What is PrestaShop used for?

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This is where your search for “What is PrestaShop?” comes to an end. Given that you’re reading this, it’s safe to assume that you’re about to go on an eCommerce journey. You are likely overwhelmed by the number of eCommerce platforms available and that’s understandable. In this article, you’ll learn what PrestaShop is, and why it’s so popular among eCommerce web developers all over the world.

Creating an online shop can be daunting, especially if you are unfamiliar with the platforms available. Each eCommerce platform comes with its own set of features as well as pros and cons. It’s important to exercise caution when selecting a platform for your organization because it will have a huge impact on your store’s success in the future.

What is PrestaShop?

PrestaShop is a web-based platform that allows users to establish an eCommerce presence and sell products and services to an online audience. PrestaShop is used to build websites, add functionality, and accept payments for business owners who want to move their businesses online.

PrestaShop is an open-source eCommerce platform, which means the software’s source code is available to the public. This means that customers can tailor the program to their specific needs and that it can be improved and updated regularly by its owners and its community. The software is written in PHP and distributed under the terms of the Open Software License.

PrestaShop is a successful eCommerce platform, with over 30,000 businesses utilizing it in 60 different languages around the world. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Paris, but it has since expanded to become a multinational corporation. PrestaShop’s objective is to “develop a world-class eCommerce software through open source innovation,” according to its website.

Prestashop vs. Magento

Prestashop’s main purpose

PrestaShop is a free and open-source solution for your online store. It is quite beneficial for novices to get started with eCommerce. Because PrestaShop is an open-source solution, you can expect a lot of help from its community. It features a large pool of themes and modules to personalize your store.

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What are PrestaShop features?

PrestaShop comes with over 300 built-in features for managing payment methods, shipping, product listings, suppliers, and purchasers. PrestaShop makes use of a web template system that allows you to alter the store’s theme and add-on modules. This means your website can be customized as you please with the right lines of code.

Here is a list of key PrestaShop features:

  • Ease of use
  • Free and open source
  • Marketing
  • Payment gateways
  • Easy customization

Ease of use

PrestaShop’s back end is more technical so it can take a little longer to set up. However, with the help of web developers your eCommerce platform can be personalized quickly. Otherwise, Prestashop’s demo takes you through the whole process so that you can complete the setup. Once done, you can select the modules needed for your online store.

Free and open source

PrestaShop is a completely free and open-source platform that allows you to quickly create a fully configurable website. PrestaShop makes creating an eCommerce website a lot easier and more accessible. This fantastic eCommerce CMS is used in 65 countries and has over one million active members in the open-source community.

It has one of the largest open source communities in the world and the community is always contributing to the platform’s improvement. It supports over 75 languages and more than 60 PrestaShop-compatible payment modules.

Prestashop vs. WooCommerce

Marketing

PrestaShop allows you to add custom features to your website. Discount mode, free shipping, special offers, email marketing, affiliate programming, gift wrapping, coupon codes, and many other features are available. These initiatives are the source of customer loyalty and they can be achieved with a minimum of technical knowledge.

Payment gateways

Payment gateways are critical to the success of an eCommerce platform. PayPal, Amazon Pay, Worldpay, Discover Global Network, First Data, and Authorize.Net are among the payment gateways supported by PrestaShop. It also includes over 250 payment providers as add-ons found on its marketplace.

Easy customization

PrestaShop comes with several modules such as cross-selling and newsletter subscription that can be implemented with just one click, putting an end to the days of boring and conventional websites. These modules can assist you in customizing the site to meet your specific requirements. PrestaShop’s marketplace contains over 5,000 modules and themes to customize your website.

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Why choose PrestaShop?

You should choose PrestaShop for the following reasons:

  1. Exceptional basic features
  2. Usability
  3. Mobile-friendly
  4. Great support

 

1. Exceptional basic features

PrestaShop is jam-packed with features. Here are some of the basic features that PrestaShop users have access to for free:

  • CMS page management
  • User-friendly and fully functional back-end interface
  • Extensive shipping management
  • Multi-store feature
  • SEO-friendly links for any page on your retail store
  • Flexible enough to support a large number of payment gateways or options
  • Multilingual platform that supports over 60 languages
  • Availability of multiple payment options
  • Frequent upgrades and security patches
  • Extensive reporting system

2. Usability

PrestaShop’s user-friendliness is the most obvious feature that distinguishes it from other eCommerce platforms. Many entrepreneurs and startups lack technical knowledge, and they may find anything technological too difficult to navigate or overcome without the help of web developers. Only a few entrepreneurs are coding specialists or have technical experience.

PrestaShop can be rapidly installed using the guided interface, which clearly explains each step of the procedure. This outstanding eCommerce platform’s cloud version even eliminates the need for installation. Instead, it offers you a fully functional retail store that is just waiting for you to add your chosen products and begin selling right away.

3. Mobile-friendly

PrestaShop is a mobile-friendly eCommerce platform that allows you to communicate with your consumers no matter where they are. If your eCommerce business isn’t optimized for mobile browsing, you’re potentially leaving a lot of money on the table for your competitors to take advantage of.

4. Great support

PrestaShop’s user support and guidance is another reason why it is one of the top eCommerce platforms. PrestaShop is an open-source program with a big community of developers who assist users in troubleshooting issues that may arise. PrestaShop’s popularity has grown to over 1,000,000 active community members and over 5 million downloads just a few years after its inception. PrestaShop is now utilized across the globe and powers a large number of eCommerce websites!

Prestashop vs. Shopify 

Who uses PrestaShop?

PrestaShop is typically used by entrepreneurs who don’t want to spend exorbitant amounts of money to digitize their business. It is one of the most popular eCommerce software because of its efficiency, reliability, numerous features, add-ons, and ease of use.

PrestaShop has been used to create a variety of B2B and B2C eCommerce websites. If you’re still not convinced that PrestaShop is the right choice for your online store, have a look at these successful and genuinely remarkable websites:

How much does PrestaShop cost?

PrestaShop is 100% free. No monthly fees. No commissions on your sales. The company believes that everybody should be able to start selling online for free. However, you will have to pay a fee for website hosting, security and your domain name.

eCommerce website development services

Want to create an online store for your business? Publi Web Media offers an advanced service for the design and development of online sales sites. We have more than ten years of experience in many aspects of eCommerce website design and development, as well as the integration of two-way communication systems between your eCommerce website and the company’s management systems (ERP), and marketing systems.

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