Are you searching for an inexpensive open-source ecommerce platform to start your own online store? If yes you then PrestaShop could be the right choice for you. This PrestaShop overview, we’ll take a look at its capabilities and address all your questions about the solution.
Does that sound good? Let’s get started.
PrestaShop Review: An Overview
PrestaShop can be described as an e-commerce platform that is the self-hosted or open source options. It means that you are able to download and modify it in any way you wish. The program was introduced in 2007 and its headquarter was in France.
PrestaShop recently announced its PrestaShop Ready version, which is their Software as a Service (SaaS) or hosted version. But, unlike their open source counterpart this one restricts your accessibility to code required to customize the site, but it’s also more user-friendly.
PrestaShop Review Important Features
Here’s a list with the most useful features PrestaShop can offer.
Easy to use
Installing PrestaShop is likely to take some time since its backend is more complicated. It is, however, PrestaShop provides a demo that walks you through the entire procedure.
After the set-up process is finished The second step would be to determine the modules you’ll need to use to run an online retailer. If your knowledge of technology isn’t sufficient, it’s a good idea to find a web developer to manage the integrations on your behalf.
Once you’ve completed the installation, integrations and modules, the day-to-day tasks like product creation or management of orders, as well as inventory management are easy.
Store customization
The fact is that it’s the best way to go if you wish for your website to be able to boast an individual look. In the highly competitive realm of online shopping, creating an unforgettable brand is crucial to your success over the long term.
To make your online store more customizable you’ll need two modules. One that allows for rapid edits and an advanced module that allows you to modify the code to personalize your store according to your preferences. This is the reason you require the ability to access CSS, HTML and JavaScript files.
The tools to customize your store included in PrestaShop can help you complete your product’s organization Create an in-store search to make it easier for customers to navigate your shop or even establish different payment options.
There are also over 1500 templates as well as a huge selection of themes that can be customized in the PrestaShop marketplace. Third party developers create the majority of these templates, which is the reason you could end up spending as little as $60 for a premium template made by PrestaShop approved partners.
Creation of products
PrestaShop comes with an easy-to-use product creation area that lets you create as many products that you’d like to market. It is also possible to configure options to show expiry dates for products that are time-sensitive. You can also offer downloadable products with PrestaShop.
Additionally you can also control your inventory and create restocking alerts for products that are out of inventory. There is also an SEO section, where you can type in the Meta title and description. Meta title as well as Meta description. Meta description.
Google rich snippets
The huge number of users looking for products on Google indicates that ranking on SERPs is important. Rich snippets of code allow search engines to arrange data.
It allows shoppers to view products they’re looking for and to evaluate prices. This is the reason it is important to add Google Rich Snippets into your product’s URLs and provide an instant increase for you SEO efforts.
Google Rich snippets Google Rich snippets are in the PrestaShop add-ons market. Utilize it to enhance your reach and improve the customer experience.
Marketing
Although you must take the extra step to discover custom features PrestaShop offers a wide array of marketing tools built-in. These include:
- Special discounts
- Discount mode
- Coupon codes
- Free shipping
- Email marketing
- Gift wrapping
- Affiliate programs
Payment processing
In order for your site to be fully functional and able to accept payments, you must set up an account with a payment processor.
PrestaShop is compatible with the widest range of payment gateways, including PayPal, Bambora, Discover Global Network, Amazon Pay, Worldpay, First Data and Authorize.Net. There are also over 250 payment service providers available as extensions.
Contrary to that, PrestaShop Ready has only four payment choices. They comprise Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer and check payment.
Management of customer relationships
To stay in touch and keep in touch with customers PrestaShop lets the sending of automated emails following a purchase to provide them with a sense of security.
You may also design promotions that are targeted at specific items customers, orders or groups of customers.
To lower the rate of abandoned carts, PrestaShop lets you email customers to remind them of the items they’ve placed on their shopping carts.
Legal assistance
Being able to adhere to laws is a crucial aspect of operating an online store. PrestaShop includes shopping cart features that allow you to comply to the laws of a particular country. For example, Germany has placed some specific rules regarding shopping carts that apply to online shops.
This is a major benefit because you’re not likely to find legal assistance through e-commerce. With PrestaShop you can even use design tools that allow you to create quick pages that provide important legal details to your customers.
Security
The open-source Version of PrestaShop is PCI Compliance ready. That means you’ll need to perform this procedure yourself. This means that you’ll need purchase an SSL certificate, and check regularly in for security patches.
However The PrestaShop Ready version has its security accounts set to be upgraded to meet your needs. It’s run in Google Cloud, which is the Google Cloud platform that includes an unpaid SSL certificate.
Integrations and extensions
PrestaShop offers a variety of integrations on their marketplace. Certain modules are free, while others are offered as single-time purchase.
Integrating integrations to increase the performance of your website with PrestaShop could result in a higher cost than SaaS alternatives such as Shopify. But, once you’ve sold in large quantities, you will can make a profit with PrestaShop. It all comes down to.
In addition to this that is mentioned above, the second caveat is the most important one for most retailers. The modules are developed by various developers and might not work with one the other. This could result in glitches on the site, and PrestaShop is not always able to help in this regard.
The PrestaShop version restricts access to the market in its entirety. So, customers are limited to using the modules that are built into the platform. As of the moment of this review, there were 100 modules integrated for PrestaShop Ready.
PrestaShop Review Customer Support
PrestaShop is an online community of users who work together to resolve issues via forums. In addition, PrestaShop provides paid support for customers to contact an agent.
Different plans offer various levels of support. The most affordable plan is 250 per month and provides 3 hours of assistance. PrestaShop offers a year-long subscription for $399 annually for 6 hours of support each year.
PrestaShop Review: Pricing
Since it is an open-source e-commerce service, PrestaShop is available for download for free. However, this does not suggest that this shopping cart application has no cost. It will cost hosting costs with its hosting provider 1&1 that range between $8 and $15. Additionally, you’ll purchase numerous paid modules for an attractive and efficient store.
PrestaShop may not have a free trial like some other major players in the eCommerce world However, it doesn’t have to. Since the program is completely free you are able to choose what amount you’d like spend on your store starting from the first day.
If you’re creating your eCommerce site It is also possible to look into the no-cost “demo” Version of PrestaShop that can help you get a better feel of how the program works and the kind of technology you’ll need to invest some money on. For instance, you could decide that during the demo you’d like to employ an expert to create your store.
Similar to other open-source options like WordPress, PrestaShop is not without costs to be considered, however the amount you pay for will be based on the various aspects. For example, because PrestaShop isn’t the simplest software available and it may require more support from a designer or developer than similar software similar to WordPress.
Furthermore in addition, as we’ve already mentioned there’s likely to be many extensions and modules that you’d like to add to your shopping experience. They typically have quite a high price in comparison to the add-ons that you can purchase on platforms like Shopify.
If you decide you’d like to connect the website you have created together with eBay, Amazon, QuickBooks, Facebook, and a variety of other tools, then you’ll be able to quickly begin to build a huge cost.
Additionally, you can access additional services from PrestaShop which can enhance the functionality you can accomplish with your website. For example the PrestaShop Checkout service lets you can include an option to your site to accept payments from all kinds of payment options from VISA and MasterCard, as well as PayPal as well as Master card.
This service has no set-up costs or monthly fees to be concerned about. But, you’ll have to pay a small transaction fee for every payment made with a credit card PayPal and American Express transactions. In addition, there are international charges to be aware of when you’re making transactions anywhere in the world.
Other PrestaShop Addons choices include:
- PrestaShop ERP The tool that allows users to set up the ERP program you use according to your eCommerce activities. This gives you all the features you need from inventory management, dropshipping and order fulfillment. You can also create several sales channels and warehouses all from the same environment.
- PrestaShop ads: This is a service that lets you access greater results through your marketing and leads generation methods. You can enjoy simple shopping ads which are integrated with Google search. Plus, you’ll receive an additional Google Ads credit for your campaigns once you sign up.
PrestaShop Review Designs and Templates
There are many things you can accomplish using an PrestaShop web-based store. This open source software gives you access to all kinds of plugins and checkout tools. But, one important thing you’ll have to take care of is to ensure you’ve got the correct web presence.
The PrestaShop store gives you access to more than 3,000 website templates that are mobile-friendly. However, you’ll need to pay an additional fee to access these themes. The only option for free is the default website but it’s not great by itself.
Plus, since PrestaShop can be described as an open-source website builder, you’ll be able to have complete control over the source code created to build your site. Your designers or developers can dig as deeply in the source code as they prefer to alter the way your website will appear and function.
If your small business isn’t able to afford the services of a developer, or does not have access to technical talent You’ll have find out how you can modify your PrestaShop website by yourself. Support plans don’t offer instructions for this, however there’s an WYSIWYG editor.
Its What You See Is the editor that allows you to modify your default theme to meet your preferences. With this editor you are able to include your logo and social media hyperlinks. You can also alter the various aspects of your website’s layout without digging too deeply in the source code.
While you are able to modify your website at your own discretion in this case, the most efficient method to ensure that your PrestaShop website is attractive If you’re not confident in how to codes is to select a pre-existing template from the market. But, this could mean that you may spend thousands of dollars for your site than you initially wanted to.
PrestaShop Review Integrations
There’s more than just the broad variety of premium themes you’ll have to think about when you’re trying to make the PretaShop design stand out. There are thousands of PrestaShop add-ons you can think of as well. If you’re searching for an option to integrate things such as WooCommerce or PrestaShop tools for customer engagement to your site, you’ll have another expense to think about.
The integrations available on the marketplace are usually offered as an all-in-one purchase. The majority of add-ons cost less than $100, however there are some that are priced higher as well. Integrating multiple integrations to your website can result in a significant cost.
In addition to the cost factor There could be a further downside to building your website block-by-block with the plugins and modules that PrestaShop gives you.
Since the integrations available that are available on the market are developed by hundreds of developers from across the globe There’s no assurance that everything will function exactly as planned. If you don’t knowledge needed to identify the coding issues that arise, you may run into trouble.
In fact, adding several modules to handle everything from inventory management to checkouts can quickly result in an unresponsive and slow-performing site.
While it’s nice to have a platform that allows users the ability to build features however you want but you’ll have to be cautious about the features you’ll add to your website.
PrestaShop Review Pay Options
A store that is attractive and has a variety of additional features is great. However, it’s not any good if you don’t come up with a method to successfully manage the transactions of your customers, too. There’s a wide range of ecommerce software that is available through PrestaShop however, it is best placed to the add-ons section of the website which is where you will find various free applications, and many premium alternatives.
To process payments, you’ll require third-party processors or a merchant account using prestashop.com’s PrestaShop Checkout option. The payment processors that are accessible to American retailers currently include:
- Discover Global
- Amazon Pay
- Authorize.Net
- WolrdPay
- FattMerchant
- First Data
- Bambora
- Simple Commerce (Mastercard)
- PayPal to US and Canada
- CCBill
- BlueSnap
- BS Payone
There are more than 200 other payment service providers you can add on as well.
A great alternative is one of the best options is PrestaShop Checkout additional service that we discussed above. The Checkout service is integrated in conjunction with PayPal and gives access to a variety of payment options, such as American Express, Mastercard and several other options.
One of the best aspects of PrestaShop Checkout is that it’s an option for direct payment. This means that your customers can purchase directly on your website, without having to navigate to a different page. This is usually a great method of maintaining your customer’s confidence.
In addition, PrestaShop Checkout is extremely simple to set up and use. It takes only about a few minutes to setup your new service. Moreover, your transactions are completely secured and protected. PrestaShop Checkout is fully compliant with all applicable regulations such as GDPR. In addition, there are security measures to detect fraud.
There aren’t any monthly or set-up costs to fret regarding, nor do not have to pay cancellation fees as well. But, you’ll need make a amount of commission per transaction for each payment option you offer.
PrestaShop Review Help for Customers
Another thing you’ll want to think about when creating your PrestaShop store is the sort of support and technical assistance you’ll be able to expect. Support is usually a complex issue for open-source software on the web design market.
This is because there’s a multitude of freelancers and programmer who develop the templates and the modules that are available for something similar to PrestaShop. You may have a hard to find someone who understands the exact way that your store functions.
The great thing is that PrestaShop has a large community you can join to improve your odds of getting your questions addressed. For instance you can use the General Support Portal on the PrestaShop website gives access to all the support options available, which include:
- FAQs and user guides: These tools are designed to assist you in finding the solutions that you need to address your issues without the assistance of professionals.
- Contact information: You can get contact with PrestaShop representatives by support tickets or email, and wait for them respond to your request and get in contact with you.
- Forums for users: The forums are usually the best way for prompt and personalized assistance. There are forums available in several languages, as well as different sections focused on specific problems or PrestaShop problems.
- Education: The PrestaShop team offers its own training programs that help you understand PrestaShop as both a seller or developer.
- Social media If you’re experiencing difficult time finding an individual who can address your questions using the traditional support ticket, then contact PrestaShop via social media channels, such as Facebook and Twitter.
You can also purchase specialized support plans. These plans are extra cost and allow users to connect with certain individuals from PrestaShop’s PrestaShop Support team. Most people think these plans to be a bit priced too high. The support plan for one month is available for $279.99 The rest make you subscribe for a full year. Annual plans start around $399 for the year and include only a the smallest amount of time you can make use of to support.
This is the PrestaShop Specialists
There’s an alternative method to access the support you could require from PrestaShop as well. The Experts section on the site lets you locate an agency or a partner who works with PrestaShop to help you in a specific area. For instance, you could search for an Expert to assist you with issues such as eCommerce consulting web site development, designing and user interface.
There are a variety of Experts depending on what you want from your support. For example Platinum partners Platinum experts offer the best experience international companies with the highest quality of service, however they also generally the most costly.
There are Gold agencies which have earned lots of points on account of their contribution levels and silver partners that concentrate on particular regions.
Bronze partners are regional partners within your area which have just begun developing their agency to offer PrestaShop assistance. These organizations may be less expensive than other options.
PrestaShop Expert network PrestaShop Expert Network lets businesses gain all the extra help they’ll need to operate a successful online business. It is possible to filter the options available based on the expertise that you’re looking for. You can also choose to narrow your search by the country you’re from, or the budget you have set.
With various languages to choose from, and assistance for multiple-store settings there is various help options here.
PrestaShop Review Security
There are numerous things to think about when creating the online site, from the products you’ll offer and how the checkout process will to appear like. One thing you must make sure you don’t miss the security plan you have in place.
The open-source software downloadable for PrestaShop has PCI-compliant. It’s therefore ready to be secure. However, you’ll have to work hard to ensure that everything is secure as you want it to be. Your PrestaShop store will not be compliant with the requirements of the law on its own. You’ll need to acquire an SSL certificate and keep an eye on any security updates that are available.
There are many factors, such as the need to oversee your own security practices that make PrestaShop’s open source software extremely difficult for those who are new to the field. If you’re brand new to ecommerce it’s not something you’d like to do is make a mistake on aspects such as privacy and security because you’re looking to launch your store in the shortest time possible.
It doesn’t matter how wonderful your store’s amenities are or how attractive your products are the customers will not want to purchase from you if you’re not offering them a secure experience.
PrestaShop Review Top Competitors
What is the best way to judge how PrestaShop compare to other open-source e-commerce platforms? This is the battle.
Open Cart vs PrestaShop
Both platforms share a lot in common. For example that each of them Open Cart and PrestaShop are open source, they support different stores, are compatible with several languages, have huge communities, and are simple to use.
Open Cart is a champion in the field of managing inventory. It has a wide catalog of options for various sizes, colors, as well as well as product choices. Although open Cart is an amazing platform, it’s nowhere as close to the flexibility that PrestaShop gives you.
Zen Cart vs PrestaShop
Zen Cart’s customization game is top-of-the-line and Zen Cart is an easier-to-use open-source e-commerce platform. This makes it a great choice for businesses that do not have the advanced skills of a developer and resources to acquire one.
The templates aren’t very impressive (you can purchase templates created by third-party companies). One of the main reasons why products like PrestaShop offer a chance to knock it out is that it offers very few extensions. In addition it is possible to run several modules and find out that they’re incompatible with one another.
Magento Open Source vs PrestaShop
Magento has been definitely the most effective of the bunch, but PrestaShop isn’t a slacker. In this instance, Magento provides a richer collection of features like coupons, sitemaps and sitemaps as well as tracking orders and a one-page checkout.
In terms of performance and user-friendliness, PrestaShop takes the lead. It’s due to the fact that it’s not hampered by an extremely heavy-duty CMS as Magento which is why PrestaShop will not slow your website down. This provides a smooth experience for the store’s owners and their customers.
PrestaShop Review: Benefits
Let’s see what advantages offer PrestaShop advantage over its rivals.
Highly customizable
Customization is the main selling aspect of PrestaShop. You can increase the functionality of your store in accordance with your evolving needs. PrestaShop allows you to create and edit an online store that is in line with your personal style. This is what makes PrestaShop an excellent choice when you have a lot of customized products you want to offer.
Simple to make use of
PrestaShop is designed to take into account non-technical users in order to make the process of setting the online store easy. It’s easier to comprehend since it takes away the complexity of web development. This makes it simpler to monitor the activities of your online store.
A large User Community
PrestaShop is a community which allows users to discover the appropriate tools to build your eCommerce store. There is no need to shell out money for customer service when you submit your questions to the community. There are bound to be several individuals who had similar issues and were able to resolve the issue.
PrestaShop Review: Drawbacks
Below are the less positive aspects that can dull its shine.
Customer support is costly
There is a good chance that you’ll run into problems that will require you to seek out the assistance from The PrestaShop team. But, the amount of hours you’ll get from the support you’ll pay for is way too high. If you only get three hours of support you’ll pay $250 each month. In the same way, you’ll pay 399 dollars per year for six hours of assistance.
Developer skills needed
Open source platforms were designed to be used by developers and that’s why the interface for backends typically is technical in terms of. If you don’t have any experience as a developer up your sleeves, you’ll have hire one. However, this could save you from having to pay for huge amounts of support for customers. SaaS platforms continue to be the dominant as they attempt to cut out the requirement for developers. For business owners this means saving money.
Who should think about using PrestaShop؟
If you’re selling a highly customized product that you wish to market or are familiar using CSS, PHP, and HTML (or are able to engage an expert developer) you’ll discover that PrestaShop is an ideal option for your business’s needs. It’s not just free, but also comes with an impressive functionality set, with an ever-growing range of modules that you can choose.
PrestaShop is the best choice for small and medium-sized businesses however Magento Open Source offers a more robust platform that is feature-rich and has sophisticated functionality for large companies.
If the idea of not having a support staff is a bit daunting or you’re seeking an option that offers more flexible and less invasive, then an SaaS eCommerce platform could be the best option for you.
Our Verdict
If you’re new to the world and do not have enough money, think about PrestaShop. Since it is an open source program platform, you can download it. The variety of features makes PrestaShop an ideal choice to think about. It’s easy to follow the setup process and can be learned from their demonstration. You don’t need to be a tech surveyor to set up, but you must follow the set-up guide.
When creating products you can offer both physical and downloadable items. There are more than 1500 themes to select from. Your shop will look beautiful. It is also possible to add meta descriptions to your products which will increase your SEO rankings.
It is also important to remember that you can integrate marketing strategies such as Discount mode coupons, coupon coupons, free shipping, advertising via email, affiliate programmes as well as gift wrap. These are all geared towards increasing your sales.
It’s not too bad to give it the shot. If you’ve tried PrestaShop or another open-source e-commerce platform. Do share your experiences in the comments section below.
