PrestaShop 1.6 to 8.1.5

Challenge

A French furniture and home decor store. Purchases are expensive and considered: before ordering a sofa or a table, shoppers study the product for a long time.

The store ran on PrestaShop 1.6, which no longer received updates, and current modules did not support it. A direct jump to 8.x without data loss was not possible, and the client did not want to stop sales during the move.

Solution

• A two-step upgradeWe moved the store to 1.7 first, checked the data and modules, then upgraded to 8.1.5. That kept each step under control.
• 360° product viewWe added 360° views so shoppers can look at furniture from every side.
• A new themeWe built a PrestaShop 8 theme with large photos and a convenient product page.
• Zero-downtime cutoverWe prepared the new version in parallel and switched traffic over after a final order sync.

How we worked

1. Module audit

   We checked every module for compatibility with 1.7 and 8.x and found replacements for outdated ones.

2. Two rehearsals

   Each upgrade step ran on a copy of the store first, and only then did we repeat it for the final move.

3. Launch

   We switched traffic to the upgraded store without stopping sales.

Outcome

The store runs on current PrestaShop 8.1.5 with no data loss and not a minute of downtime, and the 360° view helps shoppers commit to an expensive purchase.