BigCommerce: A Comprehensive Guide to Its Strengths and Ideal Use Cases
Explore the distinct characteristics and market positioning of BigCommerce and identify the ideal use cases of the platform.
Intro
As the founder of Moustache Republic, an eCommerce agency specialising in Shopify Plus, BigCommerce, and previously Magento for the past decade, I’ve gained extensive experience with these platforms and engaged in countless discussions with merchants comparing their features. A common question I receive is how BigCommerce differs from other platforms and when it’s the better choice.
Although the answer varies depending on each merchant’s specific situation, I’ve identified several use cases where BigCommerce tends to excel:
- Large catalogue sites
- B2B operations
- Sites with combined B2C and B2B needs
- Headless Commerce
Before examining these use cases, let’s first explore the distinct characteristics and market positioning of the BigCommerce platform.
BigCommerce Platform Traits
Comprehensive
BigCommerce focuses on providing extensive native capabilities such as multi-storefront, multi-currency support, and B2B features like price lists and buyer portals. It’s among the most feature-rich eCommerce platforms available. Many features that are typically achieved through 3rd party apps are built-in natively with BigCommerce.
Open
The platform concentrates on core eCommerce functions and collaborates with partners in the ecosystem for payments, fulfilment, POS, and more, giving merchants the freedom to select their preferred supporting systems.
Flexible
There aren’t many restrictions to the ability to customise the platform. You can customise almost all aspects of a BigCommerce website, including the storefront, SEO, or the backend via private apps. BigCommerce also comes with a robust API that has no rate limit, making it easier for developers to integrate with other systems.
Market Positioning
BigCommerce is best suited for mid-market merchants but can also be an attractive option for some enterprise merchants due to the affordability of the platform.
BigCommerce began as an SME eCommerce platform but has since evolved into a mid-market contender with the potential to enter the enterprise space. This transition is evident in the release of the BigCommerce Enterprise edition and subsequently making the enterprise edition the default offering of the platform while rebranding the SME edition as BigCommerce Essential.
Mid-market and enterprise merchants might find BigCommerce a suitable option when re-platforming. For SMEs and eCommerce newcomers, although BigCommerce can help future-proof a business, alternative platforms may be more appropriate.
Ideal use cases
In general, BigCommerce is a strong candidate for mid-market to entry-level enterprise merchants with complex eCommerce requirements. With this in mind, let’s examine the four use cases where BigCommerce typically excels.
Large catalogue sites
BigCommerce is a highly suitable choice for large catalogue sites, which are typically multi-brand retail sites, due to its strengths in SEO, API, and customisation capabilities.
Large catalogue sites often consist of multiple retail brands, and consequently, these sites rely heavily on SEO. BigCommerce offers a range of tools to optimise the site for search engines effectively.
Moreover, such sites frequently require extensive integration and customisation via the API. A comprehensive, fast, and reliable API is necessary to accommodate these needs. BigCommerce boasts one of the best API performances in the industry without any artificial rate limits. This makes it ideal for large catalogue sites that need constant API calls to update prices, manage inventory, and process orders.
Additionally, large catalogue sites typically invest more effort in website frontend customisation to enhance functionalities such as loyalty programs and store credit for improved user experience. BigCommerce excels in this area, providing the flexibility to customise all aspects of the website, including the checkout process. Users can even completely rebuild the checkout page if desired, though this is usually not necessary. This demonstrates the exceptional adaptability of the BigCommerce platform.
B2B operations
BigCommerce has been focusing on enhancing its B2B functionalities for several years. The acquisition of BundleB2B, which is now integrated into BigCommerce as the BigCommerce B2B Edition, along with recent improvements in their B2B features, makes BigCommerce an attractive option for B2B websites.
The BigCommerce B2B Edition offers useful B2B features that are not commonly found in other platforms, such as company-level user management & access control, company-level price lists, sales rep masquerade, payment visibility control, quotation, and invoice portal, among others.
While there is still room for BigCommerce to improve and become fully prepared for enterprise-grade B2B operations, it currently meets the majority of B2B needs with a small degree of customisation.
Sites with combined B2C and B2B needs
BigCommerce is primarily a B2C eCommerce platform, but its B2B functionalities make it a fantastic option for merchants who have hybrid B2C and B2B offerings.
This includes direct-to-consumer brands selling B2B or manufacturers looking to offer direct-to-consumer sales.
With BigCommerce, you can enjoy the advantages of both B2C and B2B capabilities. In most cases, a single BigCommerce site can cater to both customer types with personalised experiences.
This is a use case where BigCommerce truly shines, considering the available functionalities for both B2C and B2B, as well as its competitive pricing.
Headless Commerce
Although BigCommerce was not initially designed as a headless platform, it was among the first eCommerce platforms to adopt the API-first approach, preparing itself for headless implementation by offering an extensive set of storefront APIs.
These storefront APIs enable developers to rebuild all eCommerce pages, including the checkout page, using modern technologies. Notably, BigCommerce’s checkout page is built using React, which allows for further customisation or even a complete rebuild using their checkout SDK.
In comparison to other native headless platforms, BigCommerce stands out due to its comprehensive feature set, offered without a substantial price tag.
Conclusion
BigCommerce is a versatile and feature-rich eCommerce platform for mid-market to entry-level enterprise merchants with complex requirements. Its strengths in large catalogue site management, B2B functionality, combined B2C and B2B operations, and headless implementation make it an attractive option for businesses seeking an adaptable and future-proof eCommerce solution.
