If you want to get an online store up and running quickly, there are plenty of great options available that don’t require any coding experience or software downloads. Two of the most popular SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms for retailers to choose from today are BigCommerce and Shopify.

Both BigCommerce and Shopify promise to provide their users with excellent service, easy-to-use features, and intuitive layouts to make designing a professional-looking website a breeze. However, depending on your brand’s unique needs and your own personal preferences for your online store, it’s a good idea to do your research before committing to a platform. This quick guide will give you a better understanding of what BigCommerce is known for, how it works, and how it compares to its biggest competitor: Shopify.

Basic Info for Merchants

The versatility of BigCommerce has been recognized by a wide variety of businesses and industries, from Camelbak to Ben & Jerry’s to Georgia Pacific, all of which utilize BigCommerce to run their own websites. But BigCommerce isn’t just for nationally-known brands; the pricing options and other aspects of the service make it affordable for small and mid-sized business owners as well:

• Pricing. If you’re a new entrepreneur, you won’t have to worry about breaking the bank with high costs for setting up your site. BigCommerce offers 4 pricing plans to best suit your needs and your budget:
  • Standard: $29.95/month.
  • Plus: $79.95/month.
  • Pro: $299.95/month.
  • Enterprise: Varies for each site.
• Website performance. BigCommerce boasts excellent performance and reliability with a 99.99% average uptime rate. Combined with a headless commerce option, 24/7 tech support, omnichannel capabilities, and out-of-the-box SEO tools, BigCommerce can give online retailers some serious advantages over their competitors.
• Catalog and checkout. Easily upload your products, scale your catalog, and effortlessly manage shipping, tax rates, refunds, and returns with the Catalog API, BigCommerce Shipping, or your preferred 3rd-party management tools.
• Analytics. Through the BigCommerce Analytics Dashboard, retailers can quickly view data on their orders, sales channels, storefront conversion rates, AOV, and more.
• Themes and customization. Building a personalized, responsive website is simple when you use a template or download a theme from the extensive library of options available on the theme store.

Highlights of BigCommerce

Of course, BigCommerce hasn’t reached its level of industry success without providing some pretty unbeatable features, tools, and unique options that other platforms simply don’t offer. Some of the most popular highlights of BigCommerce include:

• Marketing integrations. Merchants can drive traffic and convert customers with AdWords integrations, coupons, email marketing tools, Google Shopping, and more.
• Global reach. BigCommerce supports over 250 local currencies in over 129 countries, and retailers can choose from a variety of translation services for effortless multilingual communication.
• 3rd-party extensions. Browse through hundreds of 3rd-party apps and integrations for CRM, shipping, marketing, ERP, and much more on the BigCommerce marketplace.
• Excellent customer service. BigCommerce support technicians are available 24/7 to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have about setting up, expanding, or troubleshooting your site. They’re so committed to delivering outstanding customer service that 90% of support calls are resolved on the first call.

Is BigCommerce Right for You?

If you’ve narrowed down your eCommerce platform options to BigCommerce and Shopify, you can expect similar features and similar pricing from both service providers. The core differences between the two come down to the smaller details in the following areas:

• Customizability. When it comes to uploading and customizing your product options, Shopify limits you to just three choices, whereas you can hone in on precise details with BigCommerce to display them exactly as you’d like. However, Shopify does have a wider variety of theme templates, and some report that they’re easier to customize than the ones offered through BigCommerce.
• SEO tools. Although both provide great out-of-the-box SEO, BigCommerce comes out on top in terms of user-friendliness.
• Transaction fees. With BigCommerce, you can use any kind of payment service you’d prefer to complete transactions without needing to pay an additional fee.
• AMP options. It’s free and simple to create AMP versions of your BigCommerce store, which isn’t the case with Shopify.
• Unlimited staff accounts. No matter which BigCommerce plan you choose to purchase, your entire team will be able to have their own unique personal accounts.
• User-friendliness. Shopify’s platform is easier for first-time sellers to navigate than BigCommerce, which can be slightly more complex and confusing. Shopify also has a community of passionate developers and seasoned retailers who can assist you as you begin your eCommerce journey.

Don’t wait! Migrate from Magento 1 to BigCommerce today!