How PittaRosso scaled smarter with Mollie
Ecommerce
Partner:Agency
reduction in cash on delivery
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PittaRosso is one of those brands Italians recognise instantly: a longstanding name in footwear retail since the 1970s, with more than 160 stores across the country and a brand identity built on offering affordable fashion for every family. It’s a business that has always stayed close to people in the truest sense of the word.
But in today’s ultra-competitive market, brand recognition alone is not enough. When PittaRosso decided to accelerate its e-commerce growth, the challenge wasn’t just getting customers online — it was persuading them to complete their purchase. And when it comes to creating a smooth buying journey, everything hinges on the checkout experience and the payment methods available: the moment when trust turns into conversion.
Selling online in Italy: when local payment methods make all the difference
In Italy’s digital payments landscape, some key players are often underestimated by international brands. Take PostePay, for example: far more than a prepaid card, it is deeply embedded in the habits of millions of consumers and often serves as many Italian families’ first gateway to e-commerce. Bancomat Pay, meanwhile, is the digital evolution of a payment tool that almost everyone in Italy already has in their pocket. Not offering these options at checkout is a risky move — because it can directly cost you sales.
With its previous provider, PittaRosso was unable to support either of these payment methods. The result was inevitable: a significant share of users who wanted to shop online ended up falling back on cash on delivery (COD). But COD comes with a heavy operational burden: manual reconciliation, more complex returns management, and higher logistics costs caused by failed or refused deliveries.
As outdated as it may seem, 14% of transactions were still being completed via cash on delivery. For a retailer with PittaRosso’s volumes, that translated into a direct impact on team efficiency and operating margins.
Growth was also being held back by fragmentation. Managing payments across multiple platforms meant losing valuable time to cross-checking reports, navigating different dashboards, and handling separate invoices. In cases of disputes or chargebacks, the process required switching between systems, increasing handling time and the risk of errors.
Then there was the issue of technical support. Running an e-commerce business of this scale requires fast, knowledgeable contacts who can communicate in Italian. The lack of local support from the previous platform was a gap that became a real business continuity risk during seasonal peaks.
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The solution: Mollie and an infrastructure built for change
PittaRosso and its technology partner Byte-Code have been working together for nearly six years. Since 2020, Byte-Code has acted as a true strategic right hand: designing the e-commerce architecture, leading the migration to Shopify, and making far-sighted technical decisions. Chief among them was opting for a headless frontend architecture at a time when Shopify was not yet the benchmark it is today.
“In 2020, a headless architecture was almost a necessary choice to meet PittaRosso’s needs, as Shopify did not yet natively offer all the features available today. We bet on an open, flexible structure so we wouldn’t be limited by the technology of the moment. That decision proved to be the right one: it allowed us to integrate Mollie incredibly quickly while preserving the robustness of the system,” says Sante Occhiuzzi, Digital Marketing Manager at Byte-Code.
That vision was the key to everything. When the time came to integrate Mollie, the infrastructure was already in place. Thanks to the native Shopify integration, the transition was fast and seamless, with no need to overhaul the system or interrupt service. In a well-designed ecosystem, adding a major new capability should take days, not months.
The real proof? Timing. The migration happened just ahead of Black Friday. It was an ambitious move — one that speaks volumes about the solidity of the project and the trust between PittaRosso, Byte-Code and Mollie.
From a user experience perspective, Mollie filled the gaps in the checkout. Today, PostePay and Bancomat Pay sit alongside Klarna, Satispay and credit cards. For shoppers, that means always finding their preferred payment option — whether they value the flexibility of instalments or the reassurance of a prepaid card.
Internal operations also took a leap forward thanks to centralisation. A single platform now brings dashboards and invoicing together in one smooth workflow. Having everything under control in one place not only provides immediate visibility, but also makes fee management simpler and more advantageous.
And finally, support has become a real added value: a local Italian-speaking team that works alongside the brand not only to resolve technical issues, but also to continuously improve conversion and performance.
The results: less cash on delivery, more efficiency, zero disruption
The numbers tell the story of immediate success. Cash on delivery dropped from 14% to 10% of total transactions — a reduction of nearly 30%, driven by a coordinated strategy. On one side, the introduction of PostePay gave customers a familiar and accessible digital alternative; on the other, a simultaneous review of internal policies helped discourage the use of cash. The benefits were twofold: the business reduced logistical complexity while creating much leaner financial flows.
What stands out, however, is not just the drop in COD, but the remarkable stability of the conversion rate. Switching provider on the eve of the busiest time of year, while introducing new payment methods and limiting a long-standing option like cash, is usually a high-risk move. Yet performance did not suffer. Customers found the new checkout experience so smooth that the shift to digital payments felt entirely natural.
“Moving to Mollie just before Black Friday was not an obvious decision: we strongly wanted it because we saw it as a way to boost performance. Together with the Mollie and Byte-Code teams, we carefully planned the activities and rollout needed to be ready and secure for peak season. The numbers proved us right: the conversion rate remained stable, cash on delivery kept declining, and our customers adopted the new payment methods without any friction.”
Pietro Rossato, Digital Manager at PittaRosso
Beyond the numbers: the strategic value of local support
There is one aspect of this story that goes beyond percentages, and it comes through clearly in the words of those involved: the quality of the relationship.
The Italian payments market has its own specific dynamics, habits and nuances. In this context, having a partner that speaks the same language — literally and figuratively — is not a minor detail. For PittaRosso, finding a local point of reference in Mollie meant being able to face every challenge with the confidence of having an ally aligned with the company’s goals, capable of turning technical support into tailored advice.
“Having support that speaks Italian, understands the market dynamics and responds quickly changes everything. With Mollie, we have never felt alone: we found a partner we could openly discuss every strategic decision with,” continues Pietro Rossato, Digital Manager at PittaRosso.
Too often, when choosing a provider, the focus is limited to fees and technical specifications, overlooking the immense value of market knowledge. And yet, this is exactly where the line is drawn between a simple supplier and a true strategic partner.
“We don’t look for suppliers for our clients — we look for partners. Mollie proved to be exactly that from day one: present, responsive and genuinely knowledgeable about the Italian market. That’s what makes the difference when you need to make fast decisions and can’t afford mistakes”
Sante Occhiuzzi, Digital Marketing Manager at Byte-Code.
Conclusion: a lesson for Italian retail
The story of PittaRosso and Mollie shows how technological foresight can become a tangible competitive advantage.
It all began with a vision. Back in 2020, Byte-Code invested in a flexible architecture when headless commerce was still a niche concept. Built on those strong foundations, PittaRosso chose to listen to its customers by integrating the payment methods they use most — and by relying on a partner able to support that evolution at every level: technical, operational and strategic.
For anyone running an e-commerce business in Italy, the lesson is clear: offering PostePay and Bancomat Pay is no longer optional. It is a necessary response to deeply rooted consumer habits. And that detail can make the difference between a checkout that converts and one that loses customers at the final step. Mollie provided the technology; PittaRosso, thanks to an infrastructure already designed for change, was able to turn it into conversions.
Ready to turn payments into a competitive advantage?
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