For heavily trafficked shops especially, it’s important to keep the platform technically current without jeopardizing ongoing operations.<\/p>
Fischkaufhaus.de is an established online shop with thousands of daily visitors, which we have been managing for ten years now. The shop has already been recognized with multiple awards and was most recently named best online fish retailer in 2026.<\/p> An update therefore could not cause any downtime during peak traffic hours.<\/p> The update was deliberately scheduled for a low-traffic time: 3:00 AM. The real key to success, however, lay in the preparation. Before the update was started on the live server, the entire process was simulated multiple times:<\/p> In total, three full days were allocated exclusively for testing and troubleshooting during preparation.<\/p> In doing so, we were already able to:<\/p> By the time the actual update process started on the live system, most problems were already known, documented, and resolved.<\/p> A PrestaShop upgrade from version 8 to 9 is technically often more of a migration than a simple update. The system environment changes significantly, and many modules and custom configurations must be adapted.<\/p> Step 2: Test migration in staging<\/p> Running the update assistant<\/p> Through the previously documented tests, this problem could be resolved quickly.<\/p> Despite the intensive preparation, additional problems arose during the live update. The reason: the production server did not exactly match the test environment. Server structure differences in particular led to additional adjustments. The following were analyzed for troubleshooting:<\/p> Based on this data, targeted adjustments to the server configuration could be made.<\/p> After the update was completed, the following critical functions were manually tested:<\/p> After these tests were successful, the shop was released again.<\/p> The first order in the new system came in just a few minutes after go-live.<\/p> A major update of a shop system doesn’t end with the go-live. In the following days, further optimizations were carried out:<\/p> Backend work:<\/p> Frontend work:<\/p> In total, full stabilization took about five days, because some issues only became apparent in real use that weren’t captured by automated crawler tests and log data.<\/p> An important point from our experience: after a PrestaShop migration, tracking and consent should always be part of the checklist — not just a ‘nice-to-have’. Otherwise Google Ads, affiliate campaigns, and conversion tracking will run blind during or after the upgrade, burning ad spend.<\/p> Today the shop runs stably and smaller optimizations are handled on an ongoing basis.<\/p> Another important effect of the update was the massive improvement in server response time. Before the upgrade, the Time to First Byte (TTFB) was sometimes over a staggering 6,000 milliseconds. The causes lay not only in the server environment, but also in the PrestaShop system itself. The older PrestaShop version, combined with the former server configuration, caused additional delays in the backend.<\/p> In the course of the update, several measures were implemented:<\/p> The result was clearly measurable: TTFB after the update: 200–250 ms … comfortably in the green zone.<\/p> This means the shop backend now responds approximately 20 times faster than before the upgrade.<\/p> Backend operations for product management and order processing are also now significantly faster, thanks to the dramatically improved server response time.<\/p> Beyond the technical challenges, a shop update also involves organizational aspects that are often underestimated.<\/p> In recent years we have been able to steadily grow our rankings — even with AI answers appearing in Google. We’re now curious to see how the updated system and the noticeable PageSpeed improvement will pay off in terms of visibility going forward.<\/p> An upgrade from PrestaShop 8 to 9 is particularly worthwhile for shops with many modules, high load, or older server configurations. In addition to security updates, the new version often brings noticeable performance improvements, better PHP compatibility, and long-term maintainability. The key, however, is thorough preparation: those who test the upgrade locally and in a development environment first can minimize risks and bring the live upgrade to a successful conclusion.<\/p>![\"Seafood](\"https:\/\/4eck-media.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/seafood-star-fkh-2026-1920x1080.avif\" "\\"Seafood")
\n<\/picture>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>Updating a high-traffic shop: planning is everything<\/h2>
\n
\n
![\"E-Commerce:](\"https:\/\/4eck-media.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/fischkaufhaus_online_shop_ecommerce_61005470a9.avif\" "\\"\\"")
\n<\/picture>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>Technical process of updating from PrestaShop 8 to 9<\/h2>
\n
Challenges during the live update<\/h2>
\n
Go-live: the shop was back online the same morning<\/h2>
\n
Stabilization after the update<\/h2>
\n
\n
Performance: why PrestaShop 9 is significantly faster<\/h2>
![\"TTFB-Wert](\"https:\/\/4eck-media.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ttfb-fkh-vor-upgrade-prestashop-1920x1080.avif\" "\\"TTFB-Wert")
\n<\/picture>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
20x faster: TTFB from 6,000 ms to 200 ms<\/h3>
![\"Deutlich](\"https:\/\/4eck-media.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ttfb-fkh-nach-upgrade-prestashop-1920x1080.avif\" "\\"Deutlich")
\n<\/picture>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n
Experiences from the project: PrestaShop update from 8 to 9 for Fischkaufhaus.de<\/h2>
\n
![\"Sichtbarkeitsentwicklung](\"https:\/\/4eck-media.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sistrix-fkh-1920x1080.avif\" "\\"sistrix-fkh\\"")
\n<\/picture>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>Conclusion: Is a PrestaShop upgrade from version 8 to 9 worth it?<\/h2>
![\"Matthias](\"https:\/\/4eck-media.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Matthias_Petri-960x1440.avif\" "\\"Matthias")
\n<\/picture>\n \n