Online shopping has become more popular than ever before, making E-commerce websites an essential asset to businesses. Due to the vast selection of products available, customers usually take their time to browse and compare the products they are interested in purchasing. To help with this, PrestaShop, an open-source E-commerce platform, offers a product comparison feature, which allows customers to compare products side by side. However, the default comparison feature may not be enough to impress your customers. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss how to create a custom product comparison tool for your PrestaShop store.
Table of Contents
Customize the Comparison Tool
Before we start, make sure to have a local development environment set up, a copy of PrestaShop installed, and a basic understanding of PHP, HTML, and CSS. Although PrestaShop offers a comparison tool by default, it may not suit your requirements. Therefore, it’s essential to understand what features you want to add or remove to make your comparison tool more user-friendly.
For example, you may want to:
- Allow customers to compare more than two products
- Display a dynamic table with adjustable columns
- Introduce a rating system to compare products based on reviews
- Set a limit on selecting products to compare
- Offer a comparison tool for a specific category of products
- Customize the look and feel of the comparison tool
Create a Custom Module
To add a custom comparison tool to your PrestaShop store, you need to create a custom module. A module is a self-contained extension that allows developers to add new features to PrestaShop without changing the core files or database schema. To create a module, follow these steps:
Step 1: Create a Folder
In the /modules directory of your PrestaShop installation, create a new folder with a unique name for your module. In this example, we will call it mycomparison.
Step 2: Create PHP Files
Inside the /mycomparison folder, create two PHP files: mycomparison.php and mycomparison.tpl. The first file contains the module’s logic, and the second file contains the HTML markup.
Step 3: Define Variables
In the mycomparison.php file, define the variables you will use to retrieve the data and pass it to the template. For example, you can retrieve the product data by using the Product::getProducts() method and pass it to the template using the $this->context->smarty->assign() method.
Step 4: Set Up the Template
In the mycomparison.tpl file, set up the template to display the product comparison tool. You can use HTML and CSS to create the layout and a loop to iterate through the product data and display it in a table.
Step 5: Install the Module
To install the module, go to the Modules and Services page in the PrestaShop back office, click the Add a new module button, and select the mycomparison.zip file to upload. Once uploaded, click the Install button to install the module.
Step 6: Add the Module to the Front Office
To add the module to the front office, go to the Position tab and select the hook you want to attach the module to, such as displayHeader or displayProductButtons.
Enhance the Comparison Tool
Now that we have a basic comparison tool set up, it’s time to enhance it with more features. Here are some ideas:
1. Allow Customers to Compare More Products
By default, PrestaShop allows customers to compare only two products. However, you can modify the module to allow customers to compare more products by creating an input field on the front end that permits the selection of multiple products.
2. Display a Dynamic Table with Adjustable Columns
You can make the comparison tool more dynamic by allowing customers to adjust the columns based on their preferences. This can be done by creating checkboxes on the front end, and, based on the user’s inputs, rendering the table accordingly.
3. Introduce a Rating System Based on Reviews
Implementing a rating system will help customers make informed decisions by considering user feedback. This feature can be added by allowing customers to rate the product within the product page, and then, in the comparison tool, displaying the average rating next to each product.
4. Set a Limit on Selecting Products to Compare
To prevent overloading the comparison table, it’s essential to define a maximum limit on the number of products that can be selected. You can implement this functionality by adding an if statement that checks the number of products selected before rendering the comparison table.
5. Offer a Comparison Tool for a Specific Category of Products
You can also customize your comparison tool to only display products within a particular category, allowing you to target specific customers with different needs.
6. Customize the Look and Feel of the Comparison Tool
Finally, to make your comparison tool stand out, you can customize the tool’s appearance using CSS. You can modify it to match your brand colors or any other design you prefer.
In conclusion, creating a custom comparison tool for your PrestaShop store is an excellent way to enhance your user experience and increase customer satisfaction. While PrestaShop already provides a basic comparison feature, a custom comparison tool can help differentiate your online store from your competitors. With this guide, you now have the knowledge to create your own custom comparison tool, keeping your customers engaged and boosting your sales.