Onboarding the PrestaShop AliExpress Connector

The PrestaShop AliExpress Connector by CedCommerce is designed to help you manage products, inventory, and orders across both platforms without switching dashboards. By integrating your PrestaShop store with AliExpress, you can:

• Automate product uploads, updates, and inventory sync.
  
  

• Centralize order management directly from your PrestaShop backend.
  
  

• Expand to millions of AliExpress shoppers with minimal effort.
  
  

This onboarding guide walks you through each step required to connect, configure, and activate the module so you can start selling faster.

Step 1: Connection & Product Import Configuration

This is the most critical step where you establish the technical link between your PrestaShop store and AliExpress, while also deciding which products to sync and how data flows. 

A correct setup here prevents sync failures, incorrect prices, or missing product data.

1.2 Connection Configuration – Setting Up the Technical Bridge

Each field in this section determines how the connector communicates with your PrestaShop store:

• Customer Email
  Enter the email ID associated with your connector license. This ensures that support, notifications, and API authentication are tied to the correct account.
  
  

• Domain Name
  Displays the URL of your PrestaShop store. Make sure this matches the live site where products will be managed.
  
  

• Tip: If your store is on a staging environment, update this later to the live domain.
  
  

• Web Service Key
  This is the API key that allows data to pass securely between PrestaShop and AliExpress.
  
  

• Working Status: Should be green.
  
  

• If it’s not, regenerate the key from your PrestaShop Web Service settings.
  
  

• Marketplaces
  Choose AliExpress here. The module supports only AliExpress for this connection, but this field ensures correct mapping.
  
  

• Store Language
  Select the language for the data exchange.
  
  

• If your store has multiple languages, choose the primary selling language to avoid mismatched product details.
  
  

• Store Currency
  Defines the currency used when syncing products.
  
  

• Important: This should match your pricing strategy, because once set, changing it requires admin intervention.
  
  

• Store Shop & Customer Group
  
  

• Store Shop: Choose which shop (if you run a multishop PrestaShop instance) will sync with AliExpress.
  
  

• Customer Group: The connector uses this group to define pricing levels for products.
  
  

• For example, if certain products have group-based pricing, choose the correct group here.
  
  

• Image Type
  Sets the resolution/format of product images to upload.
  
  

• large_default is recommended as it meets AliExpress image requirements.
  
  

• Using a lower resolution may cause listing rejections.
  
  

• Import Pack Products
  
  

• Enable only if you sell bundled or grouped products (e.g., packs of 3 items). 

• Note: Pack products will be imported as individual SKUs.
  
  
  

• Using ERP System
  
  

• Select Yes if you manage products/inventory using an ERP.
  
  

• When enabled, the connector will adjust sync logic to avoid conflicts with ERP-driven updates.
  
  

• Log Mode
  
  

• Enable during initial setup to track logs in case of issues.
  
  

• Disable later to improve sync speed.
  
  

• Show Columns in PrestaShop Order Grid
  
  

• These checkboxes let you display extra information like Marketplace, Marketplace Order ID, or Delivery Type in your PrestaShop order grid.
  
  

• This is helpful for quickly identifying orders coming from AliExpress.
  
  

1.3 Product Import Settings – Deciding What Gets Synced

This section ensures only the right products sync to AliExpress:

• Important Note: Products that are hidden, virtual, customized, or inactive in PrestaShop will not be imported to AliExpress. Also, products won’t be imported in packs.
  
  

• Store Categories:
  Select which PrestaShop categories’ products you want to push to AliExpress.
  
  

• Example: If you only want to list “Home” and “Accessories,” select these to avoid uploading irrelevant products.
  
  

• Store Brands & Suppliers:
  Optional filters to upload products only from certain brands or suppliers.
  
  

• Useful if you sell multiple brands but only want a few to appear on AliExpress.
  
  

• Filter Products:
  
  

• Match Any Selected Criteria: Uploads products matching at least one filter (category/brand/supplier).
  
  

• Match All Selected Criteria: Uploads only products matching all filters.
  
  

• Example: If you choose a category + brand, only products meeting both conditions will upload.
  
  

• Fetch Products (Run Query):
  Click this to preview how many products will be synced based on your filters.
  
  

• Why Important? It helps you verify your settings before bulk syncing to avoid uploading unintended products.
  
  

1.4 CedCommerce Authentication – Final Validation

At the bottom, you’ll see the CedCommerce Authentication section.

• Click Save & Authorize to finalize the integration with CedCommerce’s backend.
  
  

• This step ensures your license is validated and the module can communicate with AliExpress APIs for smooth operation.
  
  

Why This Step Matters

• Correct settings here mean your products sync accurately, pricing updates work as expected, and no unexpected errors occur during listing.
  
  

• If these settings are misconfigured, you may experience failed uploads, incorrect prices, or inventory mismatches.
  
  

After configuring all fields and filters, click Save to complete the process. Your connector is now fully prepared to manage product uploads, inventory synchronization, and order handling. 

Proceed with the other onboarding steps now!

Step 2: Connect Your AliExpress Account

• After installing the PrestaShop AliExpress Connector, you’ll see the onboarding screen.
  
  

• Click Connect Account to start the integration process.
  
  

• This action initiates the link between your PrestaShop store and CedCommerce’s integration panel.
  
  

Step 2.1: Authorize Your AliExpress Seller Account

• After clicking Connect Account in Step 1, you’ll be redirected to the AliExpress Open Platform Authorization page.
  
  

• Enter your AliExpress seller credentials (email and password) and click Sign in.
  
  

• Review the requested permissions for the CedCommerce integration. These typically include access to:
  
  

• Your Alibaba member basic information
  
  

• Login and user information
  
  

• Membership identification permissions
  
  

• Check the box to agree with the authorization terms.
  
  

• Click Authorize to grant access.
  
  

Granting these permissions is mandatory. This ensures the connector can retrieve product data, synchronize inventory, and manage orders with your AliExpress account.

Step 3: Choose Your Pricing Plan

After account authorization, you’ll be directed to the Pricing screen where you can select a plan that best fits your business requirements.

Available Plans:

• Free Plan ($0)
  
  

• Sync up to 100 products
  
  

• Unlimited product imports from your store
  
  

• Bulk product mapping with unlimited template creation
  
  

• 24/7 email and live chat support
  
  

• Basic Plan ($39/month)
  
  

• Sync up to 1,000 products and 100 orders
  
  

• Near real-time synchronization
  
  

• Auto-upload of new products
  
  

• 24/7 bilingual chat support
  
  

• Growth Plan ($79/month)
  
  

• Sync up to 2,000 products and 300 orders
  
  

• Real-time synchronization
  
  

• Auto-upload of new products
  
  

• Enhanced 24/7 bilingual chat and call support
  
  

Click Subscribe under your preferred plan to proceed.

Step 4: Category Selection & Attribute Mapping

In this step, you’ll define the product category and map attributes between PrestaShop and AliExpress to ensure successful product listings.

4.1 Select AliExpress Product Category

• Use the search bar to choose the most relevant AliExpress product category for your listings.
  
  

• Example: Food > Bread and Pastries > Bread Rolls.
  
  

• Accurate category selection improves compliance and product visibility.
  
  

4.2 Map AliExpress Attributes with PrestaShop Attributes

To avoid errors during uploads, map all required attributes:

• Required Attributes:
  These are mandatory for listing (e.g., Brand Name, Shelf Life, Packaging, Manufacturer, EAN Code, Shipping Template ID).
  
  

• Product Qualification Attributes (GPSR):
  Include compliance-related fields such as package photos, U.S. food laws attestation, and FDA registration.
  
  

• Variation Attributes:
  Map size, color, and other variant attributes for products with variations.
  
  

• Recommended Attributes:
  Optional fields (e.g., weight, origin, description) that improve product discoverability.
  
  

You can choose to map each field as:

• Fixed Value (enter a constant value)
  
  

• Attribute (pull values dynamically from your PrestaShop product data)
  
  

Click Save & Next to proceed.

Step 5: Default Configuration & Final Settings

In the final step, configure default settings to control how your products, inventory, and orders sync between PrestaShop and AliExpress.

5.1 Threshold Inventory

• Set a minimum stock level to avoid overselling.
  
  

• When inventory reaches this threshold, the product will be marked Sold Out on AliExpress automatically.
  
  

5.2 Currency Conversion

• Define the conversion rate to ensure product prices from PrestaShop are correctly reflected in AliExpress currency.
  
  

• Example: Enter 1 for a 1:1 conversion or adjust based on your pricing strategy.
  
  

5.3 Sync Orders

• Enable this option to fetch AliExpress orders into your PrestaShop store automatically.
  
  

• Once enabled, order details—including shipping updates—will sync in real time.
  
  

Click Save & Finish to complete the onboarding process.

Your PrestaShop store is now connected to AliExpress!

Products, inventory, and orders will start syncing based on your configuration. You can now manage both stores efficiently from a single dashboard.