3 minutes reading
AGATA MISTELSKA l E-COMMERCE l 25.06.2024 l 5 MIN
In a nutshell:
- 1.1 Background information
- 1.2 Overview of key data - advantages and disadvantages
- 1.3 Who is PrestaShop for?
- 1.4 What sets PrestaShop apart from the rest?
In this article, we will analyse PrestaShop from basic features to availability, pricing and integrations with other tools. We will look at whether this platform stands out from other e-commerce solutions, what benefits it offers and what potential limitations there may be. Is PrestaShop the right option for your business? Find the answers to these questions in the following sections of the article.
What is PrestaShop?
PrestaShop is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world, supporting more than 300,000 shops. It is an open source tool that allows you to create a variety of online shops without licence fees.
Basic information
| Software type | Open-Source |
| Country of origin | France |
| Year of issue | 2007 |
| Access to source code | Yes |
Overview of key data - advantages and disadvantages
| Price | ✅(free with paid modules) |
| Individual IP address | ✅ |
| Hosting included in the price | ❌ |
| Security | ✅ |
| integration with accounting systems | ✅ |
| Omnichannel functions | ✅ |
| Sharing on social media | ✅ |
| Running a blog | ❌(no blog module after clean installation) |
| Implementation of change | ✅ |
| Integration with payment systems | ✅ |
| Implementation of promotions and discounts | ✅ |
| Possibility of selling virtual products | ✅ |
| Integration with Allegro | ✅ |
| Shipping cost calculator | ✅ |
| Basket recovery | ✅ |
| Differentiation of product variants | ✅ |
| Search and filtering | ✅ |
| Returns management | ✅ |
| Technical support | ❌ |
| SSL certificate | ❌(self-implementation) |
| Automatic sitemap | ❌ |
| Editable 404 page | ✅ |
| Manual 301 redirections | ✅ |
| Mobile friendly | ✅ |
| Edit H1 heading | ❌(unable to edit H1, without renaming the menu page) |
| Editing of URLs | ✅ |
| Making advanced technical changes | ✅ |
The pros and cons of having a shop on PrestaShop in terms of:
SEO: The platform is highly rated for its technical adaptation for SEO, but does not provide global optimisation of meta data, which requires the installation of additional plug-ins or engine extensions by the developer.
Maintenance costs: Although setting up a shop is free, many users complain about the high cost of modules. The additional expenses can increase significantly if you opt for professional support to build, operate or develop your shop.
Business scalability: The platform is good for small and large shops, but with a large increase in sales, performance issues such as slow page loading and database overload can occur. Investing in professional templates and plugins is expensive, and free, high-quality alternatives are rare. There is a high probability that the aforementioned hindrances could be an obstacle to the scalability of a business on the PrestaShop platform.
Who is PrestaShop for?
| Shop up to 1000 products | ❌ |
| Shop up to 10 000 products | ✅ |
| Shop up to 100,000 products | ✅ |
| Shop 100,000 products and more | ❌ |
The PrestaShop platform is dedicated to medium and large online shops.
What sets PrestaShop apart from the rest?
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- Multilingualism and multicurrency
Ability to shop in different languages and accept payments in different currencies.
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- More than 600 functions and extensions
The PrestaShop platform offers a wide range of features and access to numerous paid extensions to expand the shop's capabilities.
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- Thousands of ready-made templates
The platform provides more than 5,000 ready-to-use templates and allows the creation of individual graphic designs.
Examples of shops built on PrestaShop
Below you will find examples of shops built on the PrestaShop platform. Feel free to click the link below the examples to see more.
Delozey shop
Shop PLUM-ART.CH
Shop IZGOOD.FR
Source: www,convertis.co.uk/examples-of-beautiful-stores-on-prestashop-1838/
Is it worth choosing PrestaShop: Our opinion
A major advantage is that PrestaShop allows you to install and run your shop for free. In addition, the platform provides a very easy-to-use CMS panel. PrestaShop is also recognised for its advanced SEO customisation, which can significantly improve a shop's visibility in search results.
However, the costs of maintaining a shop on PrestaShop can be higher due to the paid modules and extensions that are often required to develop the functionality of the shop. In terms of business scalability, this can be a significant problem. In addition, there may be performance issues, such as slow page loading or database overload, which will occur as traffic and order volumes increase.
In summary, PrestaShop offers advanced tools for managing an online shop, but the decision to choose it should take into account both the benefits and the potential costs and challenges of long-term business growth and scalability.
If you want to compare PrestaShop with other platforms, you can read our other articles:
Read the article: Review of ShopGold - Creating a 2024 shop
Read the article: Review of RedCart - Creating a 2024 shop
Read the article: Review of Shopify - Creating a 2024 shop
