PrestaShop eCommerce platform is one of the most popular software for online stores in the world. More than 270,000 e-shops in 195 countries use this platform all over the globe. Is it a incident? Why did the sellers like the French Open Source eCommerce solution so much?
In this article, we will answer above questions and outline the most important advantages and disadvantages of the PrestaShop platform.
PrestaShop eCommerce platform – basic information.
Choosing the right store platform for your e-business is not an easy task. The eCommerce market abounds in various solutions that compete in the introduction of new functionalities. We distinguish 3 types of eCommerce platforms – SaaS (software as a service), dedicated platforms, and Open Source. PrestaShop belongs to the last of them. What does this mean in practice? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of platform for online stores?
Advantages of the PrestaShop eCommerce platform.
Realizations of Open Source online stores are a kind of a mix of SaaS and dedicated platforms. They owe it to several features that make them a flexible solution for businesses of all sizes. The extensive functionality, stability and performance of the store, depends only on the skills of developers, who are responsible for creating and optimizing eCommerce platform. Below you can check the benefits of the PrestaShop eCommerce platform.
Open Source eCommerce
PrestaShop operates under the Open Source code license in the freemium business model. This means that by opting for this software, we get full access to the online store code, thanks to what we can make any changes in it – both in appearance, layout of elements, functionalities, as well as in the back office of the e-store.
For an experienced developer, PrestaShop creates only frames that release him from the activity of reinventing the wheel. The rest remains in his hands and skills. This model allows PrestaShop to accomplish almost all goals and tasks that are usually entrusted to dedicated online stores.
The open code also facilitates extensive integration with external systems – couriers, payment gateways, ERP, accounting, warehouses or marketing systems. In many cases, integration with the platform works on the principle of “one-click”.
The advantages over dedicated implementations are time, price, and the ability to change the developer at every stage of the creation of the online store. In comparison to SaaS solutions, Open Source allows for greater flexibility in adapting the online store to your needs, industry and products (layout, functionalities, modules, integration). Open Source does not limit you and gives full opportunities to develop in the right direction!
2. User-friendly administration panel.
PrestaShop has been operating on the eCommerce market for over 11 years, and thousands of programmers and UX-designers worked on its development at that time. This resulted in the development of a very intuitive, transparent administration panel, which even for novice sellers should not cause problems.
According to the open platform code, the administrative panel can be adapted to the individual needs of the user and developed in line with the growth of e-business.
3. PrestaShop Community.
If you choose a dedicated eCommerce platform, in case of troubles, you are at the mercy of the programmers who created your store. If you decide to implement the SaaS, your problem will be queued by the customer service department, which is often disproportionately small in relation to the number of clients in the software house.
If you choose PrestaShop, it is quite likely that you will find the answer to your doubt instantly. Why?
One of the slogans of the eCommerce PrestaShop platform is “WeCommerce is better eCommerce”. WeCommerce is no more than a community of people working daily with this software, who share their experiences, tips and tutorials on the official forum, thematic groups on social networks, as well as on the popular GitHub.
The potential problem you have encountered is probably already solved by somebody else. Just search or ask. The PrestaShop community also allows you to find the right developers for your eCommerce project.
4. Functionality, scalability and performance.
The basic, free version of PrestaShop already has abundant functionalities that are not available on others, comparable eCommerce platforms. In addition, many modules are available to expand the possibilities of the popular “Presta”. If, however, you need an individual module, a good developer is able to create it for you and integrate it with the store.
In addition, the ratio of PrestaShop functionality to its performance is really impressive. It presents itself much better than in the case of eg the Magento platform. A well-optimized PrestaShop online store combined with a server tailored to your needs, results in a fully stable, secure and efficient e-store, that successfully meets the requirements of all medium and large enterprises (why PrestaShop is a good choice also for large stores, we wrote, among others, on the official PrestaShop blog – check it out!).
Disadvantages of PrestaShop.
The disadvantages of the PrestaShop platform are ambiguous and not obvious, because what seems to be disadvantage for an inexperienced and untrained person in programming, for a good developer will be an advantage, which gives more development opportunities.
If you treat your online store seriously, and you do not have highly developed programming skills or time, then you have to prepare for expenses related to the implementation and development of eCommerce. However, these costs will be much lower than in case of dedicated or Magento-based stores.
By opting for a professional PrestaShop eCommerce agency, you can count on the full functionality, stability and security of the online store and adapting it to all your needs. Due to the fact that e-commerce market is extremely competitive, these values can not be overestimated.
If you need to implement an online store, dedicated software or SaaS platform does not meet your expectations or you are looking for support for your online store based on PrestaShop, then contact us today! See how we work and what we can do for you!