Malleus Martialis crafts high-quality swords and equipment for Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA). Founded 11 years ago by master craftsman Rodolfo Tanara, the company launched their e-commerce site four years ago to keep pace with growing demand. But managing bespoke products online came with an unexpected challenge - one that nearly forced them to scale back their customization offerings.
The challenge: drowning in product variations
For Sergio Grillo, who manages the website backend, every new product meant hours of tedious work. With 17 grip colors, multiple blade lengths, and various customization options, a single sword could generate more than 50 variations in WooCommerce.
"I was spending hours on end every time a new product was coming out, just filling up the variations," Sergio explained. "We were actually thinking of reducing some of the customizations we wanted to offer just because we couldn't keep up on the website side."
Stock management compounded the problem. Each variation needed manual updates, turning what should have been a streamlined operation into a time-consuming nightmare.
The solution: WooCommerce Product Options
After researching alternatives, Sergio discovered WooCommerce Product Options. The plugin transformed how Malleus Martialis manages their custom products.
It's really easy to use. It was a lifesaver for me. I really recommend it.
Sergio Grillo
Instead of creating dozens of variations per product, the team now tracks stock on just a couple of base variations and handles all customization through product options. The conditional options feature proved especially valuable, allowing specific options to appear only for relevant product configurations.
The results: hours saved, flexibility restored
The plugin eliminated the variation management bottleneck entirely. What once took hours now takes minutes, and Malleus Martialis can confidently offer the full range of customization their customers expect.
This case study demonstrates how the right WooCommerce solution can rescue businesses from administrative overload - turning complex product catalogs into manageable, customer-friendly experiences.