BigCommerce vs Shopify: Which E-commerce Platform is Right for Your Business?

When launching an online business, one of the crucial considerations that you will have to make is deciding the right e-commerce platform, and for many, such decisions may be a little hard to make because the market is filled with a good number of options such as BigCommerce and Shopify. This means that a customer has to weigh the benefits and limitations of each platform, as BigCommerce also offers numerous advantages, and the alternatives can be overwhelming. This article serves the purpose of helping you identify the key features which are a characteristic of each platform and the areas they differ from each other and those that suit your business needs better.

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Understanding BigCommerce and Shopify

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a type of an online store and has been classified by many as a business that is based in the cloud. BigCommerce can be described as an online store-creating website that is feature-rich allowing businesses to set up their stores and run them seamlessly. Due to the many inbuilt options such as features of convenience and ability to increase in size without losing performance, it makes BigCommerce designed for businesses that want to grow quickly. From a singular BigCommerce dashboard, one can access product management, order management, customer relations, and marketing management and so on.

What is Shopify?

Shopify, like BigCommerce, is a cloud-based platform that allows users to create online stores. Shopify allows businesses to sell their products online, it also allows a business with no IT experience to set up an online store, Shopify differentiates itself from many other online store platforms due to its ease of use and its customization features. Customers will be able to choose from a plethora of themes along with a comprehensive app store making Shopify very user-friendly; skimming through the app will be easy for both beginners and experienced users.

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Key Features Comparison

Ease of Use

Shopify vs BigCommerce vs Shopify: It is well-known that Shopify is a great option for the starters. The difficulty of going through the initial stages is nonexistent as no technical knowledge is a prerequisite. Its ‘edit with a box and anchor’ feature makes the alteration of the storefront to be so easy.

BigCommerce: BigCom does not lag behind as far as user friendly is concerned but it has additional features that some starters may have to learn first. It is more suited to users with a little bit of experience or to users that have well organized tech teams within the business.

Customization Options

Shopify: That's why there are more than 100 free or paid themes in Shopify. These are modern, responsive and customizable. For some customization, it uses the Liquid programming language, this may require assistance from a developer for further customization of the design.

BigCommerce: Big Commerce also comes with a decent amount of themes as well, although not as many as offered by Shopify on their site. However, it simplifies the process of ordering custom changes as it works with out-of-the-box HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Pricing

Shopify: Starting with their Basic plan, Shopify charges $39 per month. It is possible to purchase higher-inch plans with greater features, but they can cost a lot. Then, if you are not using Shopify Payments, be advised that you will incur transaction fees too, unlike the more competitive rates that BigCommerce offers.

BigCommerce: In this outset, BigCommerce starts with $29.95 per month. In contrast, BigCommerce does not impose extra transaction fees even when a user connects their account through an alternate payment gateway. However, the plans are limited by the yearly turnover, which may put expenses up for you as your company expands.

Payment Options

Shopify: Customers are able to send their funds through over 100 payment options, which include credit cards, Stripe, and even Paypal. Additional transaction fees will be bypassed through the use of Shopify Payments.

BigCommerce: There’s also a wide assortment of digital wallets that BigCommerce accommodates like Apple Pay and Google Pay, which enhances its functionality compared to Shopify. It is a cost effective choice for businesses which rely on third-party gateways, as there are no transaction fees.

Scalability

Shopify: Shopify is ideal for all kinds of businesses, but its complex functions are more appropriate for small and mid-sized businesses. Companies that tend to grow fast, consider using Enterprise version of Shopify called Shopify Plus even though it comes with a high cost.

BigCommerce: BigComemrce is not search engine focused, perhaps it is thrusting towards customers. It is a good fit for businesses who are looking to expand even more because Shopify offers multiple features and tools to marketers with a large catalogue and high traffic.

SEO and Marketing

Shopify: Custom title tags, meta descriptions, and URL structures are all built in SEO features for Shopify. It can also integrate smoothly with ads and social media focused marketing strategies, similar to what BigCommerce also offers. Indeed some areas concerning SEO can be restrictive unlike Big Commerce.

BigCommerce: Big Commerce thrives in search engine optimization. Features such as automatic image optimization and custom URL structures are pertinent in this line. These tools make it easy for your store to rank high in the search engines, this is critical to be able to pull traffic.

App Store and Integrations

Shopify: Among the greatest asset of Shopify is their app store. Starting from an inventory system to email marketing, there are over 6000 applications available in their app marketplace. These applications can help you add new features to your store.

BigCommerce: Bigcommerce, on the other hand, is starting to catch up, even though they don't have an extensive application marketplace. course, the platform itself has many built-in features, so there would not be as many third-party applications to use.

Customer Support

Shopify: Always available for help, be it via chat or email or telephonically. The support is famed for being quick and resourceful, and they are hardly unassisted. In addition to that, there is a saturation of knowledge and community forums.

BigCommerce: Live chat, email and phone support are also available 24/7. There is also a good help center, guides and tutorials available. Some users however claim that there are those who are quicker to respond to requests and take less time to resolve them, particularly Shopify support.

International Selling

Shopify: E-commerce is almost impossible without selling in various currencies or conducting international trade, which BigCommerce provides solutions for. For global customers, it has integrated numerous international payment processors which enable it to attract a global audience.

BigCommerce: Similarly, Bigcommerce allow for multi-currency as well as sale through international post. There are also language capabilities as well as tax management features included, which BigCommerce provides to assist international businesses.

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Pros and Cons

Shopify Pros:

• Simple to use for the first time users
• Large selection of available applications through app store
• Great design and responsive templates are features that both Shopify and BigCommerce provide.
• Good support is offered to clients

Shopify Cons:

• Fees are charged for every transaction carried out where SHOPIFY PAYMENTS is not utilized.
• More expensive advanced functions

BigCommerce Pros:

• No charges apply for a transaction
• Enhanced tools on SEO are available
• Perfect for growth in 2024
• Less number of apps are required due to built in capabilities

BigCommerce Cons:

• Requires more time to learn
• There are sales limits on plans every year.

Which One Should You Choose?

The type of platform that one will have to go for entirely rests on the nature of the business in question. Here are a few use cases that might serve as aids in your selection process:

You have to choose Shopify in case the following is applicable when considering the BigCommerce vs Shopify debate:

• You are a novice in online commerce and require a simple interface.
• You wish to use a ton of third-party applications to enable customization in your store.
• You focus more on design and usability of the site.
• You have to choose BigCommerce in case the following is applicable:
• You Wish to grow your business quickly.
• SEO would be one of your main sources of traffic.
• You want to have inbuilt capabilities to reduce operational app expenses.

Both BigCommerce and Shopify are very good eCommerce platforms but each one of them has its weaknesses. If you are starting out and prefer ease of use and flexibility then Shopify will be the best for you but if you are a large enterprise or are planning for growth and SEO strategies BigCommerce will work best for you.

So by considering the business objectives, available budget, and skill level, one should be judicious in making the decision that fits best to the eCommerce business model you are trying to achieve. BigCommerce and Shopify both are good platforms which can fulfill your requirement of establishing an online store.

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