In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, choosing the right platform for your online store is a pivotal decision that can make or break your business. With countless options available, each boasting a unique set of features and benefits, it can be overwhelming to make the right choice. Two heavyweight contenders in the realm of e-commerce platforms, Shopify and BigCommerce, often emerge as top choices for businesses seeking to establish or expand their online presence.
Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur looking to set up your first e-store or a seasoned retailer considering a platform switch, this blog post will guide you through the key differences between Shopify and BigCommerce, and why migrating to Shopify might be the best move for your business.
🚀 TL;DR: Shopify vs. BigCommerce (Why Shopify Wins for Scale)
- The Platform Decision: Choosing between e-commerce heavyweights Shopify and BigCommerce is pivotal. While both offer code-free, hosted solutions, Shopify emerges as the superior choice for businesses seeking comprehensive growth and ease of use.
- The Feature & Pricing Advantage: Shopify offers a lower entry price ($32 vs. $39) and a exponentially larger app ecosystem (>6,000 apps vs. <1,000). Key features like native email marketing and advanced multimedia (3D/AR) are built-in, unlike BigCommerce which often requires third-party apps.
- Superior Design & Usability: Shopify excels with an intuitive, beginner-friendly dashboard featuring helpful, on-screen tips. Its design functionality offers "endless variations" across free and paid themes, enabling distinct visual storytelling that prevents high bounce rates.
- Built for Growth (Sales & Marketing): Shopify leads in critical sales features, offering a fully-featured mobile app (including store editor access), a massive app store for multichannel selling (TikTok, Snapchat), and a seamlessly integrated Point of Sale (POS) system for omni-channel consistency.
- Robust SEO & Analytics: Shopify is built for discoverability, providing native SEO tools (title tags, meta descriptions) and advanced analytics (Product Insights, Sales and Customers) to track behavior, identify best-sellers, and drive data-driven growth.
- Action: Don't let your e-commerce platform limit your potential. Whether starting out or switching, migrating to Shopify is the strategic move for growth. If you need expert help with your Shopify store or a BigCommerce migration, reach out for guidance from our experienced team.
Key Features to Consider
Both platforms have one mission: to deliver user-friendly tools for your business. The main benefit is that you don’t have to buy or download any software to use them. You can easily access and manage your store from anywhere. Without needing to code anything, you must choose the right template for your business. Uploading products, setting your prices, designing your content – you’re ready to go!
This seems simple, but let’s explore what other options these platforms hide.
|
Factors |
BigCommerce |
Shopify |
|
Cheapest pricing plan |
$39 per month |
$32 per month |
|
All themes are mobile-responsive |
YES |
YES |
|
App store |
<1000 apps |
>6,000 apps |
|
Custom domain name |
YES |
YES |
|
Reliable hosting |
YES |
YES |
|
Blog CMS capabilities |
YES |
YES |
|
Sales reporting |
YES |
YES |
|
Multimedia support on product pages |
Image, GIF, video |
Image, GIF, video, 3D models, augmented reality |
|
Sending email campaigns |
Requires 3d party app |
With Shopify Email |
|
Securing payment gateways |
Over 65 |
Over 100 |
|
Fully-featured mobile app |
No store editor access |
YES |
|
Product limits |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
|
International customer support |
– |
In 21 languages |
|
Discounted plans |
up to 10% on annual plans |
25% discount on yearly plans |
The main features give you a general picture of BigCommerce and Shopify. Based on your business, you can focus on which features you want to rely on, and which platform suits you the best.
Why Shopify Secures its Position Among the Leaders
Even Beginners find it easy to use
Shopify’s power is in the easy-to-use dashboard where you can keep product and sales information well-organized. You can use the themes with confidence even if you’re not technically inclined.
Also, you’re never alone in the process because Shopify gives you little helpful tips along the way. Having a larger user base and a very active community, they can help answer questions and provide feedback. Additionally, Shopify provides 24/7 customer support.
Here is a good example of some tips when uploading products:
The Design Functionality Wins
Nowadays, 57% of visitors will bounce from a store if they don’t find it attractive or engaging enough. On Shopify, you don’t see the same style twice – even with using one of the free themes you can easily stand out with your design. There are basically endless variations of layouts:
Free themes are ideal for new businesses to find their way in e-commerce. For every business comes a time when they outgrow their current style and they have more products to offer.
Shopify helps you to step forward with a wide range of paid themes (over 140). You can quickly upgrade your store with a one-time payment of $100 to $180. These are prepackaged styles as well, but they are easy to personalize.
For sure, Shopify’s features ensure everything for visual storytelling.
Number One in Sales Features
It’s a must to talk about Shopify’s large app store. This store delivers a lot of useful tools that make e-commerce life easier. There are free and paid apps you can easily install on your store. The point of this is to ensure multichannel selling.
Recently, more and more stores started to sell on Snapchat and TikTok. Shopify also joined these huge markets along with the other social media platforms.
To have a successful e-commerce business, you need to be where the customers are, you need to allow them to choose the platform they want.
Another bonus feature is the Shopify POS (Point of Sale). For instance, if you operate both an online store and a physical retail location, Shopify offers its own point-of-sale system, which is seamlessly integrated with the online store. This is definitely a helping hand in keeping inventory, sales, and customer data consistent across both channels.
More than that, Shopify POS allows you to customize the checkout process to suit your specific needs. You can set up custom discounts, apply taxes, and accept various payment methods, including credit cards, cash, and gift cards.
There is an option also for those who don’t need a full-fledged store but want to sell products on an existing website or on social media. Shopify offers Shopify Lite which can be integrated with your existing website or social media platforms to enable selling.
With more options available, Shopify is clearly giving freedom!
SEO Tools to Count On
Most of the time, the online shopping journey starts on Google. It’s not enough to offer the best products, but to be discoverable for your target audience. Shopify’s SEO tools allow you to be discovered easily on Google and on Bing as well.
As an SEO-oriented e-commerce platform, it offers title tags and meta descriptions that make your store more accessible to search engines. In order to improve the customer experience on your store, you can add Google Analytics to Shopify – it gives a clear view of what’s happening with the website traffic.
Furthermore, there’s a tool that delivers all the track sales, and customer behavior on your Shopify store. Shopify Analytics is based on two parts: Product Insights and Sales and Customers. You can check which products are the best-sellers, how many visitors you have, and what they are looking for. You get detailed information about customer behaviors, where they come from, and what they choose to put in their cart.
You have all the means to make your store grow!
In this digital age, where innovation is key, Shopify emerges as a potent catalyst for growth. Its comprehensive ecosystem, powerful app store, and forward-thinking features make it a compelling choice for businesses of all sizes. So, whether you’re just starting your online venture or seeking to elevate your existing one, migrating to Shopify is the strategic move your business needs to thrive in the fast-paced world of e-commerce.
If you need help with your Shopify store or migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify look no further! We are working with over 100 Shopify Stores today. For most of them, we are extensions to their in-house eCommerce teams. For small businesses, we are the eCommerce teams and we work directly with the business owners being both reactive to their needs and proactive in offering advice, guidance, and setting goals.
Reach out today: https://ecommerce-today.com/contact-us/
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which e-commerce platform is more affordable, Shopify or BigCommerce?
Based on the article’s comparison of the cheapest entry plans, Shopify is slightly more affordable, starting at $32 per month, whereas BigCommerce starts at $39 per month. Additionally, Shopify currently offers a deeper discount of up to 25% on their yearly plans, compared to BigCommerce’s discount of up to 10%.
2. How do the app stores of these two platforms compare?
This is one of the most significant differences between the two. Shopify wins by a large margin, offering a massive ecosystem of over 6,000 apps to extend your store’s functionality. In contrast, BigCommerce offers fewer than 1,000 apps, which often means users have to rely more heavily on third-party integrations.
3. Does Shopify or BigCommerce offer better design and theme options?
The article states that Shopify wins in design functionality. While both platforms offer mobile-responsive themes, Shopify is praised for offering “endless variations of layouts” that make it easy for stores to look unique, even using free themes. For those ready to upgrade, Shopify provides a wide range of paid themes (over 140) priced from $100 to $180, all designed for robust visual storytelling.
4. How does Shopify support businesses that have both online and physical stores?
A standout benefit for omni-channel retailers is the Shopify POS (Point of Sale). Unlike a standard setup, Shopify offers its own native, point-of-sale system that is seamlessly integrated with your online store. This integration ensures consistency across inventory, sales, and customer data across both channels. You can also customize the checkout process with specific discounts, taxes, and payment methods.
5. Why might a beginner find Shopify easier to use?
Shopify is designed with usability in mind. It features a powerful and organized dashboard that keeps sales and product information well-managed. Furthermore, the article highlights that beginners are never alone: the platform provides little helpful tips and prompts directly within the interface (e.g., while uploading products). Additionally, Shopify boasts a massive, active user community and provides 24/7 customer support.
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