Mayastoron: a bookshop launched, not just built

Mayastoron sells books online — the publications of Ihyae foundation alongside Moroccan and Andalusian heritage titles, ancient and modern.

A warehouse of books and a storefront that was not selling

By 2022 the platform existed and the catalogue was loaded. The commerce logic was built and working, and the shelves were full. What it did not have was any of the things that turn a stocked platform into a business.

It carried no identity of its own — only the foundation's logo, on a layout crowded enough that a visitor who had come to buy one book had to work to find it. Nobody was being brought to it. And nothing existed behind an order: no warehouse arrangement, no shipping, and no answer to the question a buyer asks before paying.

My brief started at the storefront and ended at the loading dock.

The storefront

• A graphic identity of its own — a logo and a colour system separating the bookshop from its parent foundation.

• The layout and structure rebuilt around a single job — fewer steps between a visitor and a completed order. The commerce logic underneath was already sound and stayed as it was.

• A first launch narrowed to a handful of titles rather than the whole catalogue, so what was being tested was the funnel and not the range.

The operation behind it

• A social media presence, and Facebook advertising campaigns to bring traffic in.

• Automatic WhatsApp replies to the questions buyers asked before ordering.

• A contract with a transport company covering warehousing and shipping — the books physically moved into their warehouse.

• The whole order path joined up as one funnel: acquisition, confirmation, shipping, returns and testimonial collection.

Books started selling in the first month.

This is the project I point to when someone asks whether I can own more than the code.

The platform layout has changed since 2022; what is shown in the screenshots is the version I delivered.