BigCommerce is an eCommerce platform. This means that you can go to BigCommerce.com, pay a monthly subscription, and have your own operational online store or eCommerce website.
And you can start selling whatever you want to with minimal work, such as uploading your products and setting up things like taxes and linking to your bank.
For example, the following image shows the famous ice-cream company Ben & Jerry’s that uses BigCommerce.
Here’s another example, the retailer American Leather.
So with BigCommerce, you can online-sell anything you want and customise your website to your heart’s content.
And you can do so from a minimum of $30 per month.
It is like Shopify, and, yes, they are competitors.
Here’s a comparison of the platforms by Litextension.
A major difference is that BigCommerce is specially made to use for the following eCommerce types.
One of the best things about the platform is that you don’t have to worry about finding your own web host or managing security. BigCommerce is solely responsible for this.
It also comes with a fantastic administrative control panel where you can handle products, orders, customers, your storefront, and a whole lot more.
Now, one of the best things about BigCommerce is that it comes with channels via which you may sell your stuff.
One of the eCommerce platform’s standout features is the ability to integrate all of your products onto your WordPress site.
You don’t even have to utilize your BigCommerce front end if you don’t want to. All of your products can be hosted in WordPress.
Why choose BigCommerce?
Many people desire to open an internet store (here’s a complete guide to starting an online business). And many people just use Shopify by default.
So if you’re reading this article, you may have already chosen BigCommerce. If you didn’t, we do recommend considering it.
BigCommerce now has tens of thousands of merchants that use the platform in a variety of ways.
From WordPress to the other channels you see in the admin area to their own storefront on BigCommerce, they’ve got it all covered.
And BigCommerce is, in general, more reliable and less expensive than its competitors.
Here’s a complete overview of the features of BigCommerce.
Essential Utilities of BigCommerce
Of course, BigCommerce comes with everything you need to get your eCommerce business up and running.
Page Builder Visual Editor
Quickly launch and edit site pages with a drag-and-drop solution – no coding required. This is especially helpful to low tech users who can enjoy the platform without getting frustrated by technical limitations.
Theme Customization
Get fully customizable themes with built-in HTML, CSS and Javascript. Select the theme that matches your business’s type and feel and customise it further to give your customers the “real” experience.
Checkout Customization
Customize every inch of the checkout experience with a server-to-server checkout API and SDK. From guest checkout to the customized look and feel of the checkout process, BigCommerce has you covered to make it the best experience for your customers and for you.
Mobile Optimization
Make your site mobile-responsive from the homepage to checkout with any BigCommerce theme. Lots of shopping occurs now via mobile, and BigCommerce makes sure your site looks just as good on mobile as on regular desktop browsers.
Preview Before Publishing
Use the Stencil CLI tool to develop, test and push changes in a local environment without downtime.
Making changes can sometimes be scary because what you put out there will be seen by everyone who comes to your store.
So you can use the preview tool to get an accurate look at what the store will look like with your proposed changes before making it live to the public always to look your best!
WordPress Integration
Build your site on WordPress with a complete back end platform enablement from BigCommerce for WordPress eCommerce Plugin.
Over 40% of all websites run on WordPress, so use this plugin to have a better and far easier integration process if you are already running on WordPress.
Of course, BigCommerce is not dependent on WordPress, and you may make the site run on its own similar to Shopify.
Main Features of BigCommerce
Aside from BigCommerce’s essential, simple-to-use web building tools, it has excellent features that you can use to make you sell better.
Easy-to-Make Coupons & Discounts
Create over 70+ native discounts and promotions — no scripting required. Whether the discount is a percentage or a straight dollar amount, the system is flexible to both you and your customers.
Built-in Site Speed Optimization
With BigCommerce, you can give your store blazing-fast speed using integrations with Google Cloud Platform infrastructure, Google AMP and Akamai Image Manager.
Hassle-Free Merchandising
Use drag-and-drop functionality, custom product recommendations and headless commerce APIs to customize your merchandising.
Easy Digital Wallet Integration
You can make it easier for your customers to pay with dozens of digital wallets like Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal One Touch and more.
Customisable SEO
With BigCommerce, you can get more traffic with customizable, SEO-friendly URLs and out-of-the-box Metadata and robots.txt editing. This helps you ensure you’re always found on Google search results with advanced SEO tactics from BigCommerce.
Faceted Search
The platform has a faceted search feature built from Elasticsearch, including custom field support for refined searching. It also supports best-in-breed 3rd party tools.
Headless Commerce
With BigCommerce, you can separate the front end and back end of your store.
Here’s how headless commerce works, according to CB insights.
This enables you to develop whatever you want, whenever you want. Above all, it allows you to improve the consumer experience significantly.
For example, you can use the back end tools of BigCommerce while using WordPress to manage your front end.
Here’s what BigCommerce has to offer in terms of headless commerce.
- BigCommerce for WordPress – You can connect your WordPress site to BigCommerce’s powerful commerce engine with a pre-built plugin for brands with an editorial or content focus.
- Acquia Digital Experience Integration – Merge headless commerce with sophisticated enterprise content management through BigCommerce’s Acquia Digital Experience integration.
- Headless Commerce in React.js/Vue.js (F/E Framework) – Maintain complete control of your site while BigCommerce provides the administration and checkout for a native app experience.
- Channels Toolkit – Easily discover, test, and onboard headless solutions from right within the BigCommerce control panel, saving significant developer resources.
Cross-Channel Commerce
BigCommerce also allows you to integrate and manage other selling channels.
- Marketplaces – Sell where your customers are shopping by integrating with top marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon and Google Shopping.
- Social Commerce – Capture more customers on social channels with Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram integrations.
- Brick & Mortar – Keep in-store sales automatically updated with native POS systems, including Teamwork Commerce and more.
- Multi-Storefront – Easily switch between storefronts with a single login.
B2B Sales
If you are into B2B, BigCommerce’s tools can significantly streamline your online processes.
- Customer Groups – Segment your customers for pricing, product access and promotions without maintaining a second site.
- Price Lists – Give B2B customers a B2C-level experience with custom pricing at the SKU level for customer groups.
- Bulk Pricing – Take control of bulk pricing with customization to the SKU level for individual customers or customer groups.
- Purchase Orders – Offer approved customers payment by purchase order via BigCommerce solution tech partners.
- Punch Out – Customize BigCommerce to your ERP punch out solution via framing and sequence. Or, use our best-in-breed partner, PunchOut2Go.
- Quote Management – Manage quotes with native CSR generated quote management and third-party tools, including Quote Ninja and BundleB2B.
- B2B Payment – Make it easier for your customers to pay with a broad spectrum of flexible payment methods and credit authorization.
- Advanced Search – Power your store with faceted search built with Elasticsearch, or integrate with best-in-breed solutions for complex search criteria.
- APIs – Use the industry’s fastest APIs to seamlessly sync data from 3rd party systems (such as ERPs) into BigCommerce.
International Shipments and Services
BigCommerce also has convenient features that you would need if you are selling to a massive international market.
- Multi-Currency – Meet the needs of your global shoppers by accepting payments in over 100+ currencies and offering local payment methods through the gateway of your choice.
- Multi-Language – Localize the BigCommerce frontend in any language, with translations available through apps and APIs for third-party translation services.
- Cross-Border Fulfillment – Natively integrate with ShipperHQ to enable accurate quoting – for cross-border shipping.
- Global CDN – With our robust CDN, your site loads quickly — anywhere in the world.
- Offices Around the World – BigCommerce is never far away, with offices in the UK, Australia and the USA.
Core Features
Here are some of the core features that make BigCommerce an excellent eCommerce platform.
- Scalable Catalog – Manage your entire product catalogue within the BigCommerce control panel or push from an external system through the Catalog API. No coding is required – just click and play.
- Shipping – BigCommerce offers industry-leading rates, while a broad portfolio of partners is available to address any nuances of your shipping and fulfilment needs. Enable your customers to choose their shipping options for the most flexible and transparent experience.
- Tax – Automate your sales taxes with Avalara Avatax built-in, or use their custom tax tables.
- Staging Environment – Develop, test and push changes without downtime in a local environment using the Stencil CLI tool.
- Vaulting – BigCommerce provides native credit card vaulting for multiple gateways.
- Refunds & Returns – Enable your customers to initiate refunds or partial refunds through their account.
- Customer Groups – Create definable customer segments and corresponding site experiences out-of-the-box via custom pricing.
- Reporting & Analytics – Drive real-time business impact with critical metrics for orders, customer data, marketing and more through the BigCommerce Analytics Dashboard.
- SSO – Leverage our customer login API for custom single sign-on (SSO) or plug-and-play partner solutions like LoginRadius or Okta.
Open Platform (Technical Features)
You can customise and streamline your eCommerce site to your heart’s content with its open platform features.
- API Breadth – More than 90% of the BigCommerce platform data is exposed to the API.
- API Performance – BigCommerce supports over 400 calls per second, making it possible to perform 24,000 product updates in under a minute.
- CP & Storefront SSO – Utilize their login API for custom backend SSO, or opt for a best-of-breed partner solution like LoginRadius, Okta or OneLogin.
- Headless Commerce – Server-to-server API functions enable a complete headless commerce experience.
- SEO – Get more traffic with customizable, SEO-friendly URLs and out-of-the-box Metadata and robots.txt editing.
- Faceted Search – BigCommerce features faceted search built off of Elasticsearch, including custom field support for refined searching. BigCommerce also partners with best-in-breed 3rd party tools.
Reliability and Security Features
BigCommerce also has safety and contingency features that can help you protect your website and troubleshoot.
- World-Class Uptime – BigCommerce operates on a High Availability (HA) infrastructure that allows them to deliver 99.99% uptime, resiliency and performance for their merchants.
- Certified Secure – The BigCommerce platform is ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified and PCI DSS 3.1, Level 1 certified as both a Merchant and Service Provider.
- Backup and Restore – Reinforce your store’s data with two data centres and a third backup data centre spatially separated to mitigate potential failure.
eCommerce Expertise
BigCommerce also doubles down on its user-friendliness by providing features that can assist you in your eCommerce. It has excellent support app integration and expert personnel who can help you.
- eCommerce Services – Launch quickly with the help of in-house experts to leverage a deep understanding of your business, KPIs and goals.
- Support – BigCommerce offers 24/7 technical support, with supplemental Account Management, Solution Architecting, Technical Account Management, Implementation Project Management and in-house Catalog Transfer Services.
- Documentation – Find the answers you need with relevant documentation and resources for BigCommerce merchants.
- APIs – Harmonize the BigCommerce platform with the rest of your ecosystem through APIs and superior data orchestration.
- Ecosystem – Get access to hundreds of apps to expand your functionality, in addition to APIs that seamlessly integrate with your infrastructure.
BigCommerce is an excellent platform for your new online store.
With all of the helpful features of this eCommerce platform, you should consider going for BigCommerce.
But having seen its vast features, you might be wondering if you would have time to set up and manage everything yourself. Of course, like most business owners, you can be significantly preoccupied with vital tasks like operations, human resources, etc.
To make a BigCommerce website successful, you need a dedicated team like KAMG. We can do everything for you and make sure that you effectively sell with your online store.
If you are looking for someone to create your BigCommerce site for you or to improve the traffic of your current BigCommerce store, we have what you need.
FAQs
What role does keyword research play in BigCommerce SEO?
Keywords are the primary link between what people are looking for (the words they type into Google or another search engine) and what they find on websites; this is how search engines figure out what to connect to.
It is necessary to research to determine what people are looking for, after which you may link them to the terms on your website. Be careful not to overdo keywords, as Google will penalize you if you do.
While you should avoid overusing keywords because it would hurt your BigCommerce SEO more than help, you will need to employ them somehow.
Should I do CRO on my BigCommerce website?
Your BigCommerce store may not consistently achieve the growth you expect, and you may feel as though your company is falling short of its full potential. Conversion rate optimization may be a solution if this is a problem you’re having.
CRO is critical for your BigCommerce website because it is one of the most effective ways to increase revenue. Generating a few easy changes to your website to improve your clients’ user experience might mean the difference between making a sale and having visitors depart in under a minute.
Can you do email marketing with your BigCommerce website?
Yes, you can do email marketing with your BigCommerce website. You can do so with a third-party email platform or with apps that support easy integration with BigCommerce.
It’s not supposed to be a question of “can you” but “should you.” and the answer is yes. You need email marketing to funnel more customers to your online store, get cart abandoners to return, and have buyers keep on shopping.
