Online store development for businesses
Illustration of a discussion about handling store orders.
A new store may need a straightforward retail checkout, customer-specific terms for business buyers, or a catalogue from which customers submit enquiries. We help identify the model that fits your customers and your team's work.
If you already run PrestaShop and need a repair, upgrade or new feature, see our PrestaShop repair and development service.
Online store, B2B portal or product catalogue?
| Sales model | What the customer needs | What we agree before implementation |
|---|---|---|
| B2C store | Choose a product and variant, see the price, place an order and select an agreed payment and delivery option. | Product range, promotions, availability, purchase flow and order handling. |
| B2B portal | Access the offer and terms for their company, place orders and follow their progress. | Customer-specific prices, user roles, permissions, addresses and order workflow. |
| Product catalogue | Find and compare products, prepare a list or send an enquiry. | Product data, filters, the enquiry process and how staff receive it. |
These are three starting points for defining the scope. We select features and connections to other software for each project. Our B2B portal and order management service covers business customer workflows in more detail.
Examples of our catalogue and store work
We rebuilt the OBIBOOK book catalogue in Laravel. The scope included CSV imports, search, customer lists and exports of prepared lists. See the OBIBOOK case study for the work on data and preparing and sharing book lists.
Our PrestaShop work includes product importers and a Symplex Small Business integration for Ragazza, wholesaler integrations and price change history for BUY-IT, and an engine upgrade and custom module for Tempus. See these examples on our PrestaShop service page.
Products, prices and stock need a defined source
Before implementation, we establish which program is responsible for descriptions, prices, stock and order statuses. We define the direction of exchange, update frequency and how a failed import will be identified. This is how we prepare integrations between a store and business systems.
If you also sell offline, we agree what should happen when the last available item sells through another channel or its price changes. We establish when data becomes binding and how staff will learn about a discrepancy. The process includes cases that need a manual check, rather than assuming every data exchange will succeed.
How do we run the implementation?
- Define the first scope. We choose a customer group, part of the product range and a complete order or enquiry flow. We separate launch needs from later development.
- Prepare data and a working trial. We check catalogue structure, variants, images, prices and available connections. We demonstrate the agreed process in a test environment.
- Check the whole workflow. We test purchases or enquiries on phones and computers, customer messages and the handover of data to business operations. Acceptance also covers agreed exceptions, such as an interrupted payment or unavailable stock.
- Plan the launch. We agree how to transfer current data, when to switch, the backup, rollback arrangements and checks on the first orders.
When replacing an existing store, we inventory its URLs and map them to their equivalents. We keep existing addresses where possible. Changed URLs receive permanent redirects to the appropriate product, category or content, followed by checks of old entry points and current links.
How do we choose a platform?
For a simple sales model, a subscription platform may be sufficient. An existing PrestaShop store is worth assessing for further development first. We consider a custom solution when the process, data or integrations need individual logic.
We are developing DominPress Commerce as a foundation for custom commerce solutions. We assess its use for each implementation, including payments, delivery and maintenance. We propose the technology after defining the scope and checking the required components.
What determines the cost of a store?
The sales model, data quality, pricing rules, user roles, integrations and migration all affect the cost. In your first message, describe your customers, product range, order handling and the software your business uses. If you are replacing a store, include its URL.
We will then establish what still needs checking before we can quote. A complex process may call for a separate analysis stage. We define later support through an agreed application and store maintenance service.
Describe your online sales plans
Tell us who will buy or send enquiries, which products you want to offer and how you currently handle orders.
List the software the store needs to exchange data with. If you are replacing an existing store, include its URL. We will agree how to arrange any necessary access separately.