HardwareThe PC Build
A "broken" PC headed for the trash, rebuilt over five stages into an AM5 machine with full ARGB lighting.
Hey, I'm Michael De La Riva
Ecommerce
Merchandiser.
I make online stores work better, from the product data to the page. Product data, Adobe Commerce, SEO content, and a growing list of things I build.
- active products managed
- 26,000
- products in the full catalog
- ~76,000
- platforms learned on the job: Magento 1, Magento 2, Adobe Commerce
- 3
Projects.
All projects →Hardware
WebsiteOC Local Handyman
A local handyman business's site, from its first version as IE#1 Handyman to a rebuild with SEO, structured data, an FAQ and a vector logo.
WebsiteThis Site
My portfolio and personal hub, built with Astro, Tailwind and Claude Code. My first Astro project.
Case study
Cutting a 76,000-product export down in seconds
A VBA script, built with ChatGPT's help, that turns a sitewide catalog export into exactly the rows I need, in seconds instead of by hand.
Experience.
Senior Ecommerce Merchandiser @ Outdoor & fishing retailer
April 2022 – Present
- Manage product data for 26,000 active SKUs (~76,000 total) on Adobe Commerce. Learned and worked through the platform changes from Magento 1 → Magento 2 → Adobe Commerce on the fly.
- Work in a team-oriented ecommerce department: shared Microsoft Teams tasks, watching each other’s changes to the storefront, and catching problems before customers do.
- Merchandise new products end to end: attributes, specifications, descriptions, images and SEO content.
- Run bulk import/export updates for pricing, clearance and inventory behavior, including the backorder settings that decide whether a product can be purchased.
- Take on the unusual data problems: combining exports to rebuild the SKU, URL and attribute data the system won’t give directly.
- Used ChatGPT to help build Excel VBA tools, including a script that filters a full ~76,000-product export in seconds.
- Write SEO- and ADA-minded product, category and guide content, detailed enough that competitors use our site for specs.
- Own the homepage and key landing pages: new arrivals, featured products, sale banners and Instagram tagging. Everything shown must be in stock and able to be added to cart.
- Make small backend changes that affect the storefront through a local WSL + Git/GitHub workflow.
- Brought Claude Code into image templating and ADA alt text, and found a bulk-import path for both.
- Coordinate with in-store product experts, sales, marketing and an outside email marketing agency on launches, clearance and limited-edition releases.
- Help train and support new merchandisers through the unusual problems this job always brings.
Front-end projects @ Team & solo work
Before 2022 – Present
- OC Local Handyman: a small-business site I first built as IE#1 Handyman, then rebuilt with SEO, structured data and a vector logo when the business rebranded.
- Castle Care with KiritoFireTeam: a medical care website built by five developers spread across the US on a two-week deadline. I owned the Services and News pages.
- This site: built with Astro and Claude Code.
PC builder @ Personal
2024 – Present
- Rescued a “broken” PC headed for the trash. It only needed RAM.
- Rebuilt it over five stages: Ryzen 7 2700X → AM5 with a Ryzen 5 7600X3D, Intel Arc GPUs, an NZXT H9 Flow and a full ARGB setup.
- Spent two weeks tracking down a Windows login freeze to Intel graphics drivers.
- Built a second PC for my nephews from the original parts.
Teamwork.
Most of my work happens with other people: my team, the rest of the company, and developers I've never met in person.
01
My ecommerce team
A team-oriented department where everyone touches the same storefront. We work from shared Microsoft Teams tasks, keep an eye on each other’s changes, and I help train and support new merchandisers.
02
Across the company
We’re not anglers, so we rely on the store associates, sales and marketing teams for how products are actually used. We also work with an outside agency on emails for launches, clearance and limited editions.
03
KiritoFireTeam
Five developers spread across the US built Castle Care, a medical care website, on a two-week deadline. I owned the Services and News pages and coordinated with the team remotely.
Skills.
Ecommerce
- Adobe Commerce / Magento 2
- Catalog & attribute management
- Bulk import / export
- Pricing, clearance & inventory rules
- Homepage merchandising
Data & Automation
- Excel: XLOOKUP, large datasets
- VBA macros, built with ChatGPT
- Reconciling multiple exports
- Claude Code automation
- Manufacturer data collection
Web & SEO
- HTML, CSS / SASS, JavaScript
- On-page SEO & content
- Accessibility (ADA, alt text)
- Git, GitHub, npm, WSL / Ubuntu
- Astro, React, Next.js
Teamwork & Workflow
- Cross-team communication
- Microsoft Teams & Asana
- PowerToys: FancyZones, Workspaces
- Keyboard-first everything
- Photoshop: templates, pen tool
- Training new merchandisers
My Story.
I got into the web by learning HTML and CSS, making small sites, and building Castle Care with KiritoFireTeam, a group of five developers spread across the US.
Since 2022 I've worked in ecommerce for an outdoor and fishing retailer, managing product data for a catalog of about 26,000 active products. Most of what I know comes from getting the data I need out of systems that weren't built to hand it over easily.
I like taking things apart to see how they work, and that goes for computers too. My current PC started out as a "broken" machine headed for the trash. It only needed RAM.