BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that allows you to set up and manage your ecommerce store and build your business ecosystem around it. It offers plenty of built-in tools to help you with various aspects of your business, like marketing, shipping, inventory, promotions, and more. Besides, there are about 1000+ apps and integrations in BigCommerce’s app store, so you can choose more tools to improve your store’s performance further on.
Let’s look at what BigCommerce’s app store has under the hood to let you turn your online store into an entire business management system.
Let’s go!
Key takeaways
- BigCommerce excels in offering out-of-the-box features, scalability, and an extensive collection of apps and integrations to enhance online store functionality.
- Businesses with specific needs or requiring advanced customization beyond BigCommerce’s capabilities may find alternative platforms better suited to their requirements.
- Alternative platforms like Shopify, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Magento Commerce, Wix, and WooCommerce offer diverse solutions catering to different business sizes, industries, and customization preferences.
A quick overview of the BigCommerce ecommerce platform
BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that helps businesses create online stores to sell their products or services. It offers a range of features and tools that allow them to set up and manage their online stores, providing means of handling various aspects of an ecommerce business.
Let’s look at what BigCommerce is capable of.
BigCommerce enables users to design their online stores using customizable templates. It facilitates the management of products, allowing for easy addition, editing, and organization of product details such as descriptions, images, and prices. The platform supports various payment methods, ensuring secure transactions for customers. Additionally, it provides tools for order management, inventory tracking, shipping, and returns processing.
In terms of marketing, BigCommerce offers functionalities like search engine optimization (SEO), email marketing, and social media integration to attract and retain customers. Users can access detailed analytics and reporting features to gain insights into their store’s performance, including sales trends, customer behavior, and traffic sources.
BigCommerce can integrate with accounting software – QuickBooks Online and more – to automatically synchronize sales transactions between the systems and have accurate records in the books.
Book your seat at our Weekly Public Demo to see how you can integrate BigCommerce with accounting, using Synder, or explore it yourself with a 15-day all-inclusive free trial.
For those wishing to extend their store’s functionality even more or using certain marketing, support, payment, and other systems, BigCommerce offers over a thousand of third-party apps compatible with the platform. It allows you to build your comprehencive store management system aroung BigCommerce.
It’s definitely an advange, however, BigCommerce might not suite your business or not address some particular needs of yours. At this point, you might want to consider an alternative. But befor we get to potentially best alternatives to BigCommerce, lets look at who can benefit the most from BigCommers, and why some businesses might decide against it.
Who should use BigCommerce: why would you choose it over BigCommerce competitors?
Compared to its competitors, BigCommerce offers more out-of-the-box features without the need for extensive customizations or additional app purchases. It also doesn’t charge transaction fees on sales, which can result in significant savings for businesses with high sales volumes.
Several other things might influence a business’s decision to go with thit platform.
Scalability for growing businesses
BigCommerce is an excellent ecommerce platform that can effortlessly adapt to your business’s growth. It provides a robust framework that can support your expansion plans without requiring you to migrate to a new platform. This is particularly beneficial for businesses that aim to enhance their online presence significantly.
Friendly and intuitive UI
Ease of use is a critical factor when choosing an ecommerce platform. BigCommerce offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies setting up and managing your online store. You might like its intuitive dashboard navigation, straightforward product management, and seamless order processing. It’s a huge pro for business owners without extensive technical expertise, as there’s almost no learning curve, and you immediately get full control of your online operations.
Extensive apps collection
As mentioned, a significant advantage of BigCommerce is its extensive collection of apps and integrations. The platform boasts a wide array of third-party applications and services that can be seamlessly integrated into your store.
All the above makes BigCommerce an excellent choice for businesses seeking a scalable, user-friendly ecommerce platform with a rich feature set.
Reasons to seek for BigCommerce alternatives
Some businesses have very specific needs that BigCommerce may not fully cater to. While its extensive app collection and built-in features are comprehensive, certain niche functionalities or industry-specific tools might be lacking.
Your business might rely heavily on a unique sales model or require advanced customization beyond what BigCommerce offers, you might find a more specialized platform a better choice.
So, what would you chose from? Let’s go and look at BigCommerce competitors providing alternative platforms you might find more suitable for your business needs and requirements.
BigCommerce alternatives you might want to consider
When choosing an alternative to BigCommerce you might want to consider various factors, including your business size, the complexity and volume of transactions you handle, your requirements to the management tools and integration capabilities, and more. In other words, you need to put your business needs in front and look at the platform’s capabilities against those needs.
But let’s get to some of the most notable BigCommerce alternatives without much further ado.
#1 – Shopify
Shopify is perhaps the most well-known ecommerce platform, celebrated for its ease of use and comprehensive features. It’s an excellent choice for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a user-friendly platform that doesn’t require a steep learning curve.
Shopify offers a wide range of templates and apps, allowing for significant customization and functionality enhancements. Its subscription model also includes hosting, making it a convenient all-in-one solution for many businesses.
#2 – Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Formerly known as Demandware, Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a cloud-based enterprise-level ecommerce platform designed for large businesses and enterprises. It offers a powerful set of features tailored for scalability, global expansion, and complex business models.
This platform is known for its advanced customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities, extensive customization options, and robust customer support. It’s ideal for businesses looking for a comprehensive, enterprise-grade ecommerce solution with strong emphasis on customer experiences.
#3 – Magento Commerce (Adobe Commerce)
Magento Commerce is an open-source ecommerce platform that offers a high degree of customization and flexibility. It’s best suited for medium to large businesses that require complex, customized ecommerce solutions.
Magento demands a certain level of technical expertise to fully leverage its capabilities, making it a favorite among developers. It supports a vast global ecosystem of developers and has a large library of extensions. Magento is a solid choice for businesses looking for a powerful, scalable platform and are willing to invest in development resources.
#4 – Wix
Wix is a web development platform that offers an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface, making it highly accessible for beginners. While initially known for general website creation, Wix has expanded its ecommerce capabilities, offering a simple yet effective solution for small businesses and entrepreneurs.
It provides a range of templates and design tools, allowing users to create visually appealing online stores without the need for coding skills. Wix is best suited for small businesses and individuals looking for an affordable and straightforward way to start selling online.
#5 – WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a free, open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress. It’s a fantastic choice for existing WordPress users or businesses that prioritize content marketing within their sales strategy.
WooCommerce allows for extensive customization through themes and plugins, offering the flexibility to create a tailored online store on the WordPress platform. It’s particularly appealing for small to medium-sized businesses and is highly cost-effective, especially for those already using WordPress for their websites.
As mentioned, these platforms are the most popular ecommerce platforms. As the market is quite extensive, there are much more than that. So you can find a solution to suite your needs nearly perfectly.
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