WooCommerce store + Telegram bot for a Pretoria jeweller

WordPress WooCommerce Astro Python python-telegram-bot Gemini Vision SMTP
~/work/wp-jeweller $ cat README.md
client: LA Jewellers, Pretoria
status: LIVE
audit: 45-point technical pass at launch
outcome: owner manages inventory from her phone

The problem

A new jeweller wanted an online store that matched her product quality. The brief was clear: clean, not corporate; functional, not overbuilt. She didn't want something that looked like every other WooCommerce template.

She also didn't want to open a laptop every time she needed to update stock.

The approach

Before writing a line of production code, we ran a five-way design bake-off in Astro. Five distinct visual directions, all deployed over HTTPS, all fully interactive in the browser.

The client picked a direction from real options, not pitch decks. Then we ported it to WordPress.

The bake-off

We ran a five-way design comparison so the client picked from real, working options. Not wireframes. Not PDFs. Five live sites.

bakeoff/ demo-a/ dark navy, gradient mesh, Inter + JetBrains Mono demo-b/ editorial light, Fraunces serif, deep red accent demo-c/ terminal aesthetic, monospace, amber accent demo-d/ minimal white, high-contrast, single typeface demo-e/ cinematic dark, GSAP hero, full-bleed imagery ^--- winner

Client selected demo-e. We then built the production WP theme to match.

What we built

01

Custom WP theme

Child theme built from the selected bake-off direction. No page builder, clean PHP templates.

02

Branded transactional emails

WooCommerce order confirmation, shipping, and receipt emails matching the store's visual identity.

03

Telegram bot

Python bot using python-telegram-bot v21. /add /list /delete /stock /price /featured /edit from any phone.

04

Gemini Vision alt text

Product photos sent to Gemini Vision on upload. Alt text generated automatically. No manual description writing.

# Telegram bot commands /add - add new product (name, price, category, photo) /list - list all products with status /stock - update stock quantity /price - update price /edit - edit any product field /featured - toggle featured status /delete - soft-delete a product /undo - restore last deleted

Outcome

Store is live. 45-point technical audit passed at launch: performance, security headers, SEO basics, WooCommerce configuration, email deliverability.

The owner manages inventory from her phone. Alt text is generated from product photos automatically. She hasn't needed to open wp-admin for a product update since launch.

~/work/wp-jeweller $ ./audit.sh --run
performance .... PASS
security ....... PASS
seo ............ PASS
woocommerce .... PASS
email-delivery . PASS
score: 45/45

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