Why migrate from Prestashop to Shopify: 10 reasons

The Shopify e-commerce solution is renowned for its flexibility and ease of use. If you are a marketer or communicator without specific technical skills, this CMS is for you!

Stellar is an agency specializing in Shopify migrations. Here's our complete guide.

Here are 10 reasons why we recommend a migration to Shopify from your Prestashop site:

1. Ease of use 



Simpler, more easily understandable for a non-technical person, here's how Shopify can make your life easier:

• A simple and intuitive user interface: Shopify offers a clear and easy-to-understand back-office, which makes managing the online store easier for its administrators. New features and improvements are also added regularly.
• Easy-to-modify navigation: In Shopify, you can easily create menus and sub-menus via the navigation section. You can thus create items (menus and sub-menus) and link them to the page, product, or collection of your choice. The simplicity of the system allows you to evolve the navigation at any time without impacting the site or content structure.
• Documentation and online resources: Shopify regularly publishes detailed documentation in French to help users understand the platform and its features.
• Regular updates: Shopify is a SaaS solution (forget Prestashop versions). You will thus benefit from regular updates without requiring any intervention on your part. Your store will therefore always be at the forefront of e-commerce technology.

Due to these factors (and many more), Shopify is considered much easier to use than Prestashop. After migrating your store, your daily merchant life will become simpler. You can focus on acquiring new customers and sales, rather than managing your site.

2. SEO management 


Shopify offers robust native features for natural search engine optimization (SEO) for your online store, including:

• Customization of titles and metadata: You can customize the titles and metadata of product pages, collections, blog posts, and other storytelling content to improve their visibility in search engines.
• Shopify natively integrates a very easy-to-use redirection manager to help you avoid and correct your 404 errors.
• Customizable URLs: Product and category URLs can be customized to be more relevant and optimized for SEO. You can modify them at any time, individually or in bulk.
• XML Sitemap: Shopify automatically generates an XML sitemap for your site, which helps search engines index your pages more efficiently.
• Access to SEO applications: Shopify also allows you to add third-party SEO applications for keyword tracking and analysis, report generation, image compression (to improve your store's speed), etc.

It is obvious that technology alone (Shopify or Prestashop) cannot guarantee good SEO.

To achieve the best SEO results, it is necessary to implement strong SEO practices, such as producing quality content, setting up backlinks, and interlinking your content. Shopify can facilitate these tasks, but success will primarily depend on the effort invested in optimizing your e-commerce site for search engines. SEO requires laborious and continuous work.

3. Mobile optimization

Shopify was designed for optimal use on all devices (desktop, mobile, tablet), which is crucial for e-commerce success in 2023. There are two approaches to the mobile experience:

A. Create a Responsive Shopify Site

Unlike Prestashop, Shopify is a natively responsive solution, meaning your site's designs automatically adapt to screen size to provide an optimal user experience on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

At a time when over 50% of purchases are made on mobile, adapting is vital.

Shopify also offers themes with responsive features, such as the ability to display different image formats depending on the screen. This ensures that your site will display well for all customers. These responsive Shopify themes are easy to customize to best suit your brand.

B. Create a Mobile-First Shopify Site

It is also possible to create a Mobile-First store with Shopify. The platform offers several options to help online store owners optimize their site for mobile users, including:

• Responsive themes: Shopify offers a wide variety of responsive themes, which automatically adapt to screen size to provide an optimal user experience on mobile devices.
• Hamburger menu: If you want to develop your online store primarily for mobile use, opt for a single hamburger menu instead of a Mega Menu.
• Theme customization options: You can customize your store's theme to optimize the display on mobile devices, for example by reducing image sizes and changing the layout of elements.

C. Transform your e-shop into a mobile application

If you want to take it even further, there are also solutions to quickly transform your Shopify store into an iOS and Android Mobile App, such as Makappi for example.

On the administrator side, Shopify also offers mobile applications to merchants to allow content modifications or order management (among others) at any time. 
There is also a dedicated application for your physical points of sale or pop-ups (Shopify POS).

4. A safe and reliable platform

Shopify is a safe and reliable e-commerce platform, with regular updates and 24/7 support.
However, the reliability of the service also depends on certain external factors, such as your performance requirements, your site configuration needs, the quality of your code, your store settings, etc.

A. Traffic spike management

One of Shopify's major advantages is its ability to handle significant traffic surges, without your intervention. 
Unlike Prestashop, you will not need to manage your server yourself to anticipate your business's peak periods.

Indeed, Shopify handles large traffic increases by using a distributed server architecture that distributes the load across multiple servers (cloud). This effectively manages traffic peaks and maintains site performance during periods of high activity (product launch, media campaign, etc.). 



Shopify also uses caching technologies to improve response times and reduce server load. In addition, the Shopify Plus plan allows for accelerated page loading times, increased bandwidth, and memory for online stores requiring additional capacity to manage traffic surges. Finally, Shopify is constantly updating its infrastructure to ensure the performance and reliability of its servers.

Regardless of your revenue, Shopify is considered a reliable platform for small, medium, and large online stores. Shopify is suitable for the scalability of any online business.

B. Data security

Shopify has a robust infrastructure and significant resources to ensure the availability and security of its platform. The platform uses advanced technologies to protect store data and secure payments (Shopify Payments).

5. Third-party integrations 


Shopify's strong growth also leads to significant innovations and investments from other companies in the e-commerce ecosystem towards Shopify.
It is clear that theme, application, or marketing tool publishers have every interest in developing solutions for Shopify instead of Prestashop, which is losing momentum.

Shopify offers a wide range of integrations with third-party tools and services to allow you to add additional features to your online store. Here are some examples of how Shopify can integrate with third-party tools:

• Shopify Apps: Shopify offers many specialized applications for CRM, cross-selling, up-selling, private sales, B2B, referral, etc.
• Marketing tools: Shopify integrates with many online marketing tools, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, to help merchants sell their products through different channels.
• Payment solutions: Shopify integrates with many payment tools, such as PayPal, Stripe, Mollie, or PayPlug, to facilitate online transactions. These integrations are smoother than on Prestashop for a better conversion rate.
• Analytics tools: Shopify integrates with analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Polar Analytics, Semrush, to track the performance of your online store.
• Shipping and logistics software: Shopify can integrate with supply chain management software to automate order management and shipping processes. Sendcloud or ShippingBo are two examples.

By using these integrations, you can improve the functionality of your online store, automate tedious tasks, and enhance the customer experience. Most of these integrations are easy to set up and use, allowing e-merchants to focus on growing their brand.

6. Evolutions, Scalability, and Automation

A. Evolutions

Evolution is an intrinsic part of Shopify's value proposition. Unlike Prestashop, Shopify is a SaaS technology. You will therefore benefit from new features in real-time without needing to change versions. Each back-office evolves regularly with the appearance of new native functionalities or settings (returns management, Shopify Markets, subscriptions, etc.).

Prestashop, on the contrary, requires frequent updates to move from one version to another. In addition to being time-consuming, this also generates significant maintenance and TMM costs.

B. Scalability

Shopify offers a scalable platform that can adapt to the growing needs of your business. Online stores can add additional features and applications as they grow, without having to change platforms. For multinational companies, there is even a Shopify Components solution to allow only certain Shopify building blocks to be integrated into an e-commerce infrastructure.

C. Automation

The more your business grows, the more you will want to automate certain time-consuming tasks. By gaining efficiency, you can focus on sales development. Here are some examples of automation on Shopify:

• Manage your product catalog updates via StoreCommander: make batch modifications to save time.
• Automate the export of your orders at the times you want with the Matrixify application.
• CRM and email automation with Klaviyo (Klaviyo's integration with Shopify is much more robust than with Prestashop).
• Create custom reports in the format you want (csv, excel, etc.) with Data Export.
• Manage your stocks and supplies with Airtable or Notion and ensure a real-time connection with your suppliers.

In short, Shopify is an evolving solution that can adapt to the growing needs of your business and help you achieve your growth goals. At any time, you can evolve your Shopify store to make it more functional and competitive.

7. Integrated payment solutions 


In 2022, Shopify launched Shopify Payments in France and took the opportunity to completely review the integration of other payment gateways (PSPs).


It is clear that good payment stage integration ensures a better conversion rate.

On Prestashop stores, you are often redirected to slow and unreliable banking platforms. You then leave the sales funnel and brand experience to find yourself on another site.
This is not the case with Shopify's Shopify Payments and Stripe solutions. 
Shopify also offers a variety of other integrated payment solutions, which facilitates accepting customer payments.

8. Cost

In the long run, a Shopify site will cost you less than a Prestashop site.
Naturally, the operation of an Open Source solution is very different from a SaaS solution. It is therefore imperative to take into account all costs, even hidden ones.

A. Developing your store

Development costs are obviously specific to each project. It is thus possible to create a simple online store with an existing free theme for a negligible budget. For more sophisticated projects, budgets can increase depending on the desired functionalities and UX.
A priori, there is no radical difference between development costs on different CMSs.

B. Subscriptions and recurring fees

Shopify offers 4 subscriptions depending on your functional needs, your turnover, and the number of administrators for your store. Everything is included, there are no hidden fees.

• Shopify Basic: this plan includes 2 staff accounts and a credit card rate of 1.8% + €0.25 per transaction.
• Shopify: this plan includes 5 staff accounts and a credit card rate of 1.6% + €0.25 per transaction.
• Shopify Advanced: this plan includes 15 staff accounts and a credit card rate of 1.4% + €0.25 per transaction.
• Shopify Plus: this plan includes an unlimited number of staff accounts, up to 9 additional Shopify instances, and a credit card rate of 1.3% + €0.25 per transaction.

To complement your store, you will most likely install third-party applications. Some applications are free, others are paid (with a free trial period). You can very easily add or remove applications to control your costs.

On Prestashop, you will need one or more external servers (prod and pre-prod). Unlike Prestashop, Shopify is a one-stop-shop for which everything is included (servers, updates, after-sales service, etc.).
A single global Shopify invoice is issued at the end of the month and includes your Shopify subscription as well as your applications.

C. Technical maintenance


When it comes to application management services (AMS), Shopify is unbeatable.
The robustness and SaaS nature of the solution make it the most reliable CMS on the market. With rare exceptions, you won't need to budget for maintenance. Unlike Prestashop, there is no "versioning" requiring manual upgrades with the help of your web agency. 



The very role of web agencies working on Shopify is different from Prestashop agencies! No more costly retainers and daily technical needs to update your site. Shopify will allow you to work autonomously and only involve your Shopify agency on high-value-added topics (design evolutions, UX, etc.).

9. Omnichannel capabilities

On Shopify, everything is designed to help you develop your different sales channels. While Prestashop is limited to traditional e-commerce, omnichannel selling is one of Shopify's great strengths!

A. Shopify POS

Shopify POS (Point of Sale) is a retail system that allows businesses to sell products in-store (pop-up or permanent store) as well as online. It integrates seamlessly with Shopify online stores for smooth inventory, order, and payment management. This physical sales channel, Shopify POS, is natively included in all Shopify subscriptions. It is then possible to subscribe to the Shopify POS Pro offer to access more features.



Here's how Shopify POS works:

1. Install the Shopify POS app on a mobile device or tablet.
2. Connect the payment terminal to the mobile device or tablet (As of now, there is no compatible payment terminal for France).
3. Add products and pricing information to the Shopify online store.
4. Sell products in-store using the Shopify POS app, where customers can purchase products using payment methods such as credit cards, debit cards, cash, etc.
5. Automatically update online stocks and inventories as well as in the physical store when sales are made using Shopify POS.
6. Process payments in real-time using the connected payment terminal.

The goal of Shopify POS is to provide businesses with an integrated physical sales solution for their e-commerce Back-Office. Online and physical sales are thus grouped into a single platform (same reports and general workflow). This allows for a uniform and consistent sales experience for your customers, regardless of the sales channel used.

B. Shopify B2B

The Shopify Plus plan also integrates a Wholesale sales channel. You can choose to operate this channel through a dedicated B2B store or to combine B2C and B2B within the same site. 
This B2B channel is probably the greatest asset of the Shopify Plus offering, and new Pro features are launched regularly.
You will thus have the possibility to give dedicated and secure access to your retailers as well as: 


• Custom price lists;
• Individual payment terms;
• Availability of technical documentation

C. Connectors

To push omnichannel capabilities even further, Shopify benefits from numerous integrations with other B2B platforms or marketplaces:

• Marketplaces: sell products on platforms like Amazon, Cdiscount, Ebay via the Lengow application;
• Faire & Ankorstore: Automate your flows and sell your product catalog in a few clicks to concept stores worldwide, with the available plug & play connectors (this solution does not exist for Prestashop stores).

10. Customer Support

Finally, Shopify provides excellent customer support, including 24/7 access to online resources and support via email, live chat, and phone.
If you subscribe to the Shopify Plus plan, you will also have access to the Merchant Success program with a dedicated account manager.
You will thus have a primary point of contact for all questions related to your brand's strategy.

Are you now convinced by Shopify's many advantages for your business? Great! So here are the key steps to successfully migrate your store to Shopify:

1. Planning: Plan your Prestashop to Shopify migration in advance by evaluating the data and functionalities to be migrated to Shopify. Also, determine the new functionalities you want to add to your new Shopify store.
2. Data Export: Export your products, customers, orders, and other important data from Prestashop to a CSV file for later use in Shopify. Tools like Matrixify or Prestify can help you.
3. Theme selection: Choose a Shopify theme that suits your needs and brand, and customize it according to your preferences. If you want a custom experience, call on a Shopify agency to assist you.
4. Data Import: Import the data exported from Prestashop into your new Shopify store.
5. Store Configuration: Set up your online store with payment, shipping, and tax settings for a smooth checkout experience for your customers.
6. Migration Test: Perform tests on your new e-shop to ensure everything is working correctly and that data is imported properly.
7. Import your redirection plan: create a correspondence table to match all the URLs of your Prestashop site with the new Shopify pages.
8. Store Launch: After verifying that everything is working correctly, launch your new Shopify site.
9. Continue to improve: Continue to make improvements even after the migration, keep adding new functionalities, and optimize your store for an ever-improving customer experience.

Are you looking for an expert Shopify agency to transfer your Prestashop store to Shopify? Stellar can assist you at every step. Here are our services for Shopify migration, redesign, or store creation.