What is the 30-day lowest price rule under the Omnibus Directive?

Whenever you announce a price reduction (e.g., a discount or sale), you must display the lowest price that the product was sold for at any point during the preceding 30 days. This is known as the 'prior price' or 'strike-through price'.

Does the Omnibus Directive apply to non-EU PrestaShop stores?

Yes. If your PrestaShop store is based outside the European Union but sells goods or services to consumers located within the EU, you must comply with the Omnibus Directive regulations.

How does the Omnibus Directive affect customer reviews on PrestaShop?

You must clearly inform consumers whether and how you verify that the product reviews displayed on your site originate from real customers who actually purchased or used the products. Publishing fake reviews or manipulating reviews is strictly banned.

Can PrestaShop handle the Omnibus price rule natively?

PrestaShop's default specific price system does not track and display the 30-day historical lowest price out of the box. Merchants must install a dedicated compliance module or configure their ERP integration to display this historical price next to the discounted price.

What are the penalties for violating the EU Omnibus Directive?

National authorities can impose fines of up to 4% of your annual turnover in the affected EU member states, or up to €2 million if your turnover data is not available.

EU Omnibus Directive for E-Commerce: Complete Guide for PrestaShop Stores

Introduction

Operating an e-commerce store in the European Union requires keeping up with a constant stream of new regulatory guidelines. One of the most significant legal updates in recent years is the EU Omnibus Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/2161), often called the “New Deal for Consumers.”

Aimed at increasing transparency for online shoppers, the Omnibus Directive changes how e-commerce merchants can advertise price drops, handle product reviews, and present search results. For PrestaShop store owners, ignoring these rules is not an option. **Non-compliance can carry fines of up to 4% of your annual turnover**.

In this guide, we will break down the core requirements of the Omnibus Directive, examine how they impact your PrestaShop store, and outline the step-by-step actions and modules required to keep your business compliant.

What is the EU Omnibus Directive?

The Omnibus Directive is a set of updates to existing European Union consumer protection laws. Its primary goal is to close loopholes in the digital space and ensure that consumers have accurate, truthful information when shopping online. The directive targets four main areas of e-commerce operations:

Price Reduction Announcements (The 30-day price rule)
Consumer Reviews & Authenticity Disclosures
Search Result Rankings & Paid Placements
Personalized Pricing Transparency

Let’s look at each of these pillars in detail and evaluate what they mean for your daily store management.

1. The 30-Day Lowest Price Rule (Article 6a)

This is the most critical and heavily enforced aspect of the Omnibus Directive. It targets deceptive pricing practices, such as raising a price right before a sale to make the discount look larger than it actually is (e.g., raising a price from €100 to €150 for one day, then offering a “33% discount” back to €100).

How it Works:

Whenever you announce a price reduction (using phrases like “Sale,” “Discount,” “Promo,” or showing a strike-through price), you must display the lowest price that the product was offered for at least 30 days prior to the application of the discount. This historical lowest price is the reference point for the discount percentage.

Example Scenario:
• October 1 – October 20: Product is sold for €80.
• October 21 – October 30: Product price is raised to €100.
• November 1: You launch a “Black Friday Sale.”
The Rule: Your announced discount must be calculated based on €80 (the lowest price in the last 30 days), not the €100 price. Your strike-through price must display €80.

There are some minor exemptions allowed by certain member states (such as rapidly perishable goods or progressive discounts where the price is gradually lowered over the course of a single campaign), but the 30-day rule is the standard for general inventory.

2. Consumer Review Verification

Product reviews are a powerful driver of conversion rates, but they are also prone to manipulation. Under the Omnibus Directive, consumer reviews are heavily regulated to prevent merchants from posting fake reviews or suppressing negative feedback.

Requirements for PrestaShop Merchants:

State your verification policy: You must explicitly inform users whether you verify reviews and how you do it.
Expose verification methods: If you verify reviews, you must explain the process (e.g., “Only customers who have completed a purchase receive an email invite to leave a review”).
Ban on fake/manipulated reviews: You cannot submit fake reviews, pay others to submit positive reviews, or delete genuine negative reviews simply to boost ratings.

If you use a native module or a third-party service (like Verified Reviews or Trustpilot), you must make sure the verification disclaimer is clearly visible to shoppers near the review section.

3. Search Results and Rankings Transparency

If your PrestaShop store has a search bar or product catalog lists that allow sorting, you must disclose the primary parameters that determine the search ranking.

What You Must Disclose:

If search results are ranked based on a specific algorithm (relevance, popularity, margins, or stock level), you must explain this in a clear, accessible manner (such as a link near the search results or in your Terms and Conditions).
If you use paid placements or advertising to boost certain products to the top of search results, these products must be clearly labeled as “Sponsored,” “Ad,” or “Promoted.”

4. Personalized Pricing Disclosures

If your store uses automated decision-making or algorithms to personalize prices for individual shoppers (for example, based on their location, device type, or browsing history), you must inform the customer about this before they make a purchase.

Note: This does not apply to standard group discounts, such as offering a 10% discount to all logged-in wholesale customers. It specifically targets dynamic, algorithmically adjusted pricing.

How the Omnibus Directive Affects PrestaShop Out-of-the-Box

Standard PrestaShop installations are **not** fully compliant with the Omnibus Directive right out of the box, especially regarding the 30-day price tracking requirements.

Requirement	PrestaShop Native Support	Action Needed
30-Day Price Rule	❌ No. PrestaShop only shows the current base price and the discount. It does not store or display the historical lowest price automatically.	Install an Omnibus Directive compliance module or configure ERP sync to feed historical pricing.
Verified Reviews	⚠️ Partial. The default “Product Comments” module restricts reviews to registered users, but does not display the legally required disclosures automatically.	Add a text disclaimer explaining how reviews are collected, or upgrade to a compliant third-party review solution.
Search Ranking Disclosures	❌ No. The search ranking rules must be outlined in your legal pages.	Update your Terms of Service and add descriptive text near search listings.

Top PrestaShop Modules for Omnibus Compliance

To avoid severe penalties, installing a compliance module is the easiest route. Here are the top modules available on the Addons Marketplace designed specifically for the Omnibus Directive:

1. PrestaShop Omnibus Directive Module (by various certified developers)

These modules track the price history of all your products. Whenever a specific price is added, the module automatically records the change and displays the “Lowest price in the last 30 days” on the product page, catalog lists, and checkout cart. Look for features like:

Automatic database logging of price history.
Customizable display templates to match your theme.
Options to exclude tax or include shipping based on local laws.

2. Product Comments / Review Modules with Disclosures

If you use PrestaShop’s native product comments module, you should add a clear, visible block of text indicating that reviews are verified. Better yet, integrate with external platforms like Trustpilot, Customer Reviews (CR), or Verified Reviews that handle verification and legally required disclosures automatically via API.

Step-by-Step Compliance Checklist for PrestaShop Merchants

Follow this checklist to verify that your PrestaShop store complies with the EU Omnibus Directive:

✅ Step 1: Display the 30-Day Lowest Price

Install an Omnibus price tracking module. Ensure that whenever you offer a discount, the product page displays something similar to:
"Lowest price in the last 30 days: €80.00" right next to your current price and strike-through price.

✅ Step 2: Review and Disclose How Product Reviews are Handled

Add a clear disclaimer near your product review widgets. If you send post-purchase emails asking for reviews, mention this: “We verify reviews by inviting only verified purchasers to leave feedback.” If you allow anonymous or unverified reviews, you must state that clearly as well.

✅ Step 3: Update Your Legal Pages

Revise your Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Explain your price calculation policies, how search results are ranked by default (e.g., sorted by relevance or sales volume), and declare whether you use personalized pricing algorithms.

✅ Step 4: Train Your Marketing Team

Ensure that anyone running promotional campaigns or discount schedules on your site understands that you cannot raise prices temporarily to inflate discount rates. Plan sales campaigns 30 days in advance to ensure compliance with the lowest-price requirement.

How Omnibus Connects to Other EU Laws

Compliance shouldn’t be handled in silos. The Omnibus Directive works alongside other key regulations that affect your store:

GPSR (General Product Safety Regulation): Requires product safety, manufacturer, and importer details on product pages. Learn more in our GPSR PrestaShop compliance guide.
EU VAT Changes: Governs how VAT is calculated for cross-border transactions. See our EU VAT guide for online sellers.
GDPR: Collecting customer data to send review invites must be aligned with your privacy policies. See our PrestaShop GDPR compliance checklist.
EU E-Invoicing: The upcoming 2026 regulations will change how invoicing works. Make sure to read our comprehensive EU e-invoicing 2026 guide for PrestaShop merchants.

Conclusion

The EU Omnibus Directive aims to build consumer trust, but it places a significant technical burden on online retailers. Fortunately, with the right combination of compliance modules and minor updates to your legal terms, you can ensure your PrestaShop store meets all European criteria.

Do not wait for audit warnings or consumer complaints to roll in. Audit your price discount displays and reviews today to make sure your business remains safe, compliant, and ready to scale across the EU.

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Written by

PrestaInsights Team

At PrestaInsights, we specialize in everything PrestaShop, from hosting and performance optimization to module development and in-depth tutorials. Our goal is to help merchants, developers, and agencies succeed with up-to-date guides, practical insights, and proven best practices. Whether you're just getting started or scaling a high-traffic store, we're here to guide you.

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