Initace 
The five mistakes we see most often in PrestaShop stores, and which really lower sales, are: no sensible filters in categories, a checkout that is too long, no clear information about product availability, slow-loading product pages and outdated stock levels. Each can be checked yourself in a few minutes — at the end of the article we show where to look in the PrestaShop panel.
1. No sensible filters in categories
A category with dozens of products and no filters (size, colour, price, brand) forces the customer to scroll through everything in turn. A customer who does not quickly find what they are looking for usually just leaves. It is worth checking that the filters are visible straight away, and not tucked into a drop-down menu that is easy to miss — especially on a phone.
2. A checkout that is too long
Every extra field in the order form is a chance for the customer to change their mind. Forced account creation before ordering, asking for the same details twice, or no preview of the delivery cost before the last step — these are classic reasons for abandoned carts.
3. No clear information about availability
“Check availability”, or silence where there should be a message like “ships within 24 hours”, raises doubts. A customer who does not know when they will get the product is more likely to give up on the purchase than to ask about it by e-mail.
4. Slow-loading product pages
Product pages with many large images and extensive variants can load noticeably more slowly than the home page. It is worth measuring a specific product page, not only the home page — bottlenecks differ in different parts of the store.
5. Outdated stock levels
Selling a product that is no longer in stock costs more than one missed transaction — it means a refund, time spent on explanations and a customer who is unlikely to return. The risk grows when the store and the warehouse (or wholesaler) are not connected automatically.
Where to check it in the PrestaShop panel — a quarter of an hour with a coffee
You can check the settings below yourself, without a developer. Menu names may differ slightly between PrestaShop versions and panel translations.
- Filters: in the faceted search module (the one responsible for filters in categories), check that the filters are assigned to the right categories. A common mistake: after new products or features are added, nobody rebuilt the filter index, so the numbers next to the filters do not add up or new products do not show in the results.
- Checkout without an account: in the customer settings (Shop Parameters → Customer Settings), check that guest checkout is switched on. Then place a test order on a phone and count the fields you have to fill in.
- Availability: on the product page, in the quantities tab, fill in the labels displayed when the product is in stock and when it is out. Empty labels are exactly the “silence” instead of information about the shipping time.
- Performance: in the menu Advanced Parameters → Performance, check that debug mode is off and the template cache is on. Debug mode left on after a developer’s work is a common reason for a suddenly slow store.
- Stock: check that the store does not allow ordering products that are out of stock — unless you deliberately sell to order and communicate a longer lead time.
In short: filters, a short checkout, clear availability, fast product pages and current stock levels — five things worth checking first.
Stock levels drifting apart between the store and the wholesaler? See Custom applications and integrations for your store. Is the store running on an old version of PrestaShop? See Store migration.
