What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a leading e-commerce software platform that provides startups and established businesses with everything they need to launch and grow their e-commerce.
BigCommerce is a robust platform with an easy to use interface and advanced built-in features.
Since its inception in 2009, BigCommerce has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the e-commerce software market.
At the time of writing, the company says that more than 90,000 online stores in 65 countries use its e-commerce software platform. Its customers range from start-ups creating new online stores to leading companies such as Toyota and Martha Stewart.
BigCommerce was founded by Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper and the company supports thousands of retailers around the world from its offices in San Francisco, Austin, and Sydney.
Features
If you're looking for a reliable e-commerce software solution, take a few minutes to read this BigCommerce review for all the details. Here's a quick overview of what BigCommerce offers:
- Customizable pre-built site templates
- Integrated referencing
- Marketing and conversion tools
- Tools to manage shipments and payments
- 99.99% operating time
- Annual e-commerce conference
- A single dashboard to manage the list of products on your site, as well as on Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, Ebay, and other channels.
- Estimated growth of 28% year over year: this is the average growth rate of BigCommerce users, according to a study conducted by Ipsos.
- POS solutions (point of sale)
- B2B e-commerce solutions
Add-ins and integrations to sell better
There are a lot of third-party applications on the market that are designed to integrate with BigCommerce.
These complementary modules allow you to transform any e-commerce into an autonomous management system for your e-commerce.
You can find over 200 add-ons in the BigCommerce apps section.
BigCommerce offers apps in the following categories
- Accounting and taxation
- Analyses and reports
- B2B wholesale
- Catalog and order management
- CRM and customer service
- Data transfer/migration services
- ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning)
- Marketing
- Merchandising
- Mobile
- Payments and security
- Product search
- Sales channels
- Shipping and order processing
- Site tools
Payment processing
With BigCommerce as the checkout application for your online store, customers will have freedom of choice when it comes to payment options.
Ce e-commerce software integrates with up to 38 payment gateways.
When online shoppers visit your store, they have the option to pay with reliable payment processors like PayPal Express Checkout, Stripe, Authorize.net Google Checkout, and 2Checkout.
Point of sale options
It's also possible to accept in-store payments with Square on the point of sale terminal at your brick and engine store.
Online and in-store payments will be automatically synced to the cloud, saving you time and effort while streamlining your checkout processes.
Security and compliance
Additionally, the BigCommerce checkout supports credit card payments. This platform is PCI DSS compliant and has 256-bit SSL encryption.
The SSL certificate is shared with the standard plan, while the higher plans offer dedicated encryption for your entire online store.
Choose from over 45 payment gateways for your BigCommerce online store. You can also browse them by country.
Templates and design
Whether you're a savvy web designer or someone who doesn't have the skills to write code for your online store, BigCommerce has design features for everyone.
Unqualified online retailers don't need to code to create their online store because there are hundreds of pre-established templates to choose from.
Have a store in a few minutes
You can create your online store in minutes using the drag and drop tool. These templates are responsive and will allow you to design great shops that appeal to shoppers on any device.
The best part is that the Setup Wizard shows you previews of the model you've chosen on your PC or smartphone, allowing you to visualize your window and make the necessary adjustments and changes.
Development options available
If you are an experienced web designer or are considering hiring a professional to create your online store, BigCommerce offers a comprehensive HTML editor.
It also provides full access to raw CSS files for those who want to make even more extensive custom layout changes. The WYSIWYG editor clearly shows how your text will look, including font type, color, and size.
BigCommerce allows coders to access underlying files, offering granular customization options.
Marketing tools
Like many online shopping carts, BigCommerce offers multiple ways to market your e-commerce. Some of the marketing methods offered come at an additional cost, while others are free.
Blogging and SEO
The function of Blog built-in allows you to blog easily without having to buy a CMS top of the range.
The admin panel gives full access to metadata, header tags, titles, and URLs so you can customize your blog and news pages to be SEO friendly.
Coupons, Discounts, and Product Reviews
Built-in coupons and discount features help motivate shoppers. You can also pamper shoppers with daily deals and other special offers to encourage purchases. Buyers can also make purchases for others using gift certificates.
BigCommerce offers product review tools, which will help you promote your website when shoppers have a good shopping experience and leave positive feedback.
Engage your customers with chat support.
Another great marketing tool that BigCommerce offers is live chat support for all plans.
This means buyers will be able to contact your sales team while shopping online.
The chat feature isn't present in many e-commerce solutions, even highly rated ones, giving BigCommerce a leg up on the competition.
Email marketing
Email marketing has become an essential part of e-commerce and BigCommerce offers online retailers the ability to integrate their stores with powerful email marketing platforms such as MailChimp, HubSpot, iContact and Constant Contact. These tools can be used to build smart customer lists.
Segment users more: Messages about abandoned carts
You'll be able to segment email lists based on purchase history, customer location, order total, and more.
Email delivery capabilities will allow online retailers to send targeted messages, newsletters, and even cart abandonment notifications to avoid lost sales.
Social networks
Finally, BigCommerce makes it easy to market your brand on social media.
All you need to do is add “Buy Now” buttons on Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter to turn your social platform into an internet shopping engine.
SKU and stock management
Managing inventory with BigCommerce is an easy process.
Treatment of product variants
With product download options, you can offer customers hundreds of options based on size, color, material, etc. Each item also comes with its own SKU, price, and image.
No product limits
BigCommerce has no limits on bandwidth or the number of products you can download.
This makes it the perfect e-commerce platform for businesses that intend to maintain a massive product catalog.
You can use BigCommerce to quickly create and launch a professional quality online store. You can also use it to sell on other sites, like Amazon, eBay, Instagram, and Facebook.
Customer Support
When it comes to help and support, BigCommerce outperforms most e-commerce software providers.
In addition to offering live chat, email, and phone support, the company provides numerous online resources to help users learn more about its platform.
You can find lots of information about the software on the company's community forum, social media pages, YouTube channel, knowledge base, and online resource center.
Guides, documentation, and online community
Online information includes:
- One forum community where you can interact with BigCommerce staff and share ideas with other users;
- Documentation
- Guides
- BigCommerce University
BigCommerce University
BigCommerce University is filled with user-friendly resources designed to help new and existing online store owners.
The material is conveniently classified into sections such as:
- Boutique
- Manage the store
- Culture store
BigCommerce occasionally hosts webinars for people who want to learn the best practices for running an online store.
They even have a developer design guide and a service status section that informs online merchants of server/service issues if BigCommerce plans for downtime.
SEO functions
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a key factor for your business if you want to stand out.
SEO determines how well your page ranks in search engines and, if you have a brick-and-mortar or mobile services business, it can determine how easily local customers can find you.
BigCommerce has a large number of options that allow you to enter field text that affects the SEO ranking of your website. These include options to change the URL structure, metadata, product description, and keywords.
BigCommerce VS Shopify
BigCommerce and Shopify are two of the biggest names in online e-commerce. However, there are a number of differences between the two.
- Shopify has more themes to choose from. On the other hand, some consumers feel overwhelmed when faced with a large number of options - so fewer options can allow you to move faster toward your goals.
- Both providers offer themes adapted to mobile phones.
- Both BigCommerce and Shopify include a range of e-commerce tools and various support options should you encounter issues with your online store.
READ MORE: How do I create an e-commerce store with Shopify?
Pricing
BigCommerce offers a range of monthly plans, suitable for start-ups and small businesses who want to create an online store, as well as professional packages for existing and established retailers who want to expand online. For the latest and most up-to-date prices, visit the BigCommerce website.
Special plan
Professional plans
Are you a business? Contact BigCommerce directly for a personalized quote
FAQs
Is BigCommerce the right e-commerce solution for your webshop ? The following questions and answers will help you answer some of the most common questions.
Why is BigCommerce good for my business?
There are a number of reasons why you might choose to use BigCommerce for your business over competitors.
First, the company claims to offer quality store templates, market-leading sales tools, and professional-grade site hosting and uptime.
BigCommerce also includes customizable themes and a range of shipping options to ensure that your customers are offered the best choices to have their goods delivered quickly and efficiently from your BigCommerce store, with fewer abandoned carts for your business.
Who is BigCommerce for?
BigCommerce services are ideal for any type of e-commerce/retail store, whether it's an independent, large, medium, small, or startup business. BigCommerce's usability makes it ideal for retailers of all experience levels. BigCommerce has an active YouTube channel that has lots of video tutorials that are suitable for beginners.
What does BigCommerce offer?
BigCommerce is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that offers a set of online store management features (online payment methods, analytics, order processing, etc.) as well as content management features and hosting and security services for your online store.
