What Is BigCommerce? Get the Lowdown Here

There is no denying that the world of eCommerce just continues to expand. Buying and selling products and services electronically is critical for most businesses as these days, you can transact on pretty much anything you want. It is easy to access a wide availability of what you’re looking for, accessible 24/7, with international reach and a fast transaction.

Generally, many people have pretty high expectations of being able to shop online and more and more businesses are getting their products and services online to reap the rewards. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a surge of online sales during 2020 and the momentum is continuing.

With a range of platforms now available to sell your products and services online, it can be daunting to know where to start when you are setting up your eCommerce store. There are several major players and what will work for you depends on the needs and goals of your business and your budget. Consider what the platform offers regarding themes, functionality, payment options, technical support and security.

 

Web Force 5 is a website development company that uses all major platforms including BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Shopify, WordPress and Continuum. You need to be able to trust your business with your chosen platform and have it work for you.

 

Who Is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is one of the most acclaimed eCommerce platforms that opens up limitless potential for businesses. Powering almost 100,000 online stores in over 150 countries1 it has incredible versatility, regardless of the size of the business.

With headquarters in the US, it was founded in 2009 in Sydney, Australia and has adapted its product to be one of the best available, even with some close competition. You don’t need to download anything to operate this system, it functions in the cloud.

You can be in total control, able to do everything yourself such as creating web pages, adding products and images, processing orders, creating promotional coupons and even designing your online store. It covers a wide range of industries and can be integrated with shopping and comparison sites. 

 

The Benefits of BigCommerce

BigCommerce has become a premium product for so many reasons.

 

SaaS

This modern ‘Software-as-a-Service’ platform provides an open and flexible tool that fits any business. There are many customizable templates to help you design your online store and it is easy to display your products and market them effectively. The platform has been designed to help your online store grow!

 

Search Engine Optimization

With a suite of SEO features, this platform will assist your business to perform well in Google search results. With optimized and unique URLs, built-in microdata, URL redirects and ensuring your site speed is good, your SEO is off to a good start, and you will rank higher in no time.

 

Easy to Use

BigCommerce offers a lot when it comes to functionality, so initially it may take some effort to figure it out if you don’t have any previous experience with eCommerce platforms. That said, they have incorporated some facets over time such as Page Builder, a user-friendly drag-and-drop tool for designing pages. There is an automated image optimization tool also. 

 

Content Management System Functionality

BigCommerce has a complete eCommerce CMS functionality and is highly customizable. With a dozen free themes and almost 200 templates available you can really make your website stand out.

 

Security

This platform really focuses on website security, with sitewide HTTPS and dedicated SSL. Extended Validation SSL is also available.

 

Sell Through Different Channels

BigCommerce allows you to sell through multiple channels such as e-marketplaces like Amazon and social media. You also have the option of using third-party integrations including eBay.

 

Payment Options

There are several third-party payment gateways you can choose from, including PayPal which is highly popular and secure. You are able to choose the service that is best for your business. BigCommerce accepts payments in over 100 currencies and offers automatic currency conversions.

 

Various Shipping Options

Good shipping and different options is important to many customers, and BigCommerce offers real-time quoting, automated shipping monitoring and more. It is an all-in-one service for great delivery operations.

 

Reporting

With analytics and reporting built in, you can receive the stats you want to monitor your sales results and in turn, know what areas to focus on for improvement. The detailed analytics dashboard gives you invaluable customer insights as well as showing the performance of your products.

 

Cost Effective

The cost of BigCommerce is very reasonable and they offer four different plans to choose from so you can choose what suits your business. Three plans are aimed at individuals and small businesses, while the fourth plan was designed to meet the needs of larger businesses. If your business outgrows the plan you initially select, you can upgrade to a new plan as needed. BigCommerce provides a low ongoing total cost of ownership, with every plan covering the costs of hosting, platform updates, and platform security.

 

Connected

BigCommerce comes complete with ready built integrations to several leading payment processors, shipping providers, email marketing platforms, accounting systems, and much more – enabling rapid, low-cost implementation. For systems not already part of the BigCommerce ecosystem there are powerful, high-coverage REST and GraphQL APIs enabling your development team or partner to seamlessly integrate your core business systems.

 

Constantly Improving

As a SaaS platform, one of BigCommerce key appeals is the constant reinvestment in the platform, giving all BigCommerce stores new features, improved speed, and continued reliability, all at a much lower cost to individual store owners. Recently, BigCommerce have released Multi-Storefront Support, an Advanced Promotion Editor, and improved Catalog Management features.

 

Technical Support

With excellent technical support, you have the confidence of a great team behind you. Unfortunately, from time to time, things can go wrong and there will be someone standing by to help.

BigCommerce is a powerful solution to online store building. Once you are clear about what your business needs in an eCommerce platform to ensure you are as successful as possible, it is time to investigate and select an eCommerce platform. 

 

Web Force 5 has a team skilled across all platforms and we will work with you to map out a plan and identify if BigCommerce is best for your business or whether another platform is more suitable. Speak to one of our specialist consultants for a free no obligation chat.

 

1 https://www.verticalrail.com/kb/bigcommerce/