Introduction:
In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, having the right platform can make all the difference. BigCommerce stands out as a robust and flexible solution that caters to businesses of all sizes. In this review, we’ll delve into what makes BigCommerce a leading choice for online merchants in 2024, exploring its core principles, standout features, and additional offerings based on subscription plans.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a cloud-based e-commerce platform that provides merchants with the tools and resources needed to build, manage, and grow their online stores. Since its inception, BigCommerce has been committed to empowering businesses with user-friendly interfaces, powerful features, and scalability.
Core Principles:
- Flexibility: BigCommerce understands that every business is unique. That’s why it offers a highly customizable platform, allowing merchants to tailor their online stores to meet their specific needs and branding requirements.
- Scalability: Whether you’re just starting out or running a large enterprise, BigCommerce scales with your business. Its cloud-based architecture ensures that your store can handle increased traffic and sales volume without compromising performance.
- Reliability: With a 99.99% uptime guarantee and enterprise-grade security features, BigCommerce provides merchants with peace of mind, knowing that their online stores are always up and running securely.
- Innovation: BigCommerce is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of the e-commerce landscape. From integrating the latest technologies to offering new features and enhancements, BigCommerce stays ahead of the curve to help merchants succeed.
What are the different plans offered by BigCommerce?
BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial plan for online sellers to identify their business needs. Thereon, it requests them to choose from its four plans and fulfill the necessary payment conditions.
Here’s a detailed look at the different plans offered by BigCommerce and its constituents.
1) BigCommerce Standard Plan
The Standard plan offered by BigCommerce charges a similar entry-level amount to other popular eCommerce platforms such as Volusion or Shopify. Online sellers have to pay $29.95 a month to avail of the benefits mentioned below.
- a standard online store
- unlimited products, file storage, and bandwidth
- unlimited staff accounts
- access to multiple channels like Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Facebook, etc.
- numerous payment gateways and shipping options
- coupons, discounts, and gift cards
- real-time shopping quotations
- free sitewide HTTPS and dedicated SLL
- mobile-friendly tools and pages
- built-in blog
- multi-currency support
2) BigCommerce Plus Plan
One of the most popular BigCommerce plans, the Plus plan, charges online sellers $79.95 a month. It gives sellers access to all features available in the Standard plan along with benefits like-
- customer grouping and segmentation
- store credit cards- Here, customers can save their credit card details on the BigCommerce website.
- abandoned cart saver tool
- persistent cart- With this, customers can access their cart and pay for products through multiple devices.
3) BigCommerce Pro Plan
The Pro plan isn’t a lot different from the Plus plan, only it charges $299 per month from online sellers and allows a little increase in yearly sales, which is up to $400,000 a year. However, it gives sellers access to Google customer reviews and various product filtering options.
4) BigCommerce Enterprise Plan
The Enterprise plan is the most advanced plan on BigCommerce’s list. It offers a mix of all three plan features along with additional benefits such as multiple storefronts, unlimited API calls, and price lists.
This plan is fit for businesses with very high sales volume, and its price can be negotiated by speaking with BigCommerce directly. Rest assured, sellers won’t be charged as high as Shopify’s Enterprise Grade plans, which demand $2000 a month for their features.
Pros and cons of BigCommerce
1) Pros
BigCommerce offers lots of benefits to its customers. Here’s a list of features that differentiate it from its competitors.
a) Scalability
Despite being a large platform, BigCommerce supports all business sizes. Its unique pricing allows online sellers to choose plans based on their business requirements. It even gives them the flexibility to switch to a different plan, depending on their growth and profitability.
b) Omnichannel approach
BigCommerce follows an omnichannel approach. Instead of sticking to one medium of sale, it allows customers to sell through multiple platforms creating a seamless customer experience. The platform also connects all mediums to simplify the process of management for online sellers.
c) SEO benefits
Search Engine Optimization is essential for increasing the visibility of every eCommerce business. BigCommerce offers effective SEO tools like product-based search, most popular searches, optimized URLs, etc., to enhance the eCommerce website and gain better traffic.
d) Powerful built-in features
Built-in features are crucial for eCommerce websites. If an eCommerce platform doesn’t offer many features, online sellers might have to rely on third-party integrations, which aren’t always pocket-friendly.
Thankfully, BigCommerce is packed with numerous built-in features starting from its Standard plan to its Enterprise plan.
e) Secure platform
Security is a must for every eCommerce platform. Until the eCommerce website is secure, it won’t be able to protect users’ data and will be more susceptible to online fraud.
Fortunately, BigCommerce offers multiple security to protect eCommerce websites from any kind of scam. The platform offers an SSL certificate in all its packages making the eCommerce websites trustworthy.
2) Cons
a) Restricted sales volumes
Each BigCommerce plan comes with a limited annual sales volume. Online sellers crossing that limit would be automatically upgraded to the other plan and will be charged accordingly. Given below is the yearly sales volume limit for each plan.
- Standard plan- up to $50,000
- Plus plan- up to $180,000
- Pro plan- up to $400,000
Enterprise plan- For the enterprise plan, the annual sale limit and the yearly price is negotiable as per different business needs.
b) Not ideal for high-volume businesses
Though BigCommerce’s Enterprise plan offers a custom price range and yearly sales volume, it’s not ideal for big businesses. Its Pro plan itself allows an annual sales volume of $400,000.
Even if sellers go beyond that, the platform can support a maximum of $100 billion. Businesses operating above that mark should look for other better alternatives, especially if they want to achieve a higher growth level.
BigCommerce Features:
- Responsive Design: BigCommerce offers a range of mobile-responsive themes, ensuring that your store looks great and functions seamlessly on any device, from smartphones to tablets.
- Powerful Product Management: With BigCommerce, you can easily manage your product catalog, including adding new products, updating inventory levels, and organizing products into categories and collections.
- Secure Checkout: BigCommerce provides a secure and seamless checkout experience for your customers, with support for multiple payment gateways, SSL encryption, and PCI compliance.
- Marketing Tools: From email marketing and social media integration to SEO features and abandoned cart recovery, BigCommerce offers a suite of marketing tools to help you attract and retain customers.
- Analytics and Reporting: BigCommerce provides detailed analytics and reporting tools, allowing you to track sales, monitor traffic sources, and gain insights into customer behavior to inform your business decisions.
Some additional features of BigCommerce based on the plan:
- Enterprise-Grade Features: For larger businesses, BigCommerce Enterprise offers advanced features such as custom pricing, multi-store management, and dedicated account management.
- API Access: BigCommerce provides API access, allowing developers to integrate with third-party systems, customize the platform, and build custom apps and extensions to extend the functionality of their stores.
- 24/7 Support: BigCommerce offers 24/7 customer support via phone, email, and live chat, ensuring that merchants always have access to assistance whenever they need it.
Final Thoughts On BigCommerce:
Overall, BigCommerce continues to be a top choice for merchants looking to establish and grow their online presence. With its flexible and scalable platform, robust features, and commitment to innovation, BigCommerce empowers businesses of all sizes to succeed in the competitive world of e-commerce. Whether you’re a small startup or a large enterprise, BigCommerce has the tools and resources you need to thrive in 2024 and beyond.
FAQs
1) What Is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is a hosted eCommerce platform providing service-as-a-software (SaaS) services to merchants and retailers.
2) Is BigCommerce Free?
No, BigCommerce offers a 15-day free trial, after which it requests online sellers to select a plan for their company.
3) How Many Plans Does BigCommerce Offer?
BigCommerce offers four different plans to users, including Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans.
4) Does BigCommerce Allow Third-Party Integrations?
Yes, BigCommerce allows third-party integrations for the enhancement of eCommerce websites.
5) Is BigCommerce Suitable For Large Organizations?
No, BigCommerce is best for small-scale and mid-scale organizations. Though it can manage a large-scale organization, it can’t help it grow beyond a certain level.
