Although 2020 was full of unexpected challenges and obstacles, millions of people showed their ingenuity and resiliency by flexibly adapting to the “new normal.” Distillery owners decided to start making hand sanitizer, clothing manufacturers began creating face masks, and retailers around the world began offering new service options (such as curbside pick-up) to keep their employees and customers safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Online merchants weren’t exempt from innovating during 2020, either. Facing state-wide lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and encouragement to work from home, more people than ever opted to buy items online instead of venturing out to physical stores. eCommerce retailers had to act quickly to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding customer base, and the BigCommerce platform provided the flexibility and tools for companies of all sizes to update their websites accordingly.

Features of BigCommerce

One of the main appeals of BigCommerce is its ease of use. It was designed for business owners who don’t want to spend several weeks setting up their online store and continue to manually maintain it as their business grows. With a convenient dashboard, automatic security updates, a cloud-hosted platform, and a flexible framework, BigCommerce offers considerable advantages for CEOs. Other notable features include: 

• Hosted solution. Since BigCommerce runs on its own servers, users don’t have to worry about finding a hosting provider or installing anything on their computers. This also makes it quicker and easier to launch a website for those with little web design experience. 
• Page Builder. This feature uses a simple drag-and-drop method for users to create and customize front-end pages without having to rely on developers or change coding in the back-end. 
• Wide range of templates. BigCommerce offers 12 free themes and over 100 paid themes for merchants to choose from and customize to best suit their store’s brand. Better yet, all of these themes are responsive and mobile friendly!
• Headless commerce options. A headless commerce solution gives merchants the ability to use any CMS they’d like and use BigCommerce APIs to manage their product catalogs and checkout features. Headless eCommerce also provides more flexibility and helps improve site speed.
• Inventory management. Retailers can go omnichannel with ease by adding numerous channels to their BigCommerce inventory system, including Amazon, eBay, and even physical stores.
• Built-in marketing tools. BigCommerce provides retailers with an impressive set of marketing tools, including SEO capabilities, a cart abandonment feature, a blog for easy content marketing purposes, email marketing options, social selling integrations, and much more.

Benefits of BigCommerce

Along with the time-saving features and tools that BigCommerce provides, merchants can also take advantage of the unique benefits offered to BigCommerce customers. BigCommerce is dedicated to making the process of running an online store as efficient and easy as possible; even if you don’t have any coding or web design experience. In 2021, users of the platform will be able to enjoy:

• Affordability. The most popular BigCommerce plan costs $79.95 per month, making it one of the most affordable and comprehensive plans for small businesses. However, companies that earn more than $150,000 per year will be upgraded to the pro plan, which begins at $299.95 per month. 
• 24/7 Support. The BigCommerce support team is available 24/7 via chat, email, and phone to answer your questions or resolve any technical issues you might experience. 

• An open SaaS platform. The SaaS (Software as a Service) model gives retailers everything they need to launch their store quickly and maintain it over time without having to pay for expensive hardware installations. Additionally, those who have coding experience can feel free to customize their stores as they see fit!
• The built-in app store. Retailers can add both free and paid extensions to their sites with ease thanks to the intuitive BigCommerce app store. With categories ranging from accounting and tax integrations to shipping and fulfillment options, you’ll be able to find plenty of options to meet your needs.

Magento vs. BigCommerce: Which Platform is Right for You?

BigCommerce shares several similar features with another popular eCommerce platform, Magento. Both platforms offer plenty of out-of-the-box features and useful tools for retailers, but Magento might be the better option if you’re managing a large enterprise or a number of different eCommerce stores. BigCommerce is affordable and scalable for businesses ranging from startups to mid-size companies, but Magento provides a few key advantages for high-traffic sites, such as:

• A passionate, worldwide community of developers.
• Excellent scalability.
• Advanced SEO tools.
• Marketplace functionalities.
• Thousands of available integrations and extensions.
• Unlimited customization options.

If your store requires highly specialized modules or more robust tools for managing customer accounts, payment options, or catalog categories, Magento is the clear winner. To learn more about the Magento platform or get in touch with a developer, for further information.

Resources for BigCommerce Merchants

For merchants who are using or planning to use BigCommerce in 2021, Wagento is here to help. Wagento offers a full range of development services from an expert team that has over a decade of experience with the BigCommerce platform. Whether you need to boost your site’s SEO, improve your web design, or launch your first eCommerce store, B2Commerce can provide highly personalized and effective solutions that will exceed your expectations. If you’re ready to get 2021 off to a great start, simply fill out this quick form to get in touch with an expert developer today!