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Read the briefIndependent thinking. Practical tech.
AI, automation & digital systems. For small businesses.
A clear view of what’s changing.
Practical ideas for what to do next.
Less noise. More useful.
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The Hidden Cost of Unnecessary Manual Work in Small Businesses
Implementation
We don't just write about this stuff. We build it.
We form these opinions because we actually implement the systems — automation, AI workflows, internal tools, web applications, ecommerce, integrations and business processes.
Recognise the problem
This probably shouldn’t be manual.
These are usually not people problems. They are process and system problems.
20 minutes. One workflow. One clear recommendation.
Book a 20-minute diagnosisReal systems
We build the systems we write about.
Real constraints, practical outcomes — not portfolio filler.
Shopify checkout rules
CheckoutControl
- Problem
- A Shopify store needs payment and delivery methods to change according to the order, but that logic can become brittle and difficult to manage.
- What we built
- A shared rule editor connected to Shopify Functions for supported payment, delivery and Cash on Delivery flows.
- What it solves
- It keeps checkout logic understandable, testable and changeable in one place.
WooCommerce invoicing
8digits Factura
- Problem
- Spanish WooCommerce stores needed sequential PDF invoices without leaving WordPress or bolting on another admin tool.
- What we built
- A WooCommerce plugin that turns orders into numbered PDF invoices, email attachments and an admin list — with Pro tools for credit notes, B2B fields and a customer portal.
- What it solves
- Routine invoicing stays inside the store’s existing order flow, with clear Free and Professional boundaries.
Pre-launch website QA
Launch Ready
- Problem
- Agencies still find launch blockers after the client has announced launch day: leftover noindex, staging form URLs, missing tags, unfinished pages.
- What we built
- A deterministic pre-launch scanner that crawls a staging or live site and produces a Launch Readiness score and a report you can send to a client.
- What it solves
- You know whether a site is ready to launch before go-live, without AI guesswork.
Who you talk to
8digits is led by Peter.
You speak directly with the person who will help diagnose the problem and shape the solution.
Peter spent nearly a decade building the technology department at a full-stack digital marketing agency: WordPress, integrations, automation, CRM and martech. 8digits is the same bias applied to small businesses: look at the work, remove unnecessary steps, then choose the technology.
Based in Frigiliana, Málaga. The working language of the studio is English.
How we work
We don’t start with technology.
We start by understanding the problem and how the work happens today. Then we remove unnecessary steps, redesign the workflow and choose the technology that makes sense.
- 01
Understand
Map what happens today.
- 02
Analyse
Find the friction, risk and cost.
- 03
Simplify
Remove work that does not need to happen.
- 04
Design
Define the better workflow.
- 05
Build
Implement the smallest useful solution.
- 06
Improve
Measure what happened and improve from reality.
What we build
The solution depends on the problem.
Sometimes the answer is a simpler process or better use of a tool you already have. When something needs building, it may involve:
- 01
Automation
Useful when a task is repetitive, predictable and follows clear rules.
- 02
AI
Useful when work involves reading, classifying or drafting from text, documents and enquiries—usually with human review.
- 03
Integrations
Useful when people copy information between systems or multiple tools disagree about the same data.
- 04
Web and applications
Useful when customers or employees need a clearer interface for completing a workflow.
- 05
Custom systems
Useful when existing software almost fits, but the missing part is central to how the business works.
A practical example
How we’d solve it
A company receives dozens of enquiries every day. Someone reads each email, categorises it, copies the details into the CRM and creates follow-up tasks.
Before
01EmailThe enquiry arrives as unstructured text, so someone must interpret it.
02EmployeeA person pauses other work to read, sort and route every message.
03SpreadsheetDetails are copied into a temporary tracker that can drift out of date.
04CRMThe same data is entered again, introducing delay and mistakes.
05TaskA follow-up task is created manually and can be missed.
06ReplyThe response waits until every earlier hand-off is complete.
What is actually broken
The inbox is not the problem. The repeated hand-offs are.
After
01EnquiryOne structured intake captures the information the workflow actually needs.
02ClassificationRules or assisted review classify the request consistently at arrival.
03CRMValidated details move into the CRM once, without retyping.
04PriorityAgreed signals surface urgent work first instead of relying on inbox order.
05TaskThe right follow-up is created automatically with the context attached.
06Human reviewA person handles the judgement call, not the copying between tools.
Point of view
A few things we believe
- 01
Not every problem needs AI.
- 02
A bad process automated is still a bad process.
- 03
Another software subscription will not fix a broken workflow.
- 04
If people enter the same information twice, something is probably wrong.
- 05
Your website is part of your business system, not just a brochure.
- 06
The simplest useful solution usually wins.
One workflow. One clear recommendation.
20 minutes. One workflow. One clear recommendation.
Book a 20-minute diagnosisContact
Have a process that shouldn't work the way it does?
We'll tell you what we'd change first.