BigCommerce Review 2023 – Is This Ecommerce Website Builder Worth It?
BigCommerce is one of the best ecommerce website builders on the market. It’s a leading SaaS platform that supports your business through every stage of growth.
Whether you’re a new business looking to grow quickly, or an existing business that is interested in expanding, BigCommerce has fantastic features for you. It is one of the easiest ways to create a beautiful ecommerce site with simple navigation and excellent security. All while giving you plenty of room to grow.
Before you dive in for yourself, you probably want to learn more about what BigCommerce offers. We’re here to cover all the possibilities, features, tools, and more. With this BigCommerce Ecommerce website builder review, you can decide if it’s the right option for you.
What are the Pros and Cons of BigCommerce?
Pros
- More tools and features than any of their competitors
- Multi-channel commerce opportunities allowing you to sell anywhere
- Multiple levels of security for you and your customers
- In-depth sales and marketing analytics
Cons
- Free themes are limited, so a theme will likely be an additional expense
- Complex terminology can make navigation challenging
- Not best for small businesses
Overview of BigCommerce
BigCommerce is full of incredible possibilities; you just have to know how to use them.
First of all, it will allow you to build a website for your business fairly easily. By answering a few simple questions in the beginning, it will help steer you in the right direction. While the terminology can be challenging at times, beginners can learn to navigate their way through the dashboard with some practice.
One thing that most businesses are on the lookout for when using a website building service like this one is the features. Fortunately, BigCommerce doesn’t skimp on the tools and features. You will be able to customize everything from the theme to the checkout experience, and so much more.
When you have this level of customization at your fingertips, you will be able to make the most of your website. In turn, you will be able to make the most of your business platform. Moreover, with BigCommerce analytic tools, you can track the best and worst aspects of your business and learn how to improve along the way.
We’re going to dive into the important details of every level of this software. Our goal is to give you the full picture of the basic features and potential behind this program. The rest will be up to you, but at least you’ll have all the information you need before you make your decision.
How Easy is BigCommerce to Use?
As a whole, BigCommerce is easy to use. They have a fantastic dashboard that allows you to navigate through every aspect of your site with ease.
While the overall layout is straightforward, many beginners have said that terminology used on BigCommerce can make the process challenging. It will feel advanced for anyone who isn’t a natural computer whiz or someone with limited website building experience.
Regardless, you will learn as you go without too much difficulty. Just prepare yourself for some trial and error in the beginning. Once you get through a few bumps in the road, you will be well on your way to a beautiful site, and you won’t need to learn how to code to get there.
Customer Satisfaction
Overall, customers were happy with BigCommerce and their ability to customize their site based on their needs. The technical language on the site was one challenge that they faced, so the main drawback was the learning curve of the software.
Still, most customers recognized that the biggest drawback was also the most significant perk. The advanced terminology and learning involved is a direct result of the advanced tools and features available.
Most customers that were willing to stick it out and learn were incredibly happy with the result. The dissatisfied customers likely didn’t have the time or energy to figure out the software while also running their business. That’s completely understandable and also why BigCommerce is recommended for mid-level or large scale businesses, rather than small enterprises.
Who is BigCommerce Best For?
BigCommerce tells you in their name exactly who they are suited best for. That is, big businesses or fast-growing businesses.
To elaborate on the reasoning behind this, we are going to cover two main types of websites that people are usually interested in building: personal vs. business and ecommerce.
Personal
When it comes to running a personal website, such as an online portfolio, resume, or blog, BigCommerce is not the best option for you. WordPress, Wix, and many other platforms are simple, straightforward, and more affordable.
That is a better option if you’re not planning to make a revenue off of your website for a long time, or ever, due to it being a personal website. However, you should keep in mind that if you have a blog and eventually start selling a product, WordPress is compatible with BigCommerce. Therefore, you will be able to personalize your ecommerce site with a blog that fits your brand.
However, you can stick to WordPress until the time comes to expand, and it will be compatible with any BigCommerce site you create. So even if BigCommerce isn’t right for you now, it will certainly be something to keep in mind if you branch out into business ventures.
Business and Ecommerce
If you run a business and are interested in starting a website, BigCommerce is potentially a great option for you. However, since it is such an advanced platform that it will not be the right choice for every business.
If you already have a basic business model and are happy with where your business is, you will only need a website to get information out there. That will only require basic tools and functions, so building a site through BigCommerce will be a bit over the top for something that simple.
For instance, a restaurant may want a website for their menu, hours, and basic information. They may even want to take online orders to make things more streamlined. They will not need to use most of the advanced tools and features that BigCommerce offers.
In that case, the restaurant will only need a simple layout for their website. There are plenty of other platforms that would work great, be more cost-effective, and get the job done.
Another company may have started small and expanded over time. They found their niche and made the most of it.
For this example, you might look at a small jewelry company. Many people have started selling their handmade items on an open marketplace, such as Etsy. If they do well, they may be interested in branching out and expanding to sell in other places.
By using BigCommerce, that jewelry company can create their own business website and sell in multiple different places at the same time. It will make it easier to keep track of orders, shipping, customer satisfaction, and so much more, all from one dashboard.
BigCommerce will make it possible for a small company to reach new heights and expand gracefully.
The moral of the story here is that BigCommerce is best suited for businesses that are ready to branch out and continue expanding. It is not a necessary program for a local business that does not intend to expand.
How Good are BigCommerce Templates?
Website design is crucial when you’re running a business. You need things to look professional, clean, and most importantly, they need to run smoothly. Fortunately, BigCommerce is on top of everything.
You choose a template and theme that works best for your business. You can also customize everything so that it suits your company perfectly.
That includes checkout customization, shipping options, theme customization, mobile optimization, and more. Plus, you can preview everything you change before publishing or making your site live. That will ensure your website is everything that you want it to be before you present it to the world.
Theme Customization
BigCommerce has 12 free themes to choose from and over 100 paid themes. Currently, the paid themes will run anywhere from $145 and $235, but you may be able to find something better suited to your business.
You can search for themes by industry to find a template that is best for you. Each one will include features that are better for your specific field of business.
The jewelry business that we used as an example above would search in the “Fashion and Jewelry” section. They will be pleased to find that these templates include an image zoom function for their customers, which other templates don’t include.
That is merely one example of the kind of attention to detail that they put into each template for different industries. In the end, if you browse the templates and themes to find the right one for you, you may not need much customization to make it perfect for your company.
Mobile Optimization
In this day and age, a website isn’t only going to be found on a computer. You can search from any device, anywhere. Therefore most websites were struggling to restructure and ensure that their site will look right on mobile devices, as well as computers.
By now, website building platforms have this down and are fully functional on an array of mobile devices. Ecommerce websites have the added challenge of making sure that all items show up properly, checkout runs smoothly, and the whole process of making a purchase is safe for everyone.
BigCommerce has covered all their bases and can ensure that your website will run smoothly on any device. More importantly, the buying process is safe and secure for all parties.
Preview in Advanced
If you have never tackled a website before, you might not realize just how crucial it is to see everything in advance. By giving you the ability to preview your website, you will know how everything looks and operates before opening up to the criticism of the public.
It’s the same idea as setting up a brick and mortar business before letting the general public in. You want everything to be perfect before everyone gets a look at the final product. The same is true for a website.
WordPress Integration
We have touched on this a little bit but wanted to mention this again as a major perk to the BigCommerce templates. There are plenty of things you can do from your BigCommerce website. That includes integrating your WordPress site into your BigCommerce site.
If you think of a business like Pioneer Woman, this is incredibly handy. You may start things off as a blog giving out useful tips, tricks, and information. From there, you may gain popularity in your field and go on to create a brand.
When you successfully move on from a personal website to a brand, you will need a new business-focused website. BigCommerce makes it possible for expanding businesses to continue using their original content while also selling their new products.
Checkout Customization
Checkout customization is a major benefit to using BigCommerce. Many ecommerce website builders will not give you or your customers many options when it comes to checkout. For instance, many customers feel safer using PayPal for an added layer of protection, and others will prefer Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, and so on.
By opening up your business to accept payment through major credit and debit cards, PayPal, and even local payment options, you will appease the customer. That will enable you to expand globally and improve your business.
Moreover, BigCommerce will not charge transaction fees outside of the standard credit card fees. Therefore, you will not be locked into a payment gateway you aren’t happy with, and BigCommerce will not impose additional charges as a result.
Other platforms, such as Shopify, will charge 2% of sales if you are using a third-party payment solution. BigCommerce will not impose those additional charges and will allow you to choose from over 55 pre-integrated payment gateways.
BigCommerce Tools and Features
BigCommerce has so many tools and features available, and it sets them above the rest. While it may not be everyone’s top choice as an ecommerce website builder, it certainly brings the heat.
If you have never built a website before, all the advanced features can feel overwhelming and confusing. Still, when you have so many tools on hand, it certainly makes it easy to go above and beyond your original expectations.
Keep in mind that all these features will be difficult to navigate when you have limited experience. It will take a lot of time and energy to make everything perfect and gain a thorough understanding of the dashboard.
That is why we keep stressing that this platform is best for bigger businesses. Beginners can certainly learn the ins and outs of this website building platform. But they will also come to realize that it may not be suited for their business if it is a relatively small operation.
Cross Channel Commerce
When it comes to ecommerce, being able to sell over a multitude of platforms will be the best way to enhance profits. That can be complicated when you’re trying to sell over multiple platforms separately. It ends up being a lot to keep track of in the long run, especially in terms of keeping track of the available inventory.
BigCommerce allows you to control where you’re selling through one platform. You can sell your product through your site, eBay, Amazon, and even Facebook, without losing track of orders or inventory.
You can also use one of BigCommerce’s point-of-sale partners to optimize the management of your product. They will mesh brick-and-mortar sales, revenue and inventory, rather than requiring you to keep track manually.
Reliability and Security
When it comes to dealing with credit cards and finances in general, security is essential. It should be one of the top things on your list when you’re looking for an ecommerce website builder. If you or your customers are at risk, it will put your entire business at risk too.
BigCommerce knows just how crucial security is, and they stepped up to the plate. They have the most security features of any ecommerce software on the market.
It provides multiple layers of protection for you and your customers. That includes an SSL Security certification, which guarantees that customer payment data is encrypted and secure.
Ecommerce Expertise
When it comes to selling online, information is power. Not only will you have a platform that enables you to sell anywhere, but it will also tell you how your business is doing. That includes sales and marketing analytics, as well as tracking the customer journey through your store.
Sales and marketing analytics are crucial in any business. They will help you improve your performance over time, boost your revenue, and recognize new opportunities. It is also something that many website builders don’t offer to this degree.
You will be able to see top-level sales, cart abandonment metrics, and even customer search histories. Altogether, these insights will show you how to improve your sales, where your shortcomings are, and how you can position products to maximize turnover.
Shipping Options
When it comes to running a business online, keeping track of everything can be a challenge. That is exactly why many businesses are interested in a website builder like BigCommerce. They want to control everything from one place and make their operations more streamlined.
A huge part of an online business will be the shipping options available. The better your performance is, the more customers will return.
That is one of many reasons people are so drawn to Amazon. Not only can they find everything they could ever need, but they can get it shipped to their home in no time at all.
BigCommerce has an all-in-one shipping tool that includes tracking, bulk discounts, and major shipping companies. By using big shipping companies like USPS, DHL, or FedEx, you can ensure that your products are in good hands, and they get where they need to go quickly.
Plus, your customers will be more comfortable making purchases when they are able to track the progress of the package.
BigCommerce Pricing
BigCommerce is not the most affordable program to use lightly. When you sign on to build your website, you should go full steam ahead. That will help justify using software like this one because you will be getting as much out of it as you put into it.
Plan | Paid Monthly | Paid Annually |
Standard | $29.95/month | $26.96/month |
Plus | $79.95/month | $71.96/month |
Pro | $299.95/month | S269.96/month |
Enterprise | Individualized pricing | Individualized pricing |
If you’re unsure whether this is the right program for you, and you’re interested in a trial run, you can take advantage of their 15-day free trial. That will give you a feel for the dashboard, all the features, and whether this is the right option for you.
BigCommerce Summary
If we were going to cover every aspect of BigCommerce, we would be here all day. The advanced features, endless tools, and customization options are incredible. We covered the basics to give you a good idea of the top-notch quality you can expect from BigCommerce.
Once again, we would like to stress that BigCommerce is not for everyone. If you’re running a small-scale business, most of these features will not be necessary, and the cost may outweigh the benefits. However, if you are a business that is growing rapidly, or you have already reached a mid or large-scale business size, this will be perfect for your ventures.
BigCommerce is designed to grow with you. As your company grows, you may feel like you need the more advanced features and upgrade your plan. The plan that is right for you will depend heavily on your business needs and rate of growth.
Even the standard plan will be enough to get you started. In fact, it is so packed full of features that it could prove to be a real challenge for beginners.
BigCommerce does its best to give you everything you need and make it simple to navigate. However, many have struggled with their technical terminology and advanced settings. While it can be a challenge, it’s far from a negative for anyone with a big business.
BigCommerce FAQ
We understand that with such a broad spectrum of different features, you have a lot of questions. We’re here to tackle a few of the most frequently asked questions. Keep in mind that you can also talk with an expert if you still want to know more about BigCommerce.
Is BigCommerce free?
While many website builders have a free option, BigCommerce is not one of them. At most, you can get a 15-day free trial to test out the various tools and get started. However, that is a very limited time frame for something this in-depth, but it will give you a good idea of the software capabilities.
What kind of businesses use BigCommerce?
All kinds of businesses use BigCommerce, from fashion and jewelry to automotive and industrial. There is no limit to the possibilities or capabilities of this software.
Why use BigCommerce rather than hiring a web developer?
Hiring a web developer is a great idea if you need a hands-free approach to website building. BigCommerce is a much better option for companies that are ever-changing and expanding. It will give you more control over every aspect of your website, without spending an arm and a leg to hire an expert.