BigCommerce is an eCommerce platform where you can set up a store and sell your products from anywhere. The system currently supports more than 50,000 shops worldwide and offers some unique features that sellers may want to leverage for growth.
What Makes BigCommerce Different?
Unlike Magento’s eCommerce system, which is a platform as a service, BigCommerce is SaaS, or a cloud-based service. In other words, you don’t download anything. This makes it more accessible, and cheaper than PaaS. As everything is centralized, it is easier to capture data and get analytics.
This SaaS platform takes care of website hosting, catalog management, secure payment gateways, and content creation amongst other things.
What does that all that mean? It means you do not have to be a web developer or learn complicated code to get started. Not needing a developer or specialist at the outset means that getting started is much easier for beginners, and won’t require a major time and money commitment like a more complicated system.
That said, BigCommerce is not overly customizable. There are some add-ons and extensions, but if you want to go big, PaaS shouldn’t be off the table as a long-term option.
What Do You Get With BigCommerce?
Different plans are available at different pricing tiers, which we will discuss in more detail below. Here’s a general overview of what you will get at the most basic level:
- An unlimited number of goods can be sold
- SEO
- 12 Templates
- Automated image optimization
- Integration with email services
- Coupons and discount codes can be generated
- Shipping rates set up
- Product review option
- Page builder
How Much Does BigCommerce Cost?
Here is a look at the different price plans and in brief how they differ from each other:
BigCommerce Standard is $29.95 per month and includes options like:
- Gift cards
- Multi-currency selling
- A physical store that can be integrated
- AMP, which helps to improve page speed
- $50,000 in sales per year
BigCommerce Plus is $79.95 per month and includes:
- Abandoned cart saver
- Group segmenting, which allows you to offer deals based on specific variables
- Stored cards
- $180,000 in sales per year
BigCommerce Pro is $299.95 per month and allows $400,000 per year in sales. If you want a bigger limit than that, you just pay more incrementally.
The Enterprise tier has no fixed price and includes:
- Product filtering
- Priority support
- Price lists based on segmentation
- Over $1,000,000 in sales per year
How To Get Started with BigCommerce
BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial, after which you need to choose a plan. Once you have signed up, log in.
Once you’re inside the control panel, follow the instructions in the get started guide. This will allow you to:
- Add products
- Set up shipping
- Set up tax
- Review and test the store
Once the store is launched, the dashboard gives information on performance and orders. To see the storefront, click the bottom-left corner where the name of the store is. Store owners can reach customer support directly by clicking on the support pin under help.
There is also a partner directory available. Use this resource to find additional help if you need an expert in the industry.
Final Thoughts
If you are on your own starting out in eCommerce, or have a small business and plan to scale intermittently, then BigCommerce could be the answer to all your eCommerce problems. And if you do have something big in the works, Enterprise is a competitively priced option.
For dropshippers, this platform can work well too. All that you need to get up and running is a third-party app. This comes at a price though.
Finally, for sellers active in multiple countries who are dealing with different tax rates, BigCommerce sets taxes automatically for the US and Canada, but it isn’t automatic for the European Union.
So before you make the big decision, do some research specific to your needs and niche. Given the features available and the price attached, however, it earns a big thumbs up.
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