If you have spent any time navigating the often confusing world of eCommerce shopping carts, you have undoubtedly stumbled upon BigCommerce. The name pretty much says it all. It’s like the Super Target of eCommerce solutions: the prices are consistently low, the system offers everything under one roof, and it’s certain to cripple any mom-and-pop Web store that stands in its way. As the founder of Coalition technologies, I help eCommerce businesses for a living, and I have been involved in the design, development and marketing of more than 200 BigCommerce stores. So I have been wanting to put together a comprehensive BigCommerce review for quite some time. Hopefully, this will answer any lingering questions that you may have.
BigCommerce Review – The Rundown
If you have a team of 50+ employees who work 40 hours a week on your custom content management system, you might not need an eCommerce provider like BigCommerce. But if you’re among the other 99 percent of online business owners with finite resources and income, you’re going to need a shopping cart solution that will allow you to easily and inexpensively streamline processes like site design, product listing, order management, credit card processing and shipping. These are the core functions of BigCommerce, but they’re certainly not the only functions. The platform also goes above and beyond the essentials with a wealth of marketing and search engine optimization tools. But of course, there are a lot of eCommerce platforms out there. Is BigCommerce the best one for you? All things considered, it’s a pretty impressive system.
The Benefits
- When it comes to customization, BigCommerce is at the top of its class. Whether you just want a vast array of themes to choose from, or plan to edit your own code, you can’t go wrong with BigCommerce. This platform offers more than 100 unique themes, so if you have a very specific vision in mind, you should have little trouble bringing that vision to life.
- If you run a business on a budget, you’re in luck. BigCommerce plans start at only $24.95 per month. Of course, even the largest businesses will benefit greatly from the BigCommerce pricing structure. For $300 a month, you can list unlimited products and enjoy unlimited storage. Compare that to platforms like Magento Enterprise, which starts its plans at more than $15,000 a year. Best of all, BigCommerce charges no transaction fees, so the savings keep adding up.
- Do you consider yourself to be not-so-tech-savvy? If so, you’ll feel right at home with BigCommerce. The point-and-click layout is no more complicated to use than WordPress, but but with far greater power and versatility. Running an online business doesn’t mean that you should have to be a tech genius.
The Setbacks
- While the presets are easy to manage, code customization can get a bit tricky. If you want to edit the themes and make your store truly your own, you will likely need a qualified BigCommerce developer on your side.
- Some of the best features are only available on the higher tier plans. A prime example is the Abandoned Cart Saver feature. This allows you to send custom emails to shoppers who abandon their carts, and can even improve your sales by more than 15 percent. But it’s only available with the pricier plans.
Is BigCommerce Right for You?
Okay, so this BigCommerce review should leave you with a bit more perspective on the fundamentals, but the question remains: Is BigCommerce the best choice? Well, if you’re looking for a simple and affordable solution for your eCommerce needs, you definitely can’t go wrong with BigCommerce. The pros far outweigh the cons, and the system offers enough freedom and versatility to satisfy every online business need. Now all you need is a killer product that’s sure to sell (hey, even BigCommerce can’t do everything).