Prestashop

Prestashop - is a free e-commerce platform based on the Open Software License, marking itself as a popular system for running an online store. It is a software that enables business owners, entrepreneurs and small traders to sell their products and services online. Prestashop’s popularity is growing because it provides key features to help manage an online shop, including order processing, payments, data collection and user management.

How does Prestashop work?

Prestashop works as a PHP script that can be installed on a web server. Prestashop has many functionalities that enable you to successfully run your own online shop. Here are some of them:

1. Product management: PrestaShop uses a web template system that allows users to customize store themes. You can specify various attributes, such as product listing, description, price, availability, images, as well as assign products to appropriate categories.
2. Order system: Prestashop provides technical support for the full order process. Users can track orders from the moment the customer places and pays, right through to product dispatch and delivery confirmation.
3. Payment integration: Prestashop offers integration with many popular payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe and others. This allows customers to pay for orders conveniently and securely.
4. Delivery options: Prestashop allows you to configure various delivery options, such as courier shipping, postal delivery, personal collection, etc. You can specify delivery rates according to weight, region or other parameters.
5. Inventory management: Users have access to information about the number of available products, receive alerts when stock is low and can manage reservations. The system also supports alerts for products that need replenishment.
6. Multilingual and multicurrency: Prestashop supports multiple languages and currencies, allowing the creation of shops oriented to different markets and geographical area. Users can customise content, flexible currency and availability according to customer preferences.
7. Reporting and analytics: Prestashop provides tools to track sales statistics, analyse customer data, monitor conversions and evaluate the effectiveness of marketing efforts. Users can generate reports to help make business decisions and optimise strategies.

Who can use the Prestashop platform?

The Prestashop system is designed for a wide range of users, from beginner sellers, small business people to large companies. Thanks to its diverse features and flexible nature, Prestashop can adapt to different industries and business types. The ecommerce platform also offers the possibility to use multiple shops on a single admin panel, which is beneficial for entrepreneurs running several online shops.

Advantages of Prestashop

• Free software: Prestashop is available for free as open-source software, saving licensing costs.
• Flexibility and customisation: Prestashop offers a wide range of design themes and add-on modules that allow you to create online store to suit your unique needs and shopping preferences.
• Rich functionality : Prestashop has many built-in features that enable product management, order processing, payment, delivery, marketing and more.
• Support and community: Prestashop has great support from the user and developer community. There are many places to get help, solve technical problems and share knowledge.

Disadvantages of Prestashop

• Complexity: Prestashop can be initially difficult to understand and configure, especially for novice users. Learning and understanding the various features and settings may be required.
• Performance: In some cases, Prestashop may have higher server resource requirements compared to other e-commerce platforms, which may affect the performance and loading time of the shop.
• Unreliability of additional modules: Although Prestashop offers many additional modules, some of them may be less stable and require regular updates, failure can lead to potential problems and disruption to the shop.
• Lack of some advanced features: Compared to some other e-commerce platforms, Prestashop may lack some advanced features that may be needed for specific industries or shop needs.

It is worth noting that both the advantages and disadvantages of Prestashop store may depend on your individual needs, as well as your level of experience and technical expertise. Before making a choice, it is worth conducting an analysis and assessing whether a Prestashop Marketplace meets your specific requirements.