To market your products and services online, one of the best solutions is to create an e-commerce site with PrestaShop. This CMS (Content Management System) has rapidly become a must-have open-source option, characterized by very low costs, numerous functionalities and extensive configuration possibilities. What are the advantages of a PrestaShop site, and how does it compare with other e-commerce CMS on the market?
What is Prestashop?
PrestaShop is a free, open-source digital solution for the creation of e-commerce sites, and the name of the French startup behind it, founded in 2007. Today, the CMS powers more than 250,000 sites and is present in over 165 countries. In France alone, PrestaShop is used by 50,000 online stores, or 25 % of French e-commerce sites. Primarily designed for SMEs, the solution is also used by large corporations. In 2021, more than 24 billion euros in online sales were generated by PrestaShop sites.
The advantages of Prestashop
Open source CMS: you own your store and control hosting
Once your PrestaShop site has been created, you manage it from start to finish. Whether you're placing orders, adding or modifying catalog items or configuring your site, you're in full control. complete mastery on your online store. PrestaShop is a self-hosted solution, so you'll have to take care of hosting and all the technical aspects.
Extensive customization
One of the special features of PrestaShop is that it allows you to creation of a modular online store. In other words, you can progressively integrate modules to optimize your site's design, ergonomics and SEO. By way of illustration, there are over 3,000 plugins and more than 2,000 themes available, either free of charge or for a fee. So you can customize your e-commerce site as you see fit.
Advanced features
One of PrestaShop's great strengths is without doubt its wide range of functions. Without even the slightest notion of coding, you'll be able to push the personalization of your platform to the limit. Whether it's managing your product catalog, orders (shopping cart management, returns, etc.), payment methods (PayPal, Apple Pay, credit cards) or even the transport of your goods (delivery tracking, invoicing, notifications), you'll have more than one tool to offer your customers an absolutely unique user experience, making it considerably easier for them to convert.
A user-friendly interface
With a PrestaShop site, you can manage not only your customers, but also your payment methods and carriers. The platform is easy to use, intuitive and accessible to novices. With this platform, you can easily organize all your e-commerce activities, thanks in particular to an optimal hierarchical interface.
Multi-boutiques: manage several stores from a single back office
PrestaShop gives you multi-shop functionality. In other words, you can share the same catalog across several online stores. To top it all off, you'll be able to adapt the characteristics of each item to the store in question: price, carrier, etc. Thanks to this centralization of information through a single back-office, you'll be able to easily manage all your online stores, especially when these are aimed at customers in different countries.
Comparing PrestaShop with the other main e-commerce CMSs
PrestaShop vs. Shopify
The first notable difference between the two platforms is that Shopify is not available free of charge. If you're considering this option, you'll have no choice but to take out a paid subscription. However, unlike a PrestaShop site, you won't have to worry about hosting, which is included in the overall price. Shopify also applies transaction fees, the percentage of which varies according to the type of subscription taken out. Shopify is truly an all-inclusive solution, requiring no technical skills on your part.
PrestaShop vs. Magento
While PrestaShop is particularly popular with small and medium-sized businesses, Magento is favored mainly by large companies with international development objectives via multi-boutiques. Equipped with various SEO modules to guarantee maximum site visibility, the Magento platform requires solid technical skills and high maintenance costs. What's more, it's not an Open Source tool, so assistance with site configuration is essential.
PrestaShop vs. Woocommerce
Like PrestaShop, Woocommerce is a 100 % free solution. However, it's not a CMS, but rather a plugin that you can install on your WordPress CMS. You'll also need hosting and a domain name. Woocommerce is as easy to use as PrestaShop.
Who is PrestaShop for?
As previously mentioned, PrestaShop is distinguished by its ease of use and accessibility to users with no experience in the field. As a result, the platform is a wise choice for small and medium-sized businesses wishing to offer their products or services online without necessarily having a substantial budget to devote to them. As a comprehensive e-commerce CMS, PrestaShop is ideally suited to all types of B2C or B2B e-tailers.
Conclusion
If you're planning to develop a PrestaShop site, don't hesitate to contact an e-commerce specialist: Soledis. For the creation or redesign of your online store, you can rely on our recognized expertise: our web agency enjoys the trust of over 350 major customers (SMEs, major groups, pure players, B2C or B2B).
