BigCommerce is one of the most commonly high-rated eCommerce platforms, and since their rebranding in 2016 they’ve been seen to improve greatly in most areas. Today, BigCommerce is a very popular solution for many online merchants, but does that mean this is the right platform for your business? Read on to learn why or why not!
The first thing on your mind will probably be pricing. For a small business, BigCommerce offers pretty reasonable rates. Larger companies, however, are charged much more for surpassing certain numerical goals in sales, and at rates that aren't consistent or visible on the website since Enterprise plans require a custom pricing quote. Basically, this means smaller businesses may find BigCommerce perfect for their needs, but larger businesses might wish to look elsewhere for better and more predictable pricing. This lack of scalability is only a big deal if your business grows to surpass it, but you should be aware this can be a limitation.
The BigCommerce dashboard can get you right into creating your store by presenting you with a list of basic steps to get you going. Inventory management is very complete and isn't set up to favor any one particular kind of product, meaning you can use the platform to sell anything. You'll be able to create product variants appropriate for whatever type of items you sell.
The BigCommerce store builder is robust, and a high degree of customization is possible for your site through their Stencil framework. An advanced developer will find a great deal of freedom, however a beginner will get lost pretty quickly. The premium themes offered, though, are sleek and professional enough that they will likely serve the needs of most beginning sellers.
BigCommerce has built-in functionality for a variety of business models including dropshipping, and the other pertninent features can all be customized for your store's specific needs, including tax and shipping settings. Security-wise, BigCommerce stores are PCI Compliant and both shared and dedicated SSL is offered. SEO and marketing are also built in, although some users feel these features lack the “punch” of similar features in competing platforms. BigCommerce offers 60 payment processors as well as their own built-in PayPal rates through Braintree. Overall, there's a good chance the included features will be fine for a good portion of small businesses. However, be aware that new features are not commonly implemented, even by frequent request.
BigCommerce is a user-friendly eCommerce platform that can be more than sufficient for a small-to-medium business. It's very customizable, and inventory is quite manageable. SEO and marketing features are included and seem effective enough, although users sometimes report mixed results. The biggest issue is scalability, as a growing business may be hit with a huge rate increase once reaching a certain milestone. However, BigCommerce is a more than effective solution for a small business, and they offer a 15-day free trial to help you decide if their platform is the right one for you.
