Which method for which need?
| Method | What for | Time for 500 prices | Rounding (x.99 / x.90) | Preview before sending | Undo | Combinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back office, product by product | A few products | About 2 h (1) | By hand | Yes, product by product | By hand | Product page by product page |
| Catalog price rules | Temporary promotion | A few minutes: one rule | No | No | Delete the rule | Included, without changing their impact |
| CSV import | Change base prices | The time to prepare the file | Spreadsheet formula | No | Reimport the old file | Separate import file |
| SQL query | Developer, specific case | A few seconds to run | In the query | No | Database backup | Separate query |
| Bulk editing software (One Shop Manager) | Change base prices safely | About 1 min (1) | Yes | Yes, line by line | From the journal | Included |
(1) Estimate on a test shop with 5,000 products, measured by the publisher of One Shop Manager.
Can you do it in the back office?
Yes, product by product: open the product page, change the price, save. Reliable but slow, best kept for a few products.
The bulk actions of the product list are limited to enabling, disabling or deleting the selection (and duplicating it from 1.7 onwards): they do not change prices.
What are catalog price rules for?
In Catalog › Discounts › Catalog price rules, a rule applies a percentage or amount discount to a selection: category, brand, supplier, attribute or feature, with dates, a country, a customer group or a minimum quantity.
It is the right tool for a promotion. But the rule does not change the base price: it applies on top, and disappears at its end date or when you delete it. It cannot round to x.90 or raise a price.
How do you use CSV import?
You export the products, change the price column in a spreadsheet, then reimport the file, updating existing products by their ID or reference. Base prices really change.
The pitfalls are well known:
- no reliable preview before the import, and no simple undo;
- column separator and decimal separator (comma or point) to respect;
- price excl. or incl. tax depending on the column chosen;
- combinations are imported in a separate file.
Back up the database before importing.
What about an SQL query?
It is the fastest for a developer, and the riskiest: no approval, no undo without a backup. Remember the related tables: ps_product and ps_product_shop (the price is stored in both), combination price impacts in ps_product_attribute and ps_product_attribute_shop, specific prices, then clear the cache.
What does bulk editing software do?
Dedicated software combines the speed of SQL with the safety of the back office. With One Shop Manager, the catalog is copied to the computer and a price change is set like this:
- price by percentage or amount, excl. or incl. tax;
- rounding to x.99, x.90 or to the cent;
- minimum margin over the cost price;
- before/after preview line by line, with warnings (negative price, change over 50%);
- sent in batches, conflict flagged if the shop changed since the sync, whole operation undone from the journal;
- combinations included.
500 prices changed in 1 min instead of 2 h in the back office (estimate on a test shop with 5,000 products). Details on the Catalog page; for a dated discount, the specific price campaign replaces the price rule.
Can you ask an AI to do it?
Yes, if the tool keeps an approval step. Example: "Raise the products in the Candles category by 5%, rounded to .90." The AI prepares the proposal, you read the before/after preview, then apply or reject it. See Connect Claude or ChatGPT to PrestaShop.
Which mistakes should you avoid?
- Forgetting combinations: their price impact is added to the product price; raising the base price does not touch the impact.
- Mixing up excl. and incl. tax: PrestaShop stores the price excl. tax; rounding to x.90 is usually done on the displayed price incl. tax.
- Going under the cost price: check the margin, especially after a percentage cut.
- Not backing up before an import or SQL query: without a backup, there is no way back.
Frequently asked questions
Can you change the price of all combinations at once?
In the back office, one product at a time: from 1.7 onwards, the combinations checked on a product page can be edited together; for several products, you need CSV import. With bulk editing software such as One Shop Manager, yes: the operation applies to the product or its combinations, and the price impact can also be changed in bulk.
How do you round prices to .99?
In a spreadsheet, before a CSV import, with a formula on the price incl. tax, then recalculating the price excl. tax. In One Shop Manager, rounding to x.99, x.90 or to the cent is an option of the price change.
How do you undo a bulk price change?
After a CSV import or an SQL query, by reimporting the old file or restoring a backup. A price rule is deleted. In One Shop Manager, the whole operation is undone from the journal and the original prices are written back to the shop.
What is the difference between base price and specific price?
The base price is the product price excl. tax, stored on its product page. A specific price (or a catalog price rule) applies on top, possibly with dates, a group or a country: it is used for promotions and leaves the base price intact.