How to Create an ecommerce site with PrestaShop
Posted by Md Hridoy on November 20th, 2019
A few words about Prestashop to get started
Before explaining step by step how to create a Prestashop ecommerce website, it is useful to recall some contextual elements about this reference software (history, positioning, market shares ...). We will also come back to this first part about the distinction between the two versions of Prestashop: the cloud version and the version and the self-hosted version (server installation).
A reference e-commerce software made in France for small businesses
Prestashop was created in 2005 (and really launched in 2007) by five students from Epitech, a well-known French IT school located in Kremlin-Bicêtre, near Paris. Its designers have from the outset chosen to offer software in open source (free software), on the model of WordPress. For the record, the creators of Prestashop appealed to several e-merchants to write the specifications. Prestashop, which is built with the PHP language, experienced a strong development from the end of the 2000s and is now a reference software for small businesses, especially on the French market. The clear objective of Prestashop, for many years already, is to compete with Magento, launched in 2008 in the United States. Bruno Lévêque, one of the co-founders of Prestashop, contributed a lot to the definition and implementation of the internationalization strategy of the software from the end of the 2000s. A winning strategy: the number of The company's business grew by 60% in 2012 and has grown steadily since then (double-digit growth). In 2015,
Today, Prestashop's worldwide market share is around 6%, which is a very good performance given the strong competition in this sector. On the French market, the company claims to represent 40% of market share , claiming a clear position of ecommerce leader in the Hexagon. Recall now that Prestashop, like all open source software, is free. Its business model is largely based on its application store (the applications are called "modules" on Prestashop) and its shop themes pay. The company today has a turnover of $ 15 million.
By choosing Prestashop Cloud, the hosting of your ecommerce site is supported by Prestashop (partnership with OVH). An accommodation, note it, completely free, which is significant. This version of Prestashop allows you, either to use your own domain name or to use a subdomain. In the first case, this implies that you buy a domain name (unless you have already purchased one in the past). The subdomain is free. Using a subdomain, the site address will have the form www.mon-site.pswebstore.com or www.mon-site.pswebhost.com. Which is not very sexy. We strongly recommend that you use a domain name. By choosing the Cloud version, you have access to all Prestashop modules and themes. On the other hand,
By choosing the self-hosted version, you must download Prestashop on your computer and install your site on a server, via FTP. It is you who manage the accommodation, hence the term "self-hosting". This solution assumes more technical skills as well as buying an accommodation. The self-hosted version gives you more freedom than the cloud version, as you can install your own themes and modules.
create site ecommerce prestashop cloud vs installation
The process of creating your Prestashop ecommerce site will be different depending on whether you choose the traditional installation or the cloud version. By choosing the cloud version, you can in a few clicks start configuring your store and create your content. The process is longer and much more technical if you choose the self-hosted version.
If you are not a computer nerd, if you do not have enough budget to hire a technician, if you do not want to have to deal with the "code", if you do not have a lot of time and you want to quickly start selling, if you do not have ultra-complex needs and want a simple ecommerce site, Prestashop Cloud is for you. Otherwise, if you want a very personalized site and want to have a hand from A to Z on the management of your site, we recommend the self-hosted version.
The little advice of La Fabrique du net
If you hesitate between the two versions, know that Prestashop gives you the opportunity to migrate at any time from the cloud version to the self-hosted version.
Its simplicity. Creating a Prestashop site is relatively simple and fast. The interface is also more intuitive than that of Magento.
His price. Even if Prestashop is free, you still have to spend money to buy some essential modules, a theme, a domain name and hosting if you choose the self-hosted version. Nevertheless, Prestashop remains a very economical solution and is suitable for small budgets. Hence its success within the SME - SME.
His desire to stick to the best expectations of the market and online traders.
Its ecosystem. Prestashop is a large ecommerce website development company, especially in France. The forums and blogs dedicated to Prestashop are innumerable on the internet. This is very convenient when you have a technical problem or want to ask specific questions.
Its library of applications (modules), very rich and very qualitative. And more generally, its functional richness.
Its flexibility. The open source nature of Prestashop makes it possible to adapt the code of the software to your needs. Be careful, this is only true for the self-hosted version.
