Online Auctions to Italy’s Largest Pawnbroker with a TYPO3 Relaunch

Affide is one of Italy’s leading pawnbrokers and part of Dorotheum Group, one of Europe’s largest auction houses. Based in Rome, it has 37 branches across Italy, where it specializes in jewelry valuations, pawn loans, and auctions.

To modernize its digital services and expand its brand reach to new customers, Affide partnered with 3m5. to relaunch its website. Employing 3m5.’s deep understanding of TYPO3 and long experience with the CMS, the new website sought to provide an improved user experience and better performance.

Affide’s objective was to transform its website into a modern digital solution that could support online sales with a sophisticated auction platform. The company’s WordPress-based website lacked the required functionality to successfully meet such requirements, making it impossible to offer online bidding or manage complex data. 

Additionally, Affide needed a solution that could handle large amounts of traffic from simultaneous users engaging with the auction platform, while meeting legal identity verification requirements and delivering a modern digital experience that would attract new users. 

Having successfully delivered TYPO3-based auction solutions for Dorotheum, 3m5. was seen as the ideal choice of agency to lead Affide’s digital transformation. 

3m5. delivered a complete relaunch of Affide’s website, redesigning the frontend and backend while introducing a modern user experience aligned with the company’s ambitions. 

Using the experience gained from the Dorotheum auction platform, the agency implemented a TYPO3 foundation for the website, using the CMS’s powerful features to support the auction platform. This included dynamic content management, complex auction data, and real-time bidding. 

To ensure maximum reliability during peak auction traffic times, the platform was deployed on a clustered infrastructure with two TYPO3 instances, providing the performance reliability required for simultaneous users. 

The project also featured the integration of DEVI, 3m5.’s proprietary CRM solution. This allows for customer data to be stored securely in a separate system, supporting privacy requirements while allowing seamless access to customer information throughout the auction process. 

TYPO3’s flexible architecture also allows for the easy importing and exporting of auction data, simplifies the management of complex data structures, and provides an editorial experience that supports ongoing content management and future expansion.

“Successful auction results translate into higher returns for our pawn loan customers, with the additional proceeds paid directly to them. Interest in our auctions continues to grow, making a modern digital platform more important than ever.”

Francesco Valentini
Head of Operations, Affide

The relaunched, TYPO3-based website enabled Affide to offer online auctions and expand its digital services beyond its traditional physical branches. Following the successful launch in 2023, Affide also commissioned 3m5. to provide long-term support for the platform, including feature development, TYPO3 upgrades, security patches, and technical consulting. 

This support includes continuous development of new features for the auction, along with customer service features, allowing the website to continue to evolve to meet market demands.