Shopify & Prestashop: which e-commerce tool should you choose for your website and logistics?

Shopify: Simplicity incarnate for your e-commerce site

First and foremost, Shopify is an all-in-one platform that lets you create, manage and develop your online store. Designed for simplicity and accessibility, Shopify offers a user-friendly interface and a host of ready-to-use features, allowing you to combine responsiveness and simplicity.

Secondly, Shopify also offers responsive customer support and a secure infrastructure, making it a popular choice particularly with e-commerce beginners. It also offers a range of themes and apps to customize your online store without the need for in-depth technical skills, helping you attract customers and increase sales.

Also, in addition to its ease of use and customization possibilities, there are other advantages to using Shopify :

• Hosting included: Shopify manages the hosting of your website, eliminating the need to find a third-party host and simplifying configuration. An optimized experience!
• Security: Shopify supports online transaction security, including PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance, enabling users to process payments securely.
• Effective customer support: Shopify offers responsive customer support via a variety of channels, including live chat, phone and email.

However, there are a few negative points too:

• Monthly fees: the Shopify platform is subscription-based, which means monthly fees. For limited budgets or entrepreneurs just starting out, this can be a drawback.
• Application costs: Shopify offers many additional features via third-party applications, but additional costs may be added to the basic fees.
• Limited customization: although the platform offers themes and applications to personalize the experience, these options, while available, can sometimes be limited in relation to the specific needs of certain e-tailers.
• Transaction fees: in addition to the monthly subscription fee, Shopify levies transaction fees on every sale made via the platform, unless you use Shopify Payments as your payment gateway. As these fees accumulate, they can affect your profit margins.

Prestashop: Infinite flexibility for your online sales

Prestashop is an open-source platform, appreciated for its versatility and increased customization possibilities. Firstly, it offers total control over your online store: product management, orders, payments and shipping. It's ideal for companies looking for a flexible, adaptable solution.

Secondly, with Prestashop, you can easily modify the source code to meet all your specific needs. The platform is not only highly appreciated for its great flexibility, but also for its active community and ecosystem of extensions, enabling users to customize their store to their specific needs. It offers a wide range of features to support your development.

What's more, the fact that Prestashop is free to use is a major and indisputable advantage when choosing a platform. All basic functionalities are accessible without subscription. Other positive points include

• A large community: as mentioned above, Prestashop benefits from an active community of users, developers and contributors who provide real support, as well as additional modules, themes and training resources.
• Multilingual and multicurrency: the platform supports multiple languages and currencies, an important consideration for international companies or those targeting a global market. This highlights the universal aspect of your business and enables you to address a wide range of customers.
• Total control: by using Prestashop, users have full control over their website and data. This means they are free from the policies and restrictions of a hosted platform.

Despite these positive aspects, there are a few arguments against the platform:

• Need for technical skills: Prestashop requires technical skills for installation, configuration and maintenance. This can be a technical challenge for novices.
• Hosting requirements: Prestashop users have to find and manage their own hosting. Depending on the solutions found, this may entail additional costs and/or technical complications.
• Managing updates: Prestashop users are responsible for managing software updates, including security and functionality updates, which means extra vigilance, time and effort.

As this is an in-house development, and thanks to the availability of our on-site IT team, we can be highly responsive to market demands and developments. Whether solving a technical problem or implementing new features, our customers can be confident in our ability to respond quickly and efficiently to their needs.