Are you in search of a free open supply ecommerce platform to launch your on-line retailer? If that’s the case, then PrestaShop is likely to be the answer for you. On this PrestaShop evaluate, we’ll have a look at its options and reply the burning questions you’ve about this answer.
Sounds good? Let’s get began.
PrestaShop Overview: Overview
PrestaShop is an ecommerce platform that makes use of the self-hosted or open supply choice. This implies that you would be able to obtain it and modify it anyway you need. The answer was launched again in 2007 with its headquarters in France.
PrestaShop not too long ago launched the PrestaShop Prepared model, which is their Software program as a Service (SaaS) or hosted choice. Nonetheless, in contrast to the open supply model, this selection limits your entry to the code wanted for personalisation but it surely’s extra user-friendly.
PrestaShop Overview: Key Options
Here’s a record of the perfect options that PrestaShop has to supply.
Ease of use
Organising PrestaShop can take a little bit of time as a result of its backend is extra technical. Nonetheless, PrestaShop offers a demo to take you thru the entire course of.
After the setup course of is full, the subsequent step is to determine which modules you want to your on-line retailer. In case your tech experience is restricted, it’s clever to hunt an internet developer to maintain the integrations for you.
Fortunately, when you’re achieved with the setup, integrations, and modules, each day operations similar to product creation, order administration, and stock are easy.
Retailer customization
Reality is- open supply is the way in which to go if you’d like your web site to have a novel really feel. Within the extremely aggressive world of ecommerce, constructing a memorable model is vital to your long-term success.
To customise a web-based retailer, you’ll need two modules. One which’s simple to make fast edits and a complicated module for altering the code to customise your retailer to your liking. This is the reason you’ll need entry to CSS, HTML and JavaScript information.
The customization instruments in PrestaShop will aid you to finish product group, create an inner search engine instrument to assist clients simply navigate your retailer or arrange totally different cost strategies.
Additionally, you will discover over 1500 templates and an unlimited assortment of customizable themes within the PrestaShop official market. Third events develop most of those templates and that’s why you possibly can find yourself paying from round $60 for a excessive customary template from PrestaShop licensed companions.
Product creation
PrestaShop options an intuitive product creation space the place you possibly can record as many merchandise as you’d wish to promote. It’s also possible to configure options to show expiry dates for time-sensitive merchandise. It’s also possible to promote downloadable merchandise utilizing PrestaShop.
Other than this, you can even handle your stock and set restocking alerts every time a product goes out of inventory. It additionally contains an search engine optimization part the place you possibly can enter a Meta title and a Meta description.
Google wealthy snippets
The sheer variety of individuals looking for merchandise on Google reveals that rating on SERPs is essential. Wealthy snippets are codes that make it simple for search engines like google and yahoo to prepare info.
This affords customers the flexibility to see merchandise that they seek for and evaluate costs. This is the reason you must add Google Wealthy Snippets to your product hyperlinks and provides a right away enhance to your search engine optimization efforts.
The Google Wealthy snippets are within the PrestaShop add-ons market. Leverage it to enhance your attain and the buying expertise for purchasers.
Advertising and marketing
Regardless that it’s a must to go the additional mile to seek out customized options, PrestaShop boasts an intensive record of built-in advertising instruments. A few of these choices embody:
- Particular affords
- Low cost mode
- Coupon codes
- Free delivery
- Electronic mail advertising
- Reward wrapping
- Affiliate packages
Cost processing
To make your web site totally practical to just accept funds, you could setup a cost gateway.
PrestaShop helps a variety of cost gateways together with PayPal, Bambora, Uncover International Community, Amazon Pay, Worldpay, First Information and Authorize.Internet. It additionally has over 250 cost suppliers as add-ons.
In distinction, PrestaShop Prepared has solely 4 cost choices. These embody Stripe, PayPal, financial institution transfers and examine funds.
Buyer relationship administration
To communicate along with your clients, PrestaShop permits you to ship automated emails after a transaction to offer them a way of safety.
It’s also possible to set promotions focused to particular merchandise, orders or buyer teams.
To scale back deserted cart charge, PrestaShop permits you to electronic mail clients to remind them in regards to the merchandise they’ve left of their carts.
Authorized assist
The flexibility to adjust to legal guidelines is a necessary a part of operating a web-based retailer. PrestaShop comes with buying cart instruments that make your store compliant with the legal guidelines of a selected nation. For example, Germany has positioned some particular buying cart guidelines for on-line shops.
It is a large plus as you don’t normally see authorized assist via ecommerce options. With PrestaShop, you even get design instruments for creating fast pages that designate some authorized info to your clients.
Safety
The open supply model of PrestaShop is PCI Compliance prepared. Because of this you’ll have to do that course of your self. Due to this fact, you’ll have to purchase an SSL certificates and often examine in on safety patches.
Then again, the PrestaShop Prepared model has its safety accounts already up to date for you. It’s because it’s hosted on the Google Cloud platform that features a free SSL certificates.
Integrations and add-ons
PrestaShop has many integrations accessible of their market. Some modules are free whereas others can be found as one-time purchases.
It’s true that including integrations to spice up your web site utilizing PrestaShop can find yourself being costlier than the SaaS options like Shopify. Nonetheless, when you promote excessive quantity, you come out on high with PrestaShop. So all of it relies upon.
Apart from this caveat, the second is normally the deal breaker for many retailers. The modules are created by totally different builders and will not be suitable with one another. This may increasingly result in a glitch web site and PrestaShop can not all the time assist out on this situation.
The PrestaShop model limits entry to all the market. This fashion, customers solely get to make use of the module’s built-in to the platform. On the time of this evaluate, there are 100 modules built-in to PrestaShop Prepared.
PrestaShop Overview: Buyer Assist
PrestaShop has a group of fellow customers who come collectively to resolve points via boards. Additional PrestaShop additionally affords paid assist to get in contact with a consultant.
Completely different plans present totally different ranges of assist. The least costly plan prices $250 per thirty days for 3 hours of assist. PrestaShop affords a one-year subscription that prices $399 every year for six hours of assist per yr.
PrestaShop Overview: Pricing
As an open supply ecommerce answer, PrestaShop is free to obtain. Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply that the buying cart answer is zero-expense. You’ll find yourself paying internet hosting costs from its internet hosting companion 1&1 starting from $8 to $15. As well as, additionally, you will purchase a number of paid modules for an environment friendly and handsome retailer.
PrestaShop may not provide a free trial choice, like a few of the different market leaders within the eCommerce world, but it surely doesn’t really want to. For the reason that software program is free to make use of, you possibly can mainly determine how a lot you wish to spend in your retailer from day one.
Once you’re constructing your eCommerce web site, you can even try the free “demo” model of PrestaShop, which could aid you to get a really feel for a way the software program works, and how much expertise you’re going to wish to spend some extra cash on. For example, you may determine throughout the demo that you just wish to rent knowledgeable to come back and code your retailer for you.
Identical to comparable open-source options, similar to WordPress, PrestaShop does have a lot of bills to contemplate, however the quantity you truly pay will fluctuate in response to a lot of components. For example, since PrestaShop isn’t the simplest software program available on the market, it’d require extra skilled assist from a developer or designer than you would wish with one thing like WordPress.
What’s extra, as we talked about above, there are prone to be a lot of add-ons and modules you wish to tack onto your retailer expertise too. These extensions usually include a reasonably steep value in comparison with the sort of add-ons you may get from platforms like Shopify.
In case you determine that you just wish to combine your web site with eBay, Amazon, QuickBooks, Fb, and a variety of different instruments, then you possibly can shortly begin to develop fairly a major invoice.
It’s also possible to entry extras from PrestaShop that improve what you are able to do along with your web site. For example, the PrestaShop Checkout service means that you would be able to add a button to your web site to take funds from all the pieces from VISA, to PayPal and Mastercard.
This checkout service comes with no set up prices or month-to-month charges to fret about. Nonetheless, you do must pay a slight transaction price on each bank card, PayPal, or American Categorical funds. Moreover, there are some worldwide charges to contemplate when you’re taking transactions from elsewhere on the earth too.
Different PrestaShop Addons choices embody:
- PrestaShop ERP: The answer that permits you to configure your personal ERP software program primarily based in your eCommerce exercise. This offers entry to all the pieces from inventory administration to dropshipping and order fulfilment. It’s also possible to make a number of warehouse and gross sales channels all from the identical devoted surroundings.
- PrestaShop Advertisements: It is a service that permits you to entry higher outcomes out of your advertising and lead technology methods. You possibly can unlock hassle-free buying advertisements campaigns which are linked with Google search. What’s extra, you get some additional Google Advertisements credit score to your campaigns once you first join.
PrestaShop Overview: Design and Templates
There are tons of issues you are able to do with a PrestaShop on-line store. This open-source software program comes with entry to all the pieces from plugins to checkout instruments. Nonetheless, one of many first stuff you’ll must do is just remember to have the best on-line presence.
The PrestaShop retailer comes with entry to over 3,000 net templates which are already cell responsive. Sadly, you do must pay additional for these themes. The one free choice is the accessible default web site, which isn’t that nice by itself.
On the plus facet, as a result of PrestaShop is an open-source web site builder, you’ll have full entry to the code that was used to construct your web site. You or your builders/designers can get as deep into the code as you wish to customise how your web site goes to look and work.
Sadly, in case your small enterprise can’t afford a developer, or doesn’t have entry to tech expertise, you’ll want to determine methods to edit your PrestaShop web site your self. The assist plans don’t embody a lot steerage for this, however there’s a WYSIWYG editor.
The What You See is What You Get editor makes it doable to make adjustments to your default theme in response to your wants. Utilizing the editor, you possibly can add your personal emblem and social media hyperlinks. There’s additionally the choice to vary totally different parts of your e-commerce web site structure with out getting too deep into the code.
Though there may be freedom to edit by yourself right here, the simplest approach to verify your PrestaShop web site appears nice when you don’t know methods to deal with code is prone to be to decide on a pre-existing theme from {the marketplace}. Nonetheless, this does imply that you possibly can find yourself spending a whole lot of {dollars} extra in your web site than you initially supposed.
PrestaShop Overview: Integrations
It’s not simply the wide selection of premium themes that you just’ll want to contemplate when making your PretaShop creation stand out both. There are additionally hundreds of PrestaShop addons to consider too. In case you’re in search of a approach so as to add issues like WooCommerce or PrestaShop buyer engagement instruments to your web site, then that’s one other expense to fret about.
The integrations on {the marketplace} are usually accessible as a part of a one-time buy. Most addon’s are below $100 every, however there are alternatives that value much more too. Including a number of integrations into your web site can find yourself getting fairly costly.
Apart from the value issue, there could also be one other drawback to constructing your web site block-by-block utilizing the modules and plugins that PrestaShop offers.
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As a result of the integrations on {the marketplace} are made by a whole lot of various builders from everywhere in the world, there’s no assure that all the pieces will work precisely as anticipated. In case you don’t have the know the way required to determine coding issues after they come up, you possibly can get into bother.
Certainly, including a number of modules for all the pieces from checkouts to stock administration may shortly result in a glitchy and slow-performing web site.
Whereas it’s good to have a platform that provides you the liberty so as to add performance nevertheless you see match, you’ll have to be cautious about what you add to your web site.
PrestaShop Overview: Cost Choices
Having a retailer that appears nice and comes with tons of additional add-on options is implausible. Nonetheless, it received’t be a lot good when you can’t discover a approach to efficiently handle transactions out of your clients too. There’s loads of ecommerce software program accessible from PrestaShop, but it surely belongs within the add-on part of the location, the place you could find some free modules, and a whole lot of premium choices.
For funds, you’ll want a third-party processor or a service provider account with the PrestaShop Checkout answer. The cost companions which are accessible for American retailers are at present:
- Uncover International
- Amazon Pay
- Authorize.Internet
- WolrdPay
- FattMerchant
- First Information
- Bambora
- Simplify Commerce (Mastercard)
- PayPal for US and Canada
- CCBill
- BlueSnap
- BS Payone
There are additionally over 200 further cost suppliers that you would be able to select as add-ons too.
One nice choice is the PrestaShop Checkout additional service that we talked about above. This Checkout answer is constructed with PayPal, and offers entry to numerous checkout choices, together with American Categorical, Mastercard and lots of others.
One of many good issues about PrestaShop Checkout is that it’s a direct cost choice. That implies that your clients could make their buy in your web site, with out having to be directed to a different web page. That is usually a great way to take care of your buyer’s belief.
Moreover, PrestaShop Checkout is extraordinarily simple to implement and use. It solely takes a few minutes to configure your new service, and your transactions are 100% safe and encrypted too. PrestaShop Checkout is totally compliant with all laws, together with GDPR. There are even anti-fraud detection guidelines included too.
There are not any month-to-month, or set-up charges to fret about, and also you don’t need to cope with cancellation charges both. Nonetheless, you’ll need to pay a small fee value per transaction for each cost mode that you just provide.
PrestaShop Overview: Buyer Assist
One different factor that you just’ll want to consider when designing your PrestaShop retailer, is what sort of technical assist and customer support you possibly can anticipate to get. Assist is usually a sophisticated situation with a lot open-source software program within the web site constructing market.
That’s as a result of there are a whole lot of freelancers and a number of programmers chargeable for creating the templates and modules accessible for one thing like PrestaShop. You might need a tough time discovering somebody who is aware of how completely all the pieces in your retailer works.
The excellent news is that PrestaShop does have a various group that you should use to entry a greater likelihood of getting your questions answered. For example, the Common Assist Portal on the PrestaShop web site offers you entry to your whole assist choices, which embody:
- Person guides and FAQs: These instruments are designed that will help you discover the solutions that you could clear up your personal issues with none additional assist from knowledgeable.
- Contact particulars: You will get in contact with PrestaShop representatives by way of electronic mail or assist ticket and watch for them to be accessible to get again in contact with you.
- Person boards: The boards are sometimes the perfect place to get extra quick and customised assist. There are boards in a number of languages, and totally different segments that concentrate on particular challenges or PrestaShop points.
- Coaching: The PrestaShop group affords its personal coaching programs that may aid you to learn to grasp the platform as a service provider or developer.
- Social media: In case you’re having a troublesome time getting maintain of somebody who can reply your questions with a standard assist ticket, then you possibly can attempt contacting PrestaShop via social media channels like Fb or Twitter.
There’s additionally the choice to purchase devoted assist plans. These plans come at an additional expense and assist you to entry particular members of the PrestaShop assist group. Sadly, most individuals take into account these packages to be extraordinarily overpriced. There’s a one-month assist plan for $279.99, and the remaining drive you to enroll in a complete yr. The annual plans begin at round $399 per yr, and solely features a handful of hours that you should use for assist.
The PrestaShop Specialists
There’s a barely totally different approach to get entry to the assist you may want from PrestaShop too. The Specialists part of the web site permits you to discover an company or companion that works with PrestaShop to supply assist with one thing particular. For example, you possibly can search for an Professional that may assist with issues like eCommerce consulting, web site constructing, or design and person expertise.
There are totally different sorts of Specialists relying on what you want out of your service. For example, the Platinum companions are essentially the most skilled worldwide companies that ship the very best degree of assist, but in addition are typically the costliest.
There are additionally Gold companies which have earned a whole lot of factors primarily based on their contribution ranges, and silver companions, that concentrate on particular regional areas.
Bronze companions are the regional companions in your space which have simply begun to develop their company to supply PrestaShop assist. These companies may cost a little lower than the opposite choices.
The PrestaShop Professional community implies that corporations can entry all the additional help that they could must run a profitable on-line enterprise. You possibly can filter via what’s accessible in response to the abilities that you just’re particularly in search of. There’s additionally the choice to slim down your decisions primarily based in your nation of origin, or your finances.
With totally different languages to select from and assist for multi-store environments accessible, you could find a variety of assist right here.
PrestaShop Overview: Safety
There are a whole lot of components to contemplate once you’re constructing a web-based retailer, from which merchandise you’ll promote, to what your checkout course of goes to seem like. One essential factor to just remember to by no means overlook, is your safety technique.
The downloadable open-source software program for PrestaShop is already PCI compliance prepared. That implies that it’s able to be safe, however you could do some work to be sure that all the pieces is as protected as you want it to be. Your PrestaShop retailer received’t be compliant on it’s personal, you’ll nonetheless must buy your personal SSL certificates and check out any accessible safety patches.
It’s components like the necessity to handle your personal safety efforts that make PrestaShop’s open supply answer so tough to entry for learners. In case you’re new to ecommerce, then the very last thing you need is to chop corners on issues like safety and privateness since you wish to get your retailer operating as shortly as doable.
Keep in mind, it doesn’t matter how nice the remainder of your retailer is, or how interesting your merchandise is likely to be, clients received’t wish to store with you when you’re not giving them a protected expertise
PrestaShop Overview: Prime Opponents
How does PrestaShop stack up in opposition to different open supply ecommerce platforms? Right here’s the showdown.
Open Cart vs PrestaShop
Each platforms have quite a bit in widespread, as an example, each Open Cart and PrestaShop are open sources, assist a number of shops, assist a number of languages, have massive communities and are simple to make use of.
Open Cart is a champion at managing stock. It affords a big catalog performance for various colours, sizes, top as product choices. Whereas open Cart is a superb platform, it doesn’t come near the customization that PrestaShop affords.
Zen Cart vs PrestaShop
Zen Cart’s customization sport is on level and it’s a extra user-friendly open supply ecommerce platform. This makes it a great choice for retailers who don’t have superior developer expertise and the sources to get one.
In distinction, its templates will not be that spectacular (you should purchase some made by third events). The main draw back that makes options similar to PrestaShop give it a knock out is that it has restricted add-ons. To make issues worse, you possibly can run a number of modules solely to seek out that they’re incompatible with one another.
Magento Open Supply vs PrestaShop
Magento is undoubtedly the perfect within the sport however PrestaShop is not any slacker. On this case, Magento offers a richer characteristic set of sitemaps, coupons, order monitoring and one-page checkout.
On the subject of efficiency and ease of use, PrestaShop takes the lead. That is largely as a result of it doesn’t endure being a heavy obligation CMS like Magento, the outcome, PrestaShop received’t sluggish your web site down. This interprets to a seamless expertise to each retailer homeowners and clients alike.
PrestaShop Overview: Advantages
Let’s discover out what benefits give PrestaShop an edge over its rivals.
Extremely customizable
Customizability is the distinctive promoting level of PrestaShop. You’ve gotten the benefit to scale up your performance in response to your altering wants. It offers you the flexibility to edit and create a retailer that fits your model. This makes PrestaShop an honest choice when you have very customizable merchandise to promote.
Straightforward to make use of
PrestaShop takes into consideration the non-tech customers to make organising a web-based retailer a breeze. The software program is less complicated to grasp because it does away with the complexities of net improvement. This makes it simpler to take care of the actions of your ecommerce retailer.
Sturdy person group
PrestaShop has a group that permits you to discover the best instruments to your ecommerce retailer. You don’t need to pay for buyer assist when you possibly can current your queries to this group. You might be prone to discover a bunch of people that skilled comparable points and the way they had been in a position to clear up it.
PrestaShop Overview: Drawbacks
Under are the not so good options that boring its shine.
Costly buyer assist
It’s inevitable that you just’ll encounter some points that may inevitably make you search the assist of the PrestaShop group. Nonetheless, the variety of hours you get for the assist you pay for is unreasonably costly. For under three hours of assist, you find yourself paying $250 each month. Equally, you’ll half with $399 yearly for under six hours of assist.
Developer expertise wanted
Open supply platforms are created with builders in thoughts that’s why the backend interface is normally technical in nature. Because of this when you have no developer expertise up your sleeve, you’ll have to rent one. On the brilliant facet, it will aid you forego paying hefty quantities of restricted buyer assist. SaaS platforms proceed to dominate as a result of they attempt to remove the necessity for builders. For a enterprise proprietor, this interprets to slicing down on prices.
Who Ought to Contemplate Utilizing PrestaShop
If in case you have a really customizable product that you could promote otherwise you’re aware of CSS, PHP, and HTML (or can afford to rent a developer) you’ll discover that PrestaShop is a superb match for your online business wants. It’s not solely free but in addition has an incredible characteristic set with an increasing assortment of modules to pick.
PrestaShop works finest for small and medium enterprises however Magento Open Supply affords a extra characteristic wealthy platform with superior performance for big enterprises.
If the considered not having a assist group scares you otherwise you’re in search of an answer that’s a bit extra handoff, then a SaaS ecommerce platform might be the best answer for you.
Our Verdict
In case you are beginning out and you do not have sufficient cash you possibly can take into account PrestaShop. As an Open supply, you possibly can simply obtain it. The numerous options make PrestaShop a superb choice to contemplate. It is easy to make use of the setup process may be realized from their demo. You do not have to be a tech survey to arrange however observe the setup information.
In product creation, you possibly can promote each bodily and downloadable merchandise. You’ve gotten greater than 1500 theme to select from. Making your store look beautiful. It’s also possible to embody meta description to your product that may enhance your search engine optimization rating.
Not forgetting that you would be able to incorporate advertising choices: Low cost mode, coupon codes, free delivery, electronic mail advertising, affiliate packages, and reward wrapping. All these geared towards boosting your sale.
Not unhealthy you may give it a shot.If in case you have used PrestaShop or another open supply e-commerce platform. Please share your expertise within the remark part beneath.
