BigCommerce

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a leading SaaS e-commerce platform that enables businesses to build, manage, and scale online stores without maintaining complex infrastructure. Founded in 2009, BigCommerce has grown to power tens of thousands of merchants across industries, from startups to enterprise brands generating billions in online sales. The platform provides everything needed to sell online including storefront design, product management, payment processing, shipping, and marketing tools in a unified, cloud-hosted solution.

What distinguishes BigCommerce is its focus on providing enterprise-grade capabilities at accessible price points while maintaining ease of use. Unlike some competitors that require extensive apps and plugins for basic functionality, BigCommerce includes robust features out-of-the-box including multi-channel selling, advanced SEO, comprehensive APIs, and powerful B2B capabilities. This approach reduces total cost of ownership while providing the flexibility to customize and scale as businesses grow.

BigCommerce serves merchants across every vertical from fashion to automotive, with particular strength in mid-market and enterprise segments. The platform’s headless commerce capabilities, extensive partner ecosystem, and focus on performance and conversion make it the choice for brands serious about growth. Organizations use BigCommerce to launch new stores, replatform from legacy systems, and expand into new markets with confidence that the platform can scale with their ambitions.

Key Features

• Multi-Channel Selling: Sell across marketplaces (Amazon, eBay), social platforms (Facebook, Instagram), and comparison shopping engines from one dashboard
• Headless Commerce: Flexible APIs enabling custom front-end experiences while leveraging BigCommerce’s commerce engine
• Page Builder: Drag-and-drop page editor for creating landing pages, product pages, and custom layouts without coding
• Built-In Features: Comprehensive functionality including gift cards, wishlists, product filtering, and reviews without requiring apps
• B2B Edition: Sophisticated B2B capabilities including quote management, customer-specific pricing, and purchasing workflows
• Product Variants: Up to 600 SKU variations per product accommodating complex product catalogs
• SEO Optimization: Advanced SEO features including customizable URLs, automatic XML sitemaps, and microdata implementation
• Payment Gateway Integration: Support for 65+ payment gateways without transaction fees on most plans
• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Automated email campaigns to recover abandoned shopping carts
• Analytics and Reporting: Comprehensive sales analytics and custom reporting for data-driven decision making

Latest Updates

BigCommerce continues to innovate with enhanced capabilities for headless commerce, B2B, and enterprise merchants.

• WordPress Integration: Deeper integration enabling BigCommerce commerce on WordPress sites
• Enhanced Headless: Improved API capabilities and developer tools for composable commerce architectures
• B2B Enhancements: Advanced quoting, pricing rules, and purchasing workflows for complex B2B requirements
• Multi-Storefront: Manage multiple storefronts from single admin for brands, regions, or business units
• Performance Improvements: Speed optimizations improving page load times and Core Web Vitals scores
• Enhanced Checkout: Optimized one-page checkout with more customization options
• AI Features: Machine learning for product recommendations, search, and merchandising
• Security Updates: Continuous security enhancements maintaining PCI DSS compliance

System Requirements

Store Management

• Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Stable internet connection
• JavaScript enabled

For Custom Development

• Stencil CLI for theme development
• Node.js for local development
• Git for version control
• API credentials for integrations

Storefront Requirements

• Custom domain name
• SSL certificate (provided free by BigCommerce)
• Payment gateway account

How to Install BigCommerce

Store Setup

1. Sign up for BigCommerce free trial
2. Choose and customize store theme
3. Add products and configure catalog
4. Set up payment gateways and shipping
5. Configure tax settings for your regions
6. Connect custom domain
7. Launch store and begin selling

Theme Customization

# Install Stencil CLI for theme development
npm install -g @bigcommerce/stencil-cli

# Initialize theme development
stencil init

# Start local development server
stencil start

# Push theme to BigCommerce
stencil push

API Integration

# Using BigCommerce API (example: fetch products)
curl -X GET \
  https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{store_hash}/v3/catalog/products \
  -H 'X-Auth-Token: {access_token}' \
  -H 'Accept: application/json'

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Feature-Rich Out-of-Box: Comprehensive functionality included without requiring numerous apps reducing costs and complexity
• No Transaction Fees: Unlike some competitors, BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees on most plans
• Scalability: Platform handles growth from startup to enterprise without requiring migration
• Multi-Channel: Robust integrations enabling selling across marketplaces and social platforms from one dashboard
• SEO Capabilities: Advanced SEO features help merchants rank well in search engines
• B2B Features: Strong B2B capabilities often requiring separate platforms from competitors
• API Flexibility: Comprehensive APIs enable custom integrations and headless implementations

Cons

• Learning Curve: More features mean steeper learning curve compared to simpler platforms
• Theme Customization: Deep theme customization requires technical knowledge of Stencil framework
• Annual Sales Limits: Plans include online sales thresholds; exceeding requires upgrading
• App Costs: While many features are built-in, specialized functionality still requires paid apps
• Migration Complexity: Moving large catalogs to BigCommerce can be challenging without professional help

BigCommerce vs Alternatives

Who Should Use BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is ideal for:

• Growing Businesses: Companies outgrowing basic platforms who need enterprise features without enterprise complexity
• Multi-Channel Sellers: Merchants selling across marketplaces, social platforms, and their own store needing unified management
• B2B Companies: Organizations requiring sophisticated B2B capabilities including quoting and customer-specific pricing
• High-Volume Merchants: Stores with large catalogs benefiting from unlimited products, bandwidth, and staff accounts
• SEO-Focused Brands: Merchants prioritizing organic search traffic who need advanced SEO capabilities
• Headless Commerce: Development teams building custom front-ends while leveraging proven commerce back-end

BigCommerce may not be ideal for:

• Absolute Beginners: First-time store owners may find Shopify or Squarespace easier to start
• WordPress Committed: Sites deeply integrated with WordPress may prefer WooCommerce
• Ultra-Budget: Businesses with minimal budgets may prefer WooCommerce or open-source alternatives
• Offline-Only: Brick-and-mortar retailers without online selling plans don’t need e-commerce platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does BigCommerce cost?

BigCommerce pricing starts at $39 monthly for the Standard plan, $105 monthly for Plus, and $399 monthly for Pro. Enterprise pricing is custom based on requirements. Plans differ by annual online sales limits ($50K for Standard, $180K for Plus, $400K for Pro) and features. Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees on most payment gateways.

Is BigCommerce better than Shopify?

BigCommerce and Shopify both excel but for different use cases. BigCommerce offers more built-in features, no transaction fees, better B2B capabilities, and advanced SEO. Shopify provides easier onboarding, larger app ecosystem, better POS for retail, and simpler admin. Growing B2B businesses often prefer BigCommerce; consumer brands frequently choose Shopify. Both scale to enterprise successfully.

Can I migrate from Shopify to BigCommerce?

Yes, BigCommerce provides migration tools and services for moving from Shopify and other platforms. The process involves exporting data from your current platform and importing to BigCommerce, including products, customers, and orders. Theme and customization must be rebuilt. Many merchants use migration services or agencies to ensure smooth transitions.

Does BigCommerce charge transaction fees?

No, BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees on most plans when using supported payment gateways. You only pay the payment processor’s fees (typically 2.5-3%). This differs from Shopify which charges 0.5-2% transaction fees unless using Shopify Payments. For high-volume stores, BigCommerce’s no-transaction-fee model can save thousands annually.

Can I use BigCommerce for B2B?

Yes, BigCommerce offers sophisticated B2B features either through B2B Edition (separate product) or increasingly built into core platform. Capabilities include customer-specific pricing, quote management, purchase order support, customer groups, and complex pricing rules. This makes BigCommerce strong for companies serving both B2B and B2C customers from one platform.

Final Verdict

BigCommerce has earned its position as a leading e-commerce platform by focusing on providing enterprise-grade capabilities at accessible price points. The platform’s comprehensive feature set, absence of transaction fees, and strong API foundation make it particularly compelling for growing businesses that have outgrown basic platforms but aren’t ready for enterprise complexity.

The platform’s strengths lie in its scalability, multi-channel capabilities, and built-in functionality that reduces reliance on apps. Merchants appreciate not paying transaction fees and having access to advanced features like customer segmentation, abandoned cart recovery, and product filtering without additional costs.

Growing e-commerce businesses, particularly those in mid-market or with B2B requirements, should strongly consider BigCommerce. The platform provides room to grow from thousands to millions in revenue without migration, supports sophisticated multi-channel strategies, and offers the flexibility needed for unique requirements. While beginners might find easier starting points, businesses serious about e-commerce will appreciate BigCommerce’s depth and value.