Choosing the right ecommerce platform for your business is no easy task. There are a plethora of options out there, and each one offers something different. 

One of the most popular platforms on the market right now is BigCommerce. It's a powerful and reliable platform that can help you quickly set up and manage an online store with ease. Let's take a look at what makes BigCommerce so great. 

BigCommerce is a website builder platform that specializes in ecommerce websites. It's designed to help businesses of all sizes create professional-looking, fully-functional websites without having to know any coding or programming languages. 

The platform features customizable templates, integrated payment processing systems, built-in marketing tools, and more. Plus, it is incredibly user-friendly, so even someone with no coding or web design skills can easily create an impressive site within minutes. 

BigCommerce features

With multiple storefronts, you can have different versions of your store for different customer segments or locations. For example, if you have an international presence, each country can have its own version of the store in its native language and currency. This makes it easier to target customers in specific countries and regions without them needing to search through multiple languages or convert currencies. It also allows you to keep track of customer data and sales more easily since everything is segmented by storefronts. 

BigCommerce enables you to create unique, seamless customer experiences that span multiple channels with its Headless Commerce feature. During our test, we were able to leverage external content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress or Adobe Experience Manager, while still leveraging the powerful API-driven B2B and B2C commerce capabilities of BigCommerce. This allows for greater flexibility when creating custom digital experiences for customers across all devices and channels. 

BigCommerce offers B2B and wholesale solutions that allow businesses to provide special pricing and discounts on large orders or special deals for select customers. This helps make it easier for you to expand your customer base and reach new markets without having to put extra effort or resources into managing different pricing models. 

With omnichannel capabilities, you can create a seamless experience across all channels (online, in-store, mobile). This includes providing customers with the ability to make purchases from any device or location, as well as offering them access to unique experiences both online and offline. Additionally, this feature makes it easy for customers who are shopping online or in-store to convert their purchase into an online order if they need further assistance or information before completing a purchase. 

International Commerce-as-a-Service (CaaS) feature allows you to easily expand your business into new markets with localized checkout flows and currencies. With this feature, you can accept payments from customers in different countries without having to manage multiple stores or currency conversions. This feature provides tools such as automated tax calculations and support for the localization of product listings across multiple markets. 

The Emerging Brands feature makes it easy for startups and entrepreneurs to get their businesses off the ground quickly and affordably. With this feature, you can easily create a custom store design with pre-built templates that are optimized for mobile devices. Additionally, the Emerging Brands feature provides access to advanced marketing tools such as automatic discounts, coupons, abandoned cart reminders, Google shopping ads integration, and more. 

For small businesses that need more control over their website and store design, BigCommerce offers a range of features tailored specifically for them. These include drag-and-drop page-building capabilities for creating custom layouts, access to third-party app integrations, powerful shipping tools, real-time analytics, customer segmentation capabilities, integrated email marketing solutions, and more.  

If you’re running a large enterprise business with multiple stores or sites around the world, BigCommerce offers an enterprise solution that is tailored specifically to your needs. This includes customizable templated designs, built-in scalability options, full API access, unlimited order management capabilities, advanced merchandising tools, dedicated account managers, and much more.   

Finally, if you already have an existing website or store on another platform like Shopify or Magento 2, BigCommerce offers its migration tool which allows you to easily transfer all of your existing data over quickly and painlessly so you can get up and running on BigCommerce right away.         

BigCommerce tools

Built by leading react framework developers, Next.js offers an intuitive way to build your next ecommerce storefront with flexibility and speed in mind. With Next.js Commerce, developers have full control over their front-end code without sacrificing performance or security. Using advanced caching techniques, Next.js makes sure that customers remain engaged throughout the loading process without compromising on performance or quality standards. 

Gatsby is a popular static-site generator that helps developers build lightning-fast web applications with minimal effort required on their part. It’s built for speed and scalability, making it perfect for creating Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) out of existing ecommerce stores as well as from scratch. Gatsby helps ensure optimal SEO performance by automatically generating pages with structured data that search engine crawlers can understand and index quickly - ensuring that your store is easily discoverable online. 

Nuxt.js is an intuitive front-end framework specifically designed for Vue developers who want to take complete control over their store’s user experience (UX). By leveraging the power of Nuxt’s Single File Components (SFCs), developers can build complex UI patterns without having to write any extra code — which not only saves time but also ensures a consistent look throughout the entire store experience no matter what device customers use while browsing your site.   

Contentful and Prismic are headless CMS solutions designed specifically with ecommerce websites in mind. It allows you to set up an API-first stack so you can quickly spin up new content instances without any manual input required on your part — ensuring that everything stays up to date at all times no matter how frequently you change things around in your store’s backend codebase or database structure.   

With BigCommerce's website builder tools, you can create over 70 native discounts and promotions for your store — without any scripting required. This makes it easy to set up discounts and coupons for products or services based on customer preferences or your own marketing strategy. This helps drive sales while also giving customers an incentive to keep coming back to your store. 

BigCommerce uses Google Cloud Platform infrastructure, Google AMP, and Akamai Image Manager to give your store blazing-fast speed. Customers don’t want to wait around for pages to load, they want their information immediately. With faster loading times comes higher customer satisfaction which again leads to increased sales.  

BigCommerce lets you customize the way you merchandise products with its drag-and-drop functionality, custom product recommendations, and headless commerce APIs. This makes it easier than ever before to showcase products in a way that is appealing to customers.

Digital Wallets tools make it easier for customers to pay with dozens of digital wallets like Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal, and more - all integrated with BigCommerce's website builder tools! This allows customers to use their preferred payment method which increases customer satisfaction levels as well as sales numbers. 

The Faceted search tool powered by Elasticsearch is also included in BigCommerce's website builder tools — this includes support for custom fields so customers can refine their search results quickly and accurately! Faceted search means less time spent sifting through irrelevant results which not only saves time but also improve the customer experience overall leading them back again in the future! 

BigCommerce empowers businesses with the ability to take their products global by integrating with top marketplaces such as eBay, Amazon, and Google Shopping. Having your product available on multiple platforms amplifies your visibility, allowing you to reach more customers all around the world. This tool also gives customers more options in terms of which platform they want to use when purchasing your products or services. 

BigCommerce also offers social media integration tools such as Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for businesses that want to capture more customers on social channels. By connecting your store directly with these social media outlets, you can easily share product updates and promotions with existing followers or target new audiences. This makes it easy for customers to find information about your business quickly and conveniently without having to go through complicated steps or search through multiple websites or apps.  

One of the great tools that come with BigCommerce is BitPay – the world’s largest provider of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment services. With BitPay, you can accept crypto payments easily while protecting yourself against price volatility and settling directly into your bank account. Cryptocurrency payments are becoming increasingly popular among customers looking for an alternative form of payment, so this feature is especially beneficial for businesses that want to stay ahead of current trends while still offering a secure payment option for their customers.

Is BigCommerce website builder easy to use? 

BigCommerce offers a robust suite of features that make it easy to build a website from scratch. The drag-and-drop builder makes it easy for users to customize their site without needing any coding skills.

The platform also offers plenty of features to help you manage your store once it's up and running. You can easily add products, manage orders, process payments, track inventory levels, and more. 

BigCommerce also makes it easy to create custom discounts, coupons, loyalty programs, and other promotions to attract new customers or reward existing ones.

Running your business

BigCommerce doesn't just excel with its store creation tools – once you're online, the service has plenty of ways to keep your business running smoothly.

Inventory management is very flexible. You can choose to update your stock levels when an order is placed, or mark as shipped. BigCommerce can send email notifications of low stock levels, and your store can handle 'out-of-stock' situations in several ways (hide the product entirely, hide it but keep the product page for direct links, redirect to the category page or do nothing at all.) This kind of control is great for ensuring the store works precisely as you'd like.

BigCommerce supports multiple ways to engage with your customers. A simple Comments system enables customers to review products, and there's support for several live chat services (LivePerson, Olark, a generic 'third-party' option.)

The features keep coming, wherever you look. There's a returns system, for instance, which enables customers to return items from others on their Completed Orders list. It's tucked away in the Settings dialog, but you can turn it on with a click.

If all this functionality still doesn't deliver what you need, no problem - BigCommerce has approaching 600 apps enabling it to integrate with an array of third-party services covering every possible requirement: payments, shipping, marketing, merchandising, accounting, CRM, ERP and more. Shopify does even better with more than 2,000 apps, but BigCommerce still outperforms just about everyone else and has some great extensions.

Just one example: the QuickBooks Online app can automatically sync your BigCommerce orders, discounts, refunds, shipping and more with your QuickBooks Online account, as often as once per hour, and it's free to download and use. Check out the other apps available in the BigCommerce App Store.

BigCommerce pricing

BigCommerce’s Standard plan starts at $29.95/month and includes everything you need to get started with an online store such as an online storefront, point of sale, integration of Amazon/eBay/Walmart for enhanced sales potential, mobile responsive website, access the BigCommerce mobile app for real-time control over your store, utilize single page checkout for quick purchases, and use Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay for secure payments. 

BigCommerce Plus plan starts at $79.95/month and includes all the features in the standard plan plus customer groups & segmentation which allows you to target different types of customers with tailored offers, abandoned cart saver which helps recover lost sales, stored credit cards for faster checkout times and more advanced reporting tools for better analytics insights into your store performance.

The Pro plan is BigCommerce’s basic website builder package and starts at $299.95/mo. This plan includes all the features of the Plus plan plus Google customer reviews, product filtering, and custom product filtering. It also offers online sales up to $400k per year (calculated on a trailing 12-month basis). These features make this plan perfect for small businesses that want an affordable option without sacrificing quality or potential online sales growth.  

For larger businesses who need more advanced features beyond what is offered in the Pro plan, there is the Enterprise plan. This one has custom pricing depending on your business size and needs, so it’s best to contact sales or call 1-888-699-8911 directly for more information on this option. Features of this premium package include multi-storefront capabilities, price lists, and unlimited API calls – making it ideal for businesses that require maximum control over their website experience and design elements. 

Customer support

BigCommerce offers live chat support directly from its website. You can simply go to the site and click on the “Live Chat” button at the top of the page, or select “contact” from the main menu bar. Then you will be connected with one of BigCommerce’s knowledgeable support agents who can provide assistance with any questions or issues you may have. It's fast, easy, and available 24/7.

If live chat is different from your style, BigCommerce also offers phone support for their customers. Just give them a call at 1-888-699-8911 and one of their helpful representatives will walk you through whatever issue or question you have. 

For those who prefer written communication, BigCommerce provides email support as well. All you have to do is fill out an online form on their website and one of their team members will get back to you within 24 hours (or sooner). This option allows users more time to think about their questions before sending them in, which is especially helpful if they're dealing with complex issues or problems that require detailed explanations. 

 BigCommerce alternatives 

One of the most popular ecommerce website builders on the market is Shopify. It provides users with a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help them build their online stores quickly and easily. With Shopify, you can choose from hundreds of professionally designed themes, and customize your store's look.

WooCommerce is another popular choice for businesses looking for an e-commerce website builder. Unlike many other platforms, WooCommerce is free and open-source software that lets users customize their store however they want. You can add products from any source (including third-party sites like eBay), manage inventory levels, set up taxes and shipping costs, accept payments via PayPal or credit cards, and more - all without any coding knowledge needed! 

Magento is another great option for businesses looking for an ecommerce website builder solution. The platform offers a wide range of features including customizable templates, product catalogs with advanced sorting options, multiple payment options including credit cards and PayPal integration, detailed analytics reports to track sales performance over time, SEO optimization tools to help increase visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs), customer loyalty programs, order management tools, and more.

Is BigCommerce right for you?

The biggest advantage of using BigCommerce is that it is extremely user-friendly. Even if you don’t have any prior experience with web design, you will be able to easily navigate the platform and create a stunning website in no time. 

Also, BigCommerce offers an extensive range of features that can help you customize your website exactly how you want it. From drag-and-drop page builders to integrated ecommerce options, the possibilities are nearly endless. Additionally, BigCommerce offers great customer service that is available 24/7. 

One downside to using BigCommerce is its cost. If pricing is not an issue for you, then BigCommerce is for you. However, if you are on a budget, consider cheaper options like Shopify. 

BigCommerce FAQs

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