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Why You Should Invest in Code Quality

Evaluating the quality of any work is quite an abstract concept that is hard to define or objectively assess. How do you determine whether software is high quality and worth investing in? Or is it enough that it simply works?

What is code quality?

Two main aspects can essentially define software quality:

• Whether the system meets all the functional requirements defined in the specification — i.e., specific functionality, properly programmed processes, and operation. These define what the system should do.
• Whether the system meets all non-functional requirements — these are often the hardest to assess objectively, such as performance, scalability, reliability, maintainability, security, etc.

Clients usually focus on what they perceive as the core functionality — the functional requirements, which are typically implemented in one way or another. For example, a basic contact form might work, but be insecure, vulnerable to spam, or built in a way that makes it hard to reuse in other areas later on.

Now imagine the whole system built this way — every part — because the developer or team tried to save time and didn’t invest enough effort to solve problems correctly or ensure stable performance.

What problems arise from poor-quality code?

We often hear from clients saying, “I just changed one thing, and something else broke.” Sound familiar? You change a price, and suddenly, the product page stops working. Delete an image, and it disappears everywhere. These are common issues in systems built carelessly without considering broader use cases.

Another scenario: incomplete features. Have you ever heard a developer say, “Don’t click that” or “Don’t do it this way”? That means the system wasn’t built to handle all expected variations. As a user, you’re afraid to edit a product, knowing that if you miss a field or forget a step, something might break.

A third frequent issue is that the user isn’t the full administrator of their system. You must ask the developer to update an image, change a text snippet, modify a contact email, and then wait. A properly built system should be entirely manageable from the admin interface.

Then there are the apparent problems of slow performance and security risks. If the system is slow and you’re mainly using standard components, it could be due to poor server configuration or unoptimized code. For instance, loading the complete product list with all details instead of fetching only what’s needed, or making unnecessary database calls.

What are the benefits of high-quality software?

A well-developed system or online store won’t require constant minor maintenance, and you’ll be able to manage everything yourself.

Lower support costs. E-commerce development is an ongoing process. If you start with poor-quality software, you’ll face high support costs, frequent bugs, constant fixes, and workarounds. The same goes for adding new features and their price. With well-built software, it’s easier and cheaper for even new developers to add features, upgrade, and integrate new functionality.

Easier version updates. Regular updates (excluding significant architectural changes) are straightforward and low-cost if built properly using framework best practices. You also get bug fixes and security patches from the software maintainers — essentially for free.

Stable performance and security. A stable system avoids potential revenue loss and builds user trust, showing that their data is safe and managed responsibly.

Faster load times. A system built without cutting corners will always run faster, keeping users from abandoning your site due to slow performance.

Easier team transitions. Platforms like PrestaShop have defined best practices and code style guidelines. If your developers ignore these, future teams will struggle to maintain the system, wasting time on rework instead of building new features.

Conclusion

Properly built e-commerce platforms or any software reduce costs over the long term — updates, security investments, speed optimization, and feature development pay off if the foundation is solid. We’ve seen too many cases where systems built by unreliable developers had to be scrapped entirely because fixing them wasn’t worth the cost. Businesses need to look beyond basic functionality and ensure that implementation is done right; only professionals in the field can guarantee that.