INTRODUCTION
PrestaShop is a great open-source ecommerce solution
French startup PrestaShop has released version 1.6 of its eponymous open-source ecommerce website builder with a revamped frontend experience plus a backend overhaul that focuses on the business intelligence side of things.
The most impressive thing about PrestaShop is its default theme, which is comfortably one of the best around – slick and easily customisable thanks to Sass Compass built-in. The back office is no less well-presented despite the huge depth of analytics that it contains, and both are fully responsive.
DATE ESTABLISHED
2007
LOCATION
France
PROS
Free to download
Highly customizable
Numerous integrations
Excellent support materials
Strong user community
CONS
Expensive customer support
Developer skills required
OVERVIEW
Launched in 2007, PrestaShop is an international shopping cart solution. The company’s headquarters are located in Miami and Paris, and PrestaShop’s 100 employees operate in many different languages. With over 270,000 stores worldwide, they have to.
An open source shopping cart, PrestaShop is totally free to download and use. However, that does not mean that PrestaShop is a zero expense eCommerce solution. If you choose to download the software, you’ll have to pay for web-hosting. You’ll also likely have to purchase several (often expensive) modules to integrate different software programs with your site. If you have limited tech knowledge, you might consider investing in a web developer to help you through the rough spots.
PrestaShop may be free at first, but if you aren’t careful, it can end up being more expensive than some fully-hosted options.
FEATURES
PrestaShop comes with 600 features already built-in, and they include all the basics most merchants need to start out. Take a look at some of my favorite features below.
Unlimited Listings: List as many products as you’d like.
Sell Digital Products: Include a download expiration date for time-sensitive products.
Bulk Import/Export: Use a CSV file to facilitate migration.
Inventory Features: Manage your inventory and take advantage of inventory tracking and restocking alerts.
SEO Features: Take advantage of URL rewrites, meta titles, and meta descriptions.
PRICING
While PrestaShop does not offer a free trial (why would they when their software is already free?), they do have a demo available. This demo gives you a chance to explore the admin and storefront on many devices. Everything’s already filled in with sample information, so you really get a good feel for how the software works on a daily basis.
Setup costs for PrestaShop are as low as can be. However, you can expect some extra expenses for hosting (though these shouldn’t be too bad). View PrestaShop’s recommended hosting partners.
Ongoing expenses vary depending on a number of factors. PrestaShop is not the easiest software to use; it can be difficult to set up, and modules often interfere with one another, leading to an overall glitchy site. If you don’t know how to resolve technical issues on your own, you’ll probably have to hire web developers, IT personnel, and web designers to do the work for you.
Furthermore, modules and add-ons often come at a steep price (after all, that’s how PrestaShop makes their money). If you want to integrate your site with Quickbooks, Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and/or TaxJar, you may end up paying a pretty penny.
WEB-HOSTED OR LICENSED
Licensed. PrestaShop is available as free, open-source, downloadable software.
SPECIFIC SIZE OF BUSINESS
Mid-size to large businesses.
Although it’s possible for smaller businesses to use PrestaShop, I don’t recommend it. If you don’t have a lot of tech experience and need multiple add-ons, PrestaShop can get expensive quickly. If you’re practiced in coding for websites, go ahead and give it a try. If not, I recommend starting out with a fully hosted, easy-to-use option like Shopify or 3dcart.
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
In order to use PrestaShop’s downloadable software, you’ll need an FTP client and a registered domain on top of a third-party hosting service. Read more on supported operating systems and web services on PrestaShop’s system requirements page.