Case Study - E-commerce Platform

Development of an Integrated E-commerce Platform for Corsican Retail Chain

+250%

E-commerce revenue

+180%

Traffic

-35%

Operational costs

6 months

Project duration

Project Overview

            Client: Fashion/accessories retail chain based in Corsica (confidential)

            Sector: Retail and e-commerce

            Number of stores: 4 physical points of sale + 1 online

            Staff: 35 employees

            Duration: 6 months

            Technologies: Prestashop, PHP, MySQL, Stripe, custom POS, OVH

            Result: +€850k revenue year 1, +180% e-commerce traffic, -35% operational costs

Context and Challenges

Initial Situation

Our client, a historic chain of Corsican boutiques, operated in a highly fragmented manner:

Two isolated channels: Physical stores (traditional cash register) and external marketplace
Manual inventory management: Excel sheets, phone calls between stores
No omnichannel visibility: Store stock ≠ online stock = overselling/stockouts
Basic e-commerce system: Wix site, 0% integration, no API
No customer data: Unknown purchase history, no loyalty program
Manual logistics process: Paper orders, no tracking
Fragmented reporting: Analyzing overall sales took 2 days/week
Degraded customer experience: Online order, in-store pickup impossible

            Consequences:

            - Sales losses: e-commerce stockouts despite store stock

            - Blocked inventory: €200k in stores, little online

            - Customer dissatisfaction: slow online purchases, no flexibility

            - High operational costs: time-consuming manual management

            - No growth: stagnation for 3 years

Strategic Objectives

Unify physical stores and e-commerce into omnichannel
Synchronize inventory in real time
Increase revenue through optimized e-commerce
Reduce operational costs (automation)
Improve customer experience (flexibility, tracking)
Analyze customer data for loyalty and marketing

Developed Solution

Omnichannel Architecture

We designed an integrated e-commerce platform connecting physical stores and online channel:

📦 Centralized Stock Management System

Real-time synchronization stores ↔ Prestashop
Item traceability (SKU, batch, expiration date)
Automatic stockout alerts
Traceable and historical stock movements
Variant management (size, color)
Multi-store stock dashboard

💻 Custom POS (Point of Sale)

Responsive web application (tablets/PC)
Native integration with Prestashop (API)
Bidirectional stock synchronization
Loyalty customers (purchase identification)
Card/mobile/cash payment
Returns and exchanges management
Local and national promotions

🚚 Logistics & Delivery Module

Automated order management (Prestashop)
Optimized picking/packing
Automated parcel labeling
Real-time tracking (customer + internal)
Carrier connector (Colissimo, DPD, La Poste)
Simplified returns management

👤 Omnichannel Customer Portal

Centralized account creation
Complete purchase history (online + stores)
Loyalty and accumulated points
Personalized recommendations
In-store pickup (click & collect)
Promotion alerts

Technology Stack

Component	Technology	Justification
E-commerce	Prestashop 8.x	Robustness, native features, support
Frontend	HTML5/CSS3 + JavaScript	Responsive Prestashop theme
Backend	PHP 8.1+	Standard Prestashop stack
Database	MySQL 8.0	Prestashop compatible, performance
POS	React web app	Responsive interface, real-time
POS Backend	Node.js + Express	Dedicated POS API, websockets
Stock synchronization	Prestashop Webhooks	Real-time communication
Payments	Stripe + PayPal	Official Prestashop modules
File storage	OVH Object Storage	Product images, integrated CDN
Email	OVH Smtp	Reliable transactional emails
Infrastructure	OVH Managed Hosting	Prestashop support, backups
SSL/Security	Let's Encrypt + WAF	PCI-DSS compliance, HTTPS

Developed Features

Phase 1: Migration and Foundations (Months 1-2)

✅ Migration to Prestashop

Import 5000+ products from old system
Data cleaning and validation
SEO-optimized category structure
Customer and purchase history migration

✅ Cart and Checkout

Conversion-optimized sales funnel
Integrated Stripe payment
Automatic shipping cost calculation
Transactional email confirmations

✅ Customer Authentication

Centralized account creation
Quick login
Unified customer profile

Phase 2: Omnichannel Stores (Months 2-3)

✅ Connected POS for Stores

Web application accessible from tablets/PC
Digital cash register integrated with Prestashop
Bidirectional stock synchronization
Loyalty customer management
Integrated card/mobile payment

✅ Centralized Stock Management

Prestashop ↔ POS synchronization API (real-time)
Multi-store stock dashboard
Stockout threshold alerts
Traceable stock movements

✅ Click & Collect

Online order, in-store pickup
Automatic stock reservation
Customer notification by SMS/email
POS interface for pickup validation

Phase 3: Logistics & Reporting (Months 3-4)

✅ Order Automation

Order generation from Prestashop
Automated picking list
Parcel labeling (carrier integration)
Automatically generated tracking URL
Real-time customer notifications

✅ Returns Management

Simplified return process (customer portal)
Automatic Prestashop refunds
Automated return to stock

✅ Advanced Reporting

KPI dashboard (Revenue, conversion, AOV)
Sales analysis by product/category
Performance by store
Loyalty customer reports

Phase 4: Loyalty & Optimizations (Months 4-6)

✅ Loyalty Program

Prestashop loyalty module
Points accumulated per purchase
Customer tiers (silver/gold/platinum)
Personalized rewards and coupons

✅ Marketing Emails

Automatic customer segmentation
Abandoned cart recovery campaigns
Targeted newsletters by segment
Seasonal promotion automation

✅ SEO & Performance

Prestashop speed optimization
HTTP cache and CDN
Rich snippets data structure
Keyword-optimized product pages
Integrated Prestashop blog

Results and Measurable Impacts

Success Metrics

Metric	Before	After	Impact
E-commerce revenue	€100k/year	€950k/year	+250%
Monthly e-commerce traffic	2k visits	5.6k visits	+180%
Conversion rate	1.2%	4.8%	+300%
Average cart value	€45	€95	+111%
Unique customers	800	5200	+550%
Average store inventory	€250k	€120k	-52%
Daily inventory management time	3h	15 min	-92%
Omnichannel service rate	0%	68%	+68%
Customer satisfaction	7.2/10	9.1/10	+26%

User Feedback

"The commercial impact is incredible. We've exploded our online sales and physical stores are also experiencing nice growth. Customers love click & collect."

— General Manager

"Day-to-day, the cash register is so much smoother. We see stock in real-time, we know what's selling. And we finally capture customer data for real analysis."

— Ajaccio Store Manager

"Before it was a logistics nightmare. Now everything is automated. We process 10 orders in 1 hour where we used to do 2 before."

— Logistics Manager

Business Impact

+€850k revenue year 1 (investment covered in 4 months)
Omnichannel growth: cross-selling store ↔ e-commerce
Inventory reduction: €130k freed, accelerated rotation
Productivity +280%: less administrative time
Competitive advantage: only Corsican retail chain with omnichannel

Methodology and Deployment

Agile Approach with Customer Priority

We followed an iterative approach with:

🎯 Discovery Workshop (Week 1)

Store observation (2 days)
Team interviews
Process and pain point mapping
Detailed Prestashop specifications

🔄 6 sprints of 4 weeks

Collaborative planning on Monday
Demos every Friday
Continuous feedback adjustments
Progressive field testing

🚀 Progressive Deployment

Month 1: Prestashop in production (1 pilot store)
Month 2: POS + centralized stock (3 stores)
Month 3: Automated logistics
Month 4: Loyalty + analytics

Training and Support

Group training (3 sessions × 1h30)
Individual POS cashier training (30 min each)
Video documentation (20 tutorials)
Paper booklet of key processes
Intensive support hotline (first 2 weeks)
Ongoing support (24h email, Prestashop forum)

Challenges Overcome

🔧 Challenge 1: Prestashop ↔ POS Stock Synchronization

Problem: Disconnected stores, stock discrepancies, overselling

Solution: Prestashop webhooks, real-time POS API, robust synchronization queue

📦 Challenge 2: 5000+ Product Migration

Problem: Inconsistent legacy data, different formats, missing images

Solution: Custom PHP migration scripts, data cleaning, 100% validation before go-live

👥 Challenge 3: POS Adoption by Cashiers

Problem: Traditional teams, technology fear, resistance to change

Solution: Simplified UX interface, progressive training, visible benefits (speed, commission tracking)

⚡ Challenge 4: Prestashop Performance During Traffic Peaks

Problem: Black Friday/sales = traffic peaks, crash risk, cart timeouts

Solution: Aggressive HTTP cache, CDN for images, MySQL optimization, load testing

Evolution Opportunities

The client is currently exploring:

📱 Prestashop Mobile Application

Catalog browsing
Cart and payment
Promotion notifications

🔌 Additional Prestashop Modules

Advanced SEO module
Marketing automation module
Competitor comparison module

🌍 Expansion

Multi-language (FR/EN/IT)
Corsica → Metropolitan France sales
Marketplace integration (Amazon/eBay via Prestashop)

Conclusion

This Prestashop omnichannel e-commerce platform demonstrates how intelligent digitalization transforms traditional retail. By synchronizing physical stores and Prestashop online, we have:

✅ Increased e-commerce revenue by +250% ✅ Created a robust true omnichannel strategy ✅ Reduced operational costs by 35% ✅ Improved customer satisfaction by 26%

Are you a Corsican retailer/e-merchant with Prestashop omnichannel needs?

step-by-step.technology masters advanced Prestashop development, POS integration, omnichannel stock management. We accompany Corsican businesses towards digital transformation and growth with Prestashop.

Next Steps

📞 Free Consultation

30 minutes to analyze your retail needs

📊 Prestashop Audit

Assessment of current technology and processes

💰 Personalized Quote

Realistic estimate, calculated ROI, possible financing

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