“Already, more than 3 thousand stores operate at PrestaShop in Russia” - Bruno Leveque
Today our guest is a French developer, a cosmopolitan, a millionaire (“surely in rupees,” as he himself claims), the creator of the PrestaShop web application is Bruno Leveque.
Not so long ago, PrestaShop announced its entry into the Russian market, and TemplateMonster Russia is proud that we were the first to ask a question that Bruno will have to answer another 100,500 thousand times ...
Bruno, why the Slavs (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus)? Why not China, for example, or India?
First of all, I love China (laughs). We learned that, especially over the past year, the development of the Russian e-commerce market has been very rapid. Therefore, we decided that the time had come to expand the boundaries of PrestaShop precisely in this territorial direction.
')
Home page of Russian-speaking PrestaShop
Who owns PrestaShop? Disclose financial indicators? You're already a millionaire, right?
It depends on how to count, if you count in rupee, in the currency of India, then yes, I'm a millionaire. (laughs) PrestaShop is owned by private investors and two co-founders. PrestaShop was also purchased by VC, a company run by three entrepreneurs. We collected about four million euros of angel investment.
Do you remember your first working day in the company, what was it like? What has changed since then? What does your usual day look like?
The first day we were in a very small office, the size of my bedroom. We were only a few people, united by common enthusiasm, we were developing e-commerce sites. In the first month of work on the project, PrestaShop was downloaded a thousand times, this was our main motivation to continue working.
Now our company employs more than seventy employees on two different continents. My standard day is viewing what was done by our amazing team, reading the news to make sure that we have the advantage, that we keep up with new technologies and methods that can be integrated into the development of new products. At least once a week, I meet with our community so that investors and partners are convinced that we continue to meet their requirements.
Investors are used to seeing Bruno like this
Bruno, somehow you mentioned that you still do a review of the code, maybe you also program?
Yes, you are right, I especially enjoy browsing the products that we deliver to our online stores. For example, when we offer a new add-on, I always look at the code with a team of developers.
As for more dramatic changes, we recently integrated Bootstrap 3.0 into our software. This is the latest innovation, which I am pleased with. Very interesting solution.
What are your plans for the next year in the Russian market? What numbers are you targeting?
Since we still do not know the country, the ultimate goal is to conquer the world and become number one on the Russian market (smiles cheerfully). To do this, we will build our work in a completely different way, not at all like our competitors. We will work closely with our community. Recently, we have already organized our first successful event in Lviv . This PrestaShop mitap brought together over fifty people united by a common passion for e-commerce.
What numbers at the start of a campaign in Russia can PrestaShop boast? How many stores created on your web application, sell their products daily to happy consumers?
Dynamics categorically positive. Here we are sitting talking to you and I can show you the number of installations for today. I bet 100 bucks that when the interview is over we will get another 50 downloads.
I understand that, like any Russian journalist, your eyes light up with a phrase at the beginning of which you can put “SENSATION !!!” in the title. SHOCK!". Therefore, I will say that even now there are more than 3 thousand stores operating at PreStaShop in Russia. Do you understand what will happen next?
Next, I will most likely try to persuade the editor to put this phrase into the headline with the words “SENSATION !!! SHOCK!". Let's talk about the plans. In what direction will the PrestaShop brand develop over the next five years? Is SAAS interesting as a referral?
Our main goal is the development of user-friendly products that will be accessible to everyone. We are going to provide more and more services, such as turnkey solutions for launching our own website. I also very much hope that one day the launch of an e-commerce store will be free and will allow many countries to develop their business on the Internet.
We have been offering SAAS solutions since 2008, I am talking now about PrestaBox, and this is the direction in which we would like to continue our work.
With developers
Template Monster Russia has a large variety of templates for PrestaShop . I would like to hear your assessment. Is it worth buying or is it better to order a design from a freelancer (do it yourself)?
It depends on the size of the company. I believe that if a firm has from one to one and a half thousand employees, it is much more convenient to use ready-made solutions. Template Monster Russia offers really high-quality templates, as far as I know, five to six people usually work on one product. I appreciate not only the design, but also the integration and good execution, which is really important. You said everything very well in your video about this.
If you have a very well-known brand, you should consider cooperation with a design agency. Sometimes it happens that a company buys a template and customizes it, thereby making the product completely unique. This saves time and focuses on what you really need to succeed in, I'm talking about sales now.
Ready-made templates for PrestaShop
Do large online stores need their own developers?
Usually in large companies over two thousand people work, and yes, they must have their own developers. I know sites that have from fifty to two hundred sales per day and they also have their own developer, in the event of the idea of a new sales method, he can quickly fulfill this individual order.
What features of PrestaShop implementation should developers expect in the very near future?
Prestashop has more than 310 features at the moment , which in 99% are based on what they need most in e-commerce. Also in Prestashop there are connectors to CRM and ERP systems, they are mostly very individual and are custom-made, but some of them can be found in our store .
Now we are working to save the time of shop owners, for example, we offer a mass product release, create an easy delivery method, change the frontend to add new features, such as: quick view, that is, the ability to review an abbreviated product page, which allows fast enough to make purchases. Just clicking on the link you can easily see the page with the goods directly from the categories page.
In the Russian e-commerce market there is a categorically strong player in the face of 1C-Bitrix . Are you ready for local realities? How will you behave in relation to local players?
I know these guys, this is a great team, they do a really good job. PrestaShop is positioning itself as the best software for online store owners. We are confident in quality, as we work hand in hand with the owners of e-commerce stores and know what they need above all. This is the main difference of our team. PrestaShop was written by three store owners and me, we are sure that all implementations are really easy to use. But sometimes even this is not enough, so we work closely with professionals, namely with the Templstemonster team. This allows you to understand better the basic requirements of customers, such as cash flow, taxes and everything related to localization.
We plan to work together with the best representatives of the Russian-speaking community and this activity promises to bring us excellent results.
Since 2012, our customers are also available advanced stock management service. Its advantage is that if you own one house in Moscow and another in Kiev, and received an order, you have a choice where it is more convenient for you to reduce the flow, you can see a detailed report on what is happening with the products of the drain, how much you earned or lost.
Rare moments of rest
In order for our readers to understand what kind of man this Bruno Leveque is, a few questions from Marcel Proust ... Qualities that you value most in a man?
First of all, this is an opportunity to be objective. Now with a huge population growth of more than 7 billion, it is very important to be able to listen and be able to give if you want to get something in return.
What qualities do you value most in a woman?
As for women, the opposite is true. I am sure that they are very important for our society, because most of them are very peaceful and because of this we managed to avoid so many conflicts and mistakes.
What is your favorite activity?
Spend time with our users. I have a lot of interesting stories that I can share. From the latter, this is my meeting with the residents of the Grand Canyon, who launched an online store selling local jewelry. I really enjoy listening to the stories of our customers, it is very inspiring and motivating.
Where would you like to live?
Everywhere and nowhere (laughs). Since my activity is connected with the Internet, it makes my work more flexible and does not tie to the place. I also have a great team in Miami, and this is a pretty good place to live :)
What vices do you feel most condescending?
I think this is excessively ambitious, we should not judge someone for his efforts and attempts to change something.
What is your current state of mind?
I would describe it as calm. I am confident in the future and that we can build with our team.
What are you disgusted with?
This is war, arrogance and selfishness.
How would you like to die?
Probably the same as born. Very simple crying or laughing
When you meet God, what will you tell him?
I will very politely offer him our products (laughs).
Not so long ago, PrestaShop announced its entry into the Russian market, and TemplateMonster Russia is proud that we were the first to ask a question that Bruno will have to answer another 100,500 thousand times ...
Bruno, why the Slavs (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus)? Why not China, for example, or India?
First of all, I love China (laughs). We learned that, especially over the past year, the development of the Russian e-commerce market has been very rapid. Therefore, we decided that the time had come to expand the boundaries of PrestaShop precisely in this territorial direction.
')
Home page of Russian-speaking PrestaShop
Who owns PrestaShop? Disclose financial indicators? You're already a millionaire, right?
It depends on how to count, if you count in rupee, in the currency of India, then yes, I'm a millionaire. (laughs) PrestaShop is owned by private investors and two co-founders. PrestaShop was also purchased by VC, a company run by three entrepreneurs. We collected about four million euros of angel investment.
Do you remember your first working day in the company, what was it like? What has changed since then? What does your usual day look like?
The first day we were in a very small office, the size of my bedroom. We were only a few people, united by common enthusiasm, we were developing e-commerce sites. In the first month of work on the project, PrestaShop was downloaded a thousand times, this was our main motivation to continue working.
Now our company employs more than seventy employees on two different continents. My standard day is viewing what was done by our amazing team, reading the news to make sure that we have the advantage, that we keep up with new technologies and methods that can be integrated into the development of new products. At least once a week, I meet with our community so that investors and partners are convinced that we continue to meet their requirements.
Investors are used to seeing Bruno like this
Bruno, somehow you mentioned that you still do a review of the code, maybe you also program?
Yes, you are right, I especially enjoy browsing the products that we deliver to our online stores. For example, when we offer a new add-on, I always look at the code with a team of developers.
As for more dramatic changes, we recently integrated Bootstrap 3.0 into our software. This is the latest innovation, which I am pleased with. Very interesting solution.
What are your plans for the next year in the Russian market? What numbers are you targeting?
Since we still do not know the country, the ultimate goal is to conquer the world and become number one on the Russian market (smiles cheerfully). To do this, we will build our work in a completely different way, not at all like our competitors. We will work closely with our community. Recently, we have already organized our first successful event in Lviv . This PrestaShop mitap brought together over fifty people united by a common passion for e-commerce.
What numbers at the start of a campaign in Russia can PrestaShop boast? How many stores created on your web application, sell their products daily to happy consumers?
Dynamics categorically positive. Here we are sitting talking to you and I can show you the number of installations for today. I bet 100 bucks that when the interview is over we will get another 50 downloads.
I understand that, like any Russian journalist, your eyes light up with a phrase at the beginning of which you can put “SENSATION !!!” in the title. SHOCK!". Therefore, I will say that even now there are more than 3 thousand stores operating at PreStaShop in Russia. Do you understand what will happen next?
Next, I will most likely try to persuade the editor to put this phrase into the headline with the words “SENSATION !!! SHOCK!". Let's talk about the plans. In what direction will the PrestaShop brand develop over the next five years? Is SAAS interesting as a referral?
Our main goal is the development of user-friendly products that will be accessible to everyone. We are going to provide more and more services, such as turnkey solutions for launching our own website. I also very much hope that one day the launch of an e-commerce store will be free and will allow many countries to develop their business on the Internet.
We have been offering SAAS solutions since 2008, I am talking now about PrestaBox, and this is the direction in which we would like to continue our work.
With developers
Template Monster Russia has a large variety of templates for PrestaShop . I would like to hear your assessment. Is it worth buying or is it better to order a design from a freelancer (do it yourself)?
It depends on the size of the company. I believe that if a firm has from one to one and a half thousand employees, it is much more convenient to use ready-made solutions. Template Monster Russia offers really high-quality templates, as far as I know, five to six people usually work on one product. I appreciate not only the design, but also the integration and good execution, which is really important. You said everything very well in your video about this.
If you have a very well-known brand, you should consider cooperation with a design agency. Sometimes it happens that a company buys a template and customizes it, thereby making the product completely unique. This saves time and focuses on what you really need to succeed in, I'm talking about sales now.
Ready-made templates for PrestaShop
Do large online stores need their own developers?
Usually in large companies over two thousand people work, and yes, they must have their own developers. I know sites that have from fifty to two hundred sales per day and they also have their own developer, in the event of the idea of a new sales method, he can quickly fulfill this individual order.
What features of PrestaShop implementation should developers expect in the very near future?
Prestashop has more than 310 features at the moment , which in 99% are based on what they need most in e-commerce. Also in Prestashop there are connectors to CRM and ERP systems, they are mostly very individual and are custom-made, but some of them can be found in our store .
Now we are working to save the time of shop owners, for example, we offer a mass product release, create an easy delivery method, change the frontend to add new features, such as: quick view, that is, the ability to review an abbreviated product page, which allows fast enough to make purchases. Just clicking on the link you can easily see the page with the goods directly from the categories page.
In the Russian e-commerce market there is a categorically strong player in the face of 1C-Bitrix . Are you ready for local realities? How will you behave in relation to local players?
I know these guys, this is a great team, they do a really good job. PrestaShop is positioning itself as the best software for online store owners. We are confident in quality, as we work hand in hand with the owners of e-commerce stores and know what they need above all. This is the main difference of our team. PrestaShop was written by three store owners and me, we are sure that all implementations are really easy to use. But sometimes even this is not enough, so we work closely with professionals, namely with the Templstemonster team. This allows you to understand better the basic requirements of customers, such as cash flow, taxes and everything related to localization.
We plan to work together with the best representatives of the Russian-speaking community and this activity promises to bring us excellent results.
Since 2012, our customers are also available advanced stock management service. Its advantage is that if you own one house in Moscow and another in Kiev, and received an order, you have a choice where it is more convenient for you to reduce the flow, you can see a detailed report on what is happening with the products of the drain, how much you earned or lost.
Rare moments of rest
In order for our readers to understand what kind of man this Bruno Leveque is, a few questions from Marcel Proust ... Qualities that you value most in a man?
First of all, this is an opportunity to be objective. Now with a huge population growth of more than 7 billion, it is very important to be able to listen and be able to give if you want to get something in return.
What qualities do you value most in a woman?
As for women, the opposite is true. I am sure that they are very important for our society, because most of them are very peaceful and because of this we managed to avoid so many conflicts and mistakes.
What is your favorite activity?
Spend time with our users. I have a lot of interesting stories that I can share. From the latter, this is my meeting with the residents of the Grand Canyon, who launched an online store selling local jewelry. I really enjoy listening to the stories of our customers, it is very inspiring and motivating.
Where would you like to live?
Everywhere and nowhere (laughs). Since my activity is connected with the Internet, it makes my work more flexible and does not tie to the place. I also have a great team in Miami, and this is a pretty good place to live :)
What vices do you feel most condescending?
I think this is excessively ambitious, we should not judge someone for his efforts and attempts to change something.
What is your current state of mind?
I would describe it as calm. I am confident in the future and that we can build with our team.
What are you disgusted with?
This is war, arrogance and selfishness.
How would you like to die?
Probably the same as born. Very simple crying or laughing
When you meet God, what will you tell him?
I will very politely offer him our products (laughs).
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/188784/
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