Case Study — E-Commerce / Emergency Recovery
Emergency PrestaShop recovery for a multi-market e-commerce electric bike retailer
The Client
eBikeZilla is a fast-growing North American retailer specializing in high-performance electric motorcycles from brands like Sur-Ron, Talaria, Stark Future, Drill-One, and RXF. Based in Canada, the company serves customers across both the Canadian and US markets through a PrestaShop-powered multi-shop setup.
Three separate storefronts run on a single PrestaShop engine instance, each with its own domain, pricing, and localized experience. The product catalog spans complete electric dirt bikes, OEM parts, aftermarket upgrades, batteries, controllers, tires, and accessories.
The Problem
When eBikeZilla came to us, the store was in critical condition. The merchant module was malfunctioning, causing failed transactions, incorrect order routing, and broken checkout flows. Multi-currency settlements were not properly separated between USD and CAD. Legacy PHP constraints made updates risky, and all previous fixes had been applied directly to production with no testing environment.
Challenges & Solutions
Broken Merchant Integration
Payment processing was failing intermittently, causing lost sales and customer frustration across all three storefronts.
Targeted Module Repair
Traced failures to misconfigured payment gateway settings, outdated module hooks, and multi-shop/API conflicts. Patched PHP module logic and corrected API call parameters per storefront.
Multi-Currency Chaos
USD and CAD settlements were not properly separated, leading to incorrect totals and reconciliation nightmares between the US and Canadian operations.
Clean Currency Separation
Restructured currency settlement logic so US transactions settle in USD and Canadian transactions settle in CAD — with clean separation at the payment gateway level.
Legacy PHP Constraints
The store was locked to an older PHP version because critical plugins were incompatible with newer releases, creating a chain of risky dependencies.
Careful Dependency Management
Managed dependencies within the existing PHP version, isolating module conflicts while maintaining stability and identifying a safe upgrade path.
Multi-Shop Cascade Risk
Three storefronts on one PrestaShop instance meant a bug in one shop could cascade across all three, amplifying risk with every change.
Staging Environment
Built a full replica of the live store on a dedicated staging server, matching the exact OS, PHP version, Nginx configuration, and database — enabling safe testing.
No Testing Environment
All fixes and updates had previously been applied directly to the production server, making every change a high-stakes gamble.
Staging-First Workflow
Established a staging-first development workflow where every fix is validated in a production-mirror environment before deployment.
What We Delivered
Emergency Merchant Repair
Payment processing stabilized across all three storefronts with correct routing per merchant account.
Multi-Currency Configuration
USD and CAD settlements fully separated with accurate reconciliation for each market.
Staging Environment
Dedicated test server mirroring production for safe testing before every deployment.
Multi-Shop Stabilization
Product pricing, shipping rules, and tax calculations correctly scoped to each market.
Ongoing PHP Support
Task-based support model with continuous monitoring, module updates, and server health management.
Technology Stack
Results
Payment processing stabilized across all three storefronts — no more lost transactions or failed checkouts.
USD and CAD settlements fully separated with accurate reconciliation for each market.
Dedicated test server mirrors production, enabling safe testing before every deployment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you fix a broken PrestaShop merchant module?
We begin by cloning the production environment into a dedicated staging server, diagnosing the root cause within the merchant integration, and applying targeted fixes without disrupting the live store.
Can PrestaShop handle multi-currency for US and Canadian markets?
Yes. PrestaShop supports multi-currency and multi-shop configurations. We configure separate currency settlements for each market with accurate tax calculations and proper payment gateway routing.
What is a PrestaShop multi-shop setup?
PrestaShop multi-shop allows multiple storefronts to run on a single engine instance with shared inventory, centralized order management, and unified administration — while each store can have its own domain, theme, pricing, and currency.
Why is a staging environment important for PrestaShop maintenance?
A dedicated staging environment mirrors production, allowing developers to test fixes, module updates, and PHP upgrades without risking the live site — especially critical for stores with legacy plugins.
Dealing With a PrestaShop Emergency?
We specialize in stabilizing broken e-commerce stores and providing ongoing PHP-level support that scales with your business.