BigCommerce Review

Summary review

As you can surmise from its name, BigCommerce is a huge deal in the e-commerce world - just ask some of its equally huge clients like Ben & Jerry’s, Travelpro, Gibson Guitars, Toyota, and Kodak. But what exactly does it do? BigCommerce is a one-stop-shop e-commerce solution that allows you to create an online store, process your orders, manage inventory, accept payments, and more. It’s a hosted or a SaaS (software as a service) platform. That means you don’t own it, but pay a recurring fee to use their service and maintain your store. BigCommerce currently powers more than 90,000 online stores.



Pros

+ Can support large volumes of traffic
+ No transaction fees
+ Even their entry-level plan is extensive compared to other e-commerce platforms
+ Fast load time of site platform on all devices
+ Solid security
+ Excellent SEO features
+ Fantastic reporting tools
+ Multiple sales channels - Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram
+ Store Design gives it a drag-and-drop web builder functionality
+ 24/7 hosting support
+ Built-in cookie consent feature
+ Allows selling in multiple currencies
+ Game-changer Abandoned Cart selling tool
+ Provides customers a hassle-free way to upload files
+ Great for sellers with huge product variants
+ Convenient built-in blog

Cons

- Its advanced features might overwhelm beginners
- Annual sale limits
- Themes can look too similar to each other
- You cannot edit the shipping alert to include the tracking number
- Storefront banner graphics can be a bit tricky to manage

Who is BigCommerce for?

BigCommerce targets both ends of the spectrum when it comes to e-commerce platform clienteles. Those who lack the technical ability to create an online store from scratch using code AND those who can play around with HTML and CSS for further customization.

Main Features

Product Types

BigCommerce lets you offer physical, digital, service, and subscription-based products in a more straightforward manner. This means everything is built-in with the editor, saving you the time and hassle in researching and using third-party apps.

Templates

Currently, BigCommerce has 12 free themes and more than 100 paid themes that you can navigate by industry, layout, or whether or not you have a large or small product catalog. You can also sort by the following industries:

- Animals & Pets
- Arts & Crafts
- Automotive & Industrial
- Books & Entertainment
- Electronics & Computers
- Fashion & Jewelry
- Food & Beverage
- Gifts & Specialty
- Health & Beauty
- Home & Garden
- Sports & Recreation
- Toys & Games



Payment Options

BigCommerce has a very good default payment option in the form of Paypal powered by Braintree which is available in more than 45 countries. The setup is incredibly easy and you also get preferential rates from Paypal. Not only that, but BigCommerce also do not charge transaction fees on any of its plans. Now, if this option is not available where you are or you’d rather use a different payment processor, there are currently over 65 payment gateway integrations available out-of-the-box such as:

- Stripe
- Afterpay
- Square
- Amazon Pay
- CyberSource Direct
- Apple Pay
- SecureNet
- Adyen

Shipping Options

BigCommerce makes shipping and fulfillment easy with tons of third-party integrations that will let you automate everything. Manage all your orders in one platform, handle returns, get real-time shipping quotes, print labels, or offer free shipping. You can even get discounts with USPS, UPS, DHL, and FedEx!

eCommerce Features

One thing we like about BigCommerce is its impressive catalog of built-in features that removes the need for many third-party integrations. Relying on third-party apps can often backfire. If that plug-in or app should stop operating in the future, there’s nothing that your e-commerce platform can do about it. Some notable features are the following.

Abandoned Cart Recovery

Quite possibly one of the most cost-effective ways to bring potential customers back, this tool allows you to create, customize, and automatically send up to 3 emails to visitors who have abandoned their shopping cart while at checkout.

Multiple Currency

Selling worldwide? BigCommerce makes selling in multiple currencies easy with its out-of-the-box currency conversion tool. If you’re using a paid theme, integrating a third-party app has never been easier.

Multichannel Selling

You don’t have to rely solely on traffic generated by your store. Using BigCommerce allows you to tap bigger audiences and sell through multiple channels like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Amazon, eBay, and more.



Dropshipping

You can easily dropship with BigCommerce using third-party dropshipping apps such as AliExpress, Modalyst, Printful, Printify, and other print-on-demand integrations.

Apps

If your store needs more than what you can get with BigCommerce, there are still around 760 apps available that you can get in the apps marketplace. There is also an official integration for Mailchimp - a key tool that’s not offered by many competing platforms. Some of the most popular BigCommerce apps are the following:

- Zendesk
- OptinMonster
- ShipStation
- TrustPulse
- Salesforce
- Live Chat
- Xero
- Yotpo Reviews
- Constant Contact

SEO and Blogging

If you’re concerned about how BigCommerce performs SEO-wise (well, you should be!), you won’t have to worry because this is one of its strongest suits. You can do all the basics like editing page titles, meta descriptions, and headers as well as create and customize product-specific URL’s. BigCommerce also has a built-in blog feature that can also help your site’s SEO in the long run.

Support and Knowledge Base

BigCommerce has a 'help center' where you can find news and updates as well as a community section with Q & A and groups where you can post your query or exchange ideas. There is also a knowledge base section with helpful guides and video tutorials as well as email support. Live chat and 24/7 phone assistance is also available depending on your price plan.

Pricing and Plans

Currently, BigCommerce has 4 month-to-month plans. The standard plan costs $29.95 per month, Plus is priced at $79.95 per month while Pro will set you back $299.95 per month. There is also an enterprise plan but prices vary depending on what your business needs. One important thing to note when choosing your plan is the annual online sales limit that BigCommerce imposes per price plan:

Bigcommerce Standard: $50,000
Bigcommerce Plus: $180,000
Bigcommerce Pro: $400,000
Bigcommerce Enterprise: negotiable
Since many businesses took a hit due to the recent pandemic, BigCommerce offers 3 months free when you sign up NOW.

The Bottom Line

With all its advanced features, BigCommerce is definitely not for someone who’s a total beginner or those who have no plans to scale their business. It is designed primarily for large and fast-growing businesses and it shows. It’s got everything you need to help support your online store’s growth with sales tools in place, impressive data reports, great SEO, fast up-time, and solid security.