BigCommerce: Pros and Cons of the E-commerce Platform

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a leading e-commerce platform that facilitates setup and customization of online stores. By the end of 2022, it has powered over 144,000 sites across 150 countries, generating revenues ranging between USD 250-300 million. BigCommerce is used by recognizable companies such as Skullcandy, Camelbak, Pandora, and Ben & Jerry's.

BigCommerce operates within the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. This means that it is provided by an external supplier, and requires paying a subscription fee. Currently, there are four available plans:

• Standard
  The platform offers a range of functionalities, including unlimited user accounts and products, or integration with major platforms such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Facebook, and Instagram. It also enables the creation of responsive stores, discount codes, and gift cards, supports multi-currency transactions, and includes features for product reviews and ratings.

• Plus
  Additional functionalities: customer segmentation, an abandoned cart rescue module, options for saving carts, and credit card details for easier checkout.

• Pro
  Additional functionalities: Google reviews, product filtering.

• Enterprise
  Additional functionalities: unlimited API and the ability to adapt the system to individual needs.

BigCommerce is highly flexible and enables efficient customization to suit the unique needs of each store. As it’s a SaaS solution, it’s the provider who is responsible for the security and ongoing development. Additionally, BigCommerce offers 24/7 support and troubleshooting assistance, ensuring a smooth and reliable user experience.

Functionalities of BigCommerce

BigCommerce provides a comprehensive set of functionalities required to build a robust online store. It offers everything necessary to create a website from scratch and equip it with essential e-commerce tools. These functionalities include:

• 12 free templates (+180 premium templates)

• intuitive drag-and-drop creator 

• SEO optimization tools

• automatic photo optimization 

• vouchers and discount codes

• built-in CMS and blog

• automated calculation of delivery prices

• product reviews

• multiple currencies

• multilingual website

• recovery of abandoned carts (premium feature)

• integration with e-mail marketing systems

• integration with payment tools, including PayPal

• unlimited number of products

• HTML and CSS editor

• creating user accounts and granting access

• advanced reporting.

These features are user-friendly and allow for creating a store that runs efficiently and is ready for scaling up. The platform is simple to navigate and accessible even for individuals without graphic design skills.

Advantages of BigCommerce

The BigCommerce platform offers numerous advantages such as: 

• Hosting included - in the SaaS model, the platform provider handles hosting and eliminates the need to seek hosting services independently.

• Variety of plans - the flexibility in this aspect allows organizations to tailor the level of service according to their specific needs and budget constraints.

• Comprehensive functionalities - the tools and modules offered by BigCommerce provide everything necessary to build a functional store ready for marketing and sales activities.

• Customization - if the pre-built functionalities and themes do not meet your expectations, you can customize them thanks to access to the HTML and CSS editor.

• Stability - BigCommerce ensures a nearly faultless system operation, with an uptime rate of up to 99.9%.

• Easy content management - BigCommerce includes a basic CMS that typically meets the needs of small and medium-sized stores.

• Support for multichannel strategies - BigCommerce allows for seamless integration with various tools and platforms, facilitating sales across multiple channels and marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Instagram.

• Free trial - the provider offers the opportunity to try out the tool at no cost for 15 days. 

• An unlimited number of admins - with no limits on the number of administrators, BigCommerce is suitable for large stores that need to grant permissions and access to the panel for multiple users.

• Unlimited data - even in the most affordable plan, BigCommerce does not limit the amount of stored and processed data.

• 24/7 support - the service provider offers 24/7 support, continuous problem-solving, and multiple communication channels including phone, email, and chat.

• No commission - BigCommerce does not impose additional fees on the transactions. The only cost is a monthly subscription fee.

• Various product variants - BigCommerce enables easy management of an unlimited number of product variants, which is crucial for companies with a wide range of products.

• Supporting SEO - the extensive SEO functions help to enhance the visibility of your website. You can easily edit meta descriptions and titles, modify URL addresses, create 301 redirects, and develop a mobile version of the website.

• Transparent results - advanced reporting offers a detailed insight into various business aspects such as revenues, products sold, orders placed, customer acquisition sources, consumer behavior, SEO, and more.

• Security - BigCommerce ensures the security of the system, store, and transactions thanks to enforcing strong passwords, PCI compliance, two-step verification, providing an SSL certificate, and more.

• GDPR compliance - unlike many other e-commerce platforms, BigCommerce enables you to effortlessly create a cookie banner and execute selected scripts only after obtaining consent.

Disadvantages of BigCommerce

It's important to be aware of the potential disadvantages of the BigCommerce platform, just like with any other solution. These may include:

• Paid add-ons - while the basic version of BigCommerce offers enough features to build a fully functional store, further site development may require purchasing premium functionalities or creating custom solutions.

• No access to the source code - while BigCommerce offers extensive customization options, it is not an open-source solution. Lack of access to the code at a certain stage may limit the possibilities of further development.

• Sales limits - the basic BigCommerce plan allows for handling sales worth a maximum of USD 50,000 annually. Exceeding this amount requires upgrading to a more advanced plan.

• Difficulties in adaptation - according to some opinions, using BigCommerce may be more challenging to master compared to other platforms.

• Lack of automated backups - as BigCommerce does not create backups automatically, you will need to create them yourself to secure your data.

• No free plan - while BigCommerce provides a 15-day trial period, it does not allow to use the tool for free. This limitation might not be attractive to small businesses that are just starting their e-commerce ventures.

Should we use BigCommerce?

So, who would benefit most from using BigCommerce?

Due to its limitations, BigCommerce is recommended for small and medium-sized stores. It can also be a great option for companies just starting their e-commerce journey. While the tool's functionalities may initially seem extensive for beginners, they can become very useful as the store grows and scales.

The presence of ready-made templates and easy graphics customization makes BigCommerce a good fit for companies and teams lacking design expertise, seeking intuitive and easy-to-implement solutions. Advanced users can always use the CSS and HTML editor.

However, BigCommerce's functionalities may not meet the needs of large stores requiring significant customization and extensive modules. In such cases, we recommend exploring more advanced e-commerce platforms, like Shopware.

BigCommerce - the summary

If you're still unsure whether BigCommerce is the right choice for you or if you should explore other platforms, don't hesitate to contact us. As experts in implementing e-commerce platforms, we can evaluate your needs and offer guidance on the most cost-effective and technologically efficient solutions that will successfully meet your requirements.