ProStores announced enhancements to its newest Web-based storefront solution for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs). Although an eBay company, the latest version of ProStores still gives merchants the ability to operate a storefront independently of the eBay marketplace, and includes increased integration with eBay, search engine optimization tools, enhanced inventory management capabilities, and expanded shopping-cart options.

ProStores allows SMBs to create a professional online store, customized with their own branding and domain name. ProStores became an eBay company in November 2004, followed by eBay's acquisition of Kurant's StoreSense technology in January 2005.

Every ProStores site will be upgraded automatically, without charge, when version 6.0 is release on October 10. Store owners will be notified of the product upgrade through an email newsletter and where merchants log on to their sites.

Integration of ProStores with the eBay marketplace has been enhanced in the 6.0 upgrade, allowing merchants to important numerous photos of their eBay listings of products. ProStores 6.0 also enables merchants to upload product files they create with eBay's free Turbo Lister software.

Recognizing the importance of search-engine optimization for e-commerce sites, ProStores 6.0 gives online merchants the option of allowing the ProStores software to automatically optimize elements of their online store for search engines.

ProStores 6.0 comes in four available tiers: Express, Business, Advanced, and Enterprise stores. Inventory management capabilities, which previously were only available in the Advanced and Enterprise tiers, are now available for Express and Business tiers as well. Express merchants can now set whether they have one or many of up to 10 items they have for sale; in the Business tier, merchants can now indicate the exact quantities available for each of their items. With the Advanced and Enterprise ProStores versions, store owners can enable backorders and list quantities by a variety of attributes, such as size or color.

Merchants can now choose to require registration or not, or to let the customer decide. The registration feature assists returning or repeat customers by automatically remembering their billing and shipping information.