acumen in identifying opportunities for revenue growth and customer experience improvement.

©2025 John Bentley Creative