Prestashop : Advantages and Disadvantages
PrestaShop, the open source, feature rich, ecommerce solution was established in 2007. Using PrestaShop, you can set up stores in the cloud or through self-hosting. At present, PrestaShop is available in 65 international languages and 1.25 Lakh online shops across the world use it. This ecommerce platform is easy to use and offers a powerful responsive online store interface for its shoppers. Though it is free, it is rich with a broad set of add-on features. Users consider PrestaShop as the most reliable online shopping solutions that promise a fantastic user experience. Like any other ecommerce PrestaShop ecommerce too has its pros and cons. If you are looking forward to PrestaShop store development, then this article will help you with an insight into the pros and cons of the same. Let us delve into the details;
Advantages of Prestashop:
1. Easy to install
Prestashop is easy to install. From the official website, you need to download the file. Once you download the file, creating a responsive and functioning online store is just a few clicks away. Since the file size is 6Mb, deploying this ecommerce platform is not a dreadful task even for users with a slow internet connection.
2. Budget-Friendly
It is budget-friendly. This open-source shopping cart is free of cost. Merchants who look for minimal investment can depend on Prestashop because the license is not required to set up an online store using PrestaShop.
3. User-friendly
The PrestaShop custom design is convenient and simple. Technical knowledge is not required, to run a PrestaShop e-store. It has a simple design and user-friendly back-end interface. A store owner with minimal technical knowledge can easily handle and maintain the website. 25000+ plugins are available for PrestaShop. These plugins make the creation and functioning of the store at ease.
4. Easy Customization
It is easy to customize a shopping site using Prestashop. As per requirement, it is easy to add or delete features too. Prestashop is very flexible hence it is easy to personalize specific areas of the store during Prestashop website development.
5. Demographic assistance
Prestashop supports multiple currencies and language. Hence localization is simple. The demographic assistance helps PrestaShop stores run effectively across the globe. Today, Prestashop based stores are functioning effectively from USA, India, Canada, UK, Germany, China, and Japan. Though complete support is provided only for English and French, the website is capable of translating approximately to 40 to 45 languages.
6. Secure payment
The major attraction of Prestashop is the reliable and convenient payment gateways. They use payment options like Google Checkout and PayPal. These payment methods are secure, and there is no worry about fraud activities.
Also, secure transactions are processed through SSL protocol system. Moreover, Prestashop supports one-page checkout process, that boost product purchase.
Besides these important features, Prestashop comes up with some out of the box features. These features include free promotional tools like automation Email follow-ups, coupons, deals, vouchers. The ‘recently viewed products,’ returns management and order tracking are inbuilt features for the convenience of users.
Disadvantages of Prestashop:
Now, let us look into the disadvantages of PrestaShop. Like any other shopping solutions, Prestashop also has some limitations.
1. Limited scalability
Limited scalability is a significant drawback of PrestaShop. This ecommerce platform is suitable for small and medium stores. But when the platform needs to expand, PrestaShop is not the ideal choice.
2. Unprofessional design
For the low budget store, PrestaShop has a decent design. But for large-scale stores, the plan is not attractive or suitable. The designs of PrestaShop’s lack a professional touch even though it has essential functions.
3. No official support team
You will not find PrestaShop experts or support team. This is the main disadvantage of this ecommerce platform. However, the users do not consider this as a drawback as there as 700,000 plus active members ( on support pages) who always support the users whenever a confusion arises.
To conclude,
Virtina as an experienced Prestashop experts will suggest you pick PrestaShop if you are on a low budget and is looking to set up a standard online store with some standard features that give online exposure to your business.
