BigCommerce vs Shopify

June 26, 2023 | Author: Sandeep Sharma
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BigCommerce
Bigcommerce provides ecommerce software solutions and shopping cart software for online businesses. Our free, premium-grade design themes give your store a professional look with no design skills required. Build or tweak your store without any coding. We offer access to HTML, CSS and WebDav for full customization. Seamlessly integrate with industry-leading tools to market your products, run your business and better serve your customers.
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Shopify
Simple, Beautiful, and Flexible End-to-End E-Commerce Solution. Simply choose a stylish ecommerce website design, easily customize your online store, add products, and you're pretty much ready to accept payments. Whether you already have products, are looking to sell digital goods or are interested in drop shipping — Shopify has a complete solution for you.
BigCommerce and Shopify are two leading e-commerce platforms that offer businesses a comprehensive solution for selling products online. Here are some key differences between the two:

1. Ease of Use: Shopify is often praised for its user-friendly interface and intuitive setup process. It provides a straightforward and streamlined experience, making it easy for beginners to create and manage their online stores. BigCommerce also offers a user-friendly interface, but some users find it slightly more complex than Shopify, particularly when it comes to advanced customization options.

2. Design and Customization: Both platforms offer a wide range of professionally designed themes and templates that can be customized to match a business's branding. However, Shopify has a larger selection of themes, including both free and premium options, giving users more design flexibility. Shopify also offers an intuitive drag-and-drop builder called Shopify Theme Editor, making it easy for users to customize their store's appearance. BigCommerce provides customization options as well, but its interface may require a bit more technical expertise for advanced modifications.

3. Features and Scalability: BigCommerce is known for its robust set of built-in features, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. It offers advanced features like multi-channel selling, real-time shipping quotes, and flexible product options. Shopify also provides a wide range of features, including inventory management, payment gateways, and marketing tools. While both platforms are scalable, BigCommerce is often favored by businesses with larger catalogs or those that require more complex functionality.

4. Payment Gateways and Transaction Fees: Shopify has its own payment gateway called Shopify Payments, which offers competitive transaction fees and seamless integration with the platform. It also supports numerous third-party payment gateways. BigCommerce, on the other hand, integrates with multiple payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, and others. Both platforms charge transaction fees for external payment gateways, but Shopify offers lower transaction fees on its lower-tier plans.

5. Pricing: BigCommerce and Shopify offer various pricing plans to accommodate businesses of different sizes and needs. Shopify's pricing starts with a basic plan and scales up to advanced plans with additional features. BigCommerce's pricing is structured similarly, with plans ranging from standard to enterprise-level. While the overall pricing between the two platforms is competitive, businesses should consider factors such as transaction fees, additional app costs, and specific feature requirements to determine the most cost-effective option for their needs.

See also: Top 10 Online Store Builders
BigCommerce vs Shopify in our news:

2021. Google partners with Shopify on online shopping expansion



Google has recently announced a strategic partnership with Shopify, enabling over 1.7 million merchants on the e-commerce platform to effectively reach consumers through various Google services, including Google Search. This integration empowers merchants to effortlessly sign up and have their products featured across Google's extensive network, encompassing over 1 billion daily "shopping journeys" on platforms such as Search, Maps, Images, Lens, and YouTube. The collaboration comes as a response to Amazon's heightened investment in its advertising business, posing a potential challenge to Google's core ads business. In light of these developments, Google has made a series of updates to Google Shopping, ensuring its competitiveness in the evolving e-commerce landscape.


2021. Shopify expands its payment option, Shop Pay, to its merchants on Facebook and Instagram



Shopify and Facebook have joined forces to extend the availability of their payment option, Shop Pay, to all Shopify merchants selling on both Facebook and Instagram. This marks the first time that Shop Pay will be accessible beyond Shopify's own platform, signifying a significant expansion of the e-commerce platform's payment technology. Initially, Shop Pay will be introduced to Shopify merchants using Instagram's checkout feature in the United States, followed by its rollout on Facebook in the subsequent weeks. Prior to this launch, Facebook's platform has been widely favored among Shopify merchants as a prominent sales and marketing channel.


2018. BigCommerce raised $64 million



BigCommerce, an e-commerce service utilized by renowned brands such as Sony, Toyota, and over 60,000 other merchants, has successfully raised $64 million to expedite its business growth. BigCommerce offers its customers a comprehensive template to launch websites that include efficient shipping and payment tracking features. Additionally, it simplifies cross-selling on popular platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Facebook. The company asserts that it can assist e-tailers in reducing costs by up to 80 percent. Recently, BigCommerce has introduced an integration with Instagram, enabling seamless in-app purchasing for consumers. Furthermore, the company has established partnerships with leading entities such as PayPal and Google, and intends to capitalize on cross-platform opportunities by intensifying its efforts in that regard.


2018. BigCommerce introduced new Google Shopping campaign management solution



BigCommerce, a leading ecommerce platform, has recently introduced a new integration with Google Shopping, allowing merchants to leverage its advantages. This integration empowers BigCommerce merchants with seamless configuration and generation of product data feeds specifically designed for Google Shopping. Furthermore, they can optimize their Google AdWords campaigns directly within the BigCommerce control panel, resulting in time saved, improved ad spend optimization, and increased sales and conversion rates. By utilizing Google Shopping, a cost-effective solution, ecommerce merchants can effectively connect with potential customers who are actively seeking the products they desire, thus driving relevant traffic to their online stores and ultimately benefiting their businesses.


2018. Shopify now allows to fulfill orders directly from your phone



The Shopify app for iOS and Android has introduced a new feature that enables users to purchase and print shipping labels directly from their mobile devices. With this functionality, you have the convenience of creating and printing labels instantly or saving them for future printing. Additionally, you can efficiently manage your entire shipping workflow from the convenience of your palm. The app provides full access to all the features available in Shopify Shipping, including access to discounted rates with supported carriers such as UPS, DHL Express, USPS, and Canada Post, all within the Shopify app itself. This update empowers you to handle your shipping needs seamlessly and efficiently while on the go.


2018. BigCommerce integrated with Akamai Image Manager



BigCommerce has recently partnered with Akamai, a globally recognized and highly reliable cloud delivery platform, to offer Akamai Image Manager to its extensive network of over 55,000 BigCommerce stores worldwide. This collaboration enables BigCommerce customers to enjoy the benefits of Akamai's advanced image optimization technology. Through Akamai Image Manager, BigCommerce merchants gain the capability to optimize their online images based on factors such as device type, image quality, and download size. This optimization process leads to accelerated page loading times, enhanced customer engagement, and ultimately improved website conversion rates.


2017. Shopify adds new shareable discount links



To enhance your holiday shopping experience, Shopify has introduced a convenient new feature that enables you to attract eager deal-seekers to your store. With Shareable Discount Links, you can direct customers to your homepage while automatically applying a discount code to their shopping carts. These links eliminate the hassle of searching for or entering a code, providing customers with an enticing invitation that can be shared via email, Facebook, or other social media platforms.


2017. BigCommerce integrates with Instagram



BigCommerce has introduced an exciting feature that empowers merchants to drive sales through Instagram. With this new integration, BigCommerce merchants are among the first to gain access to shopping on Instagram, enabling users to discover, browse, and make purchases directly from product posts within Instagram's iOS and Android apps. With over 800 million monthly Instagram users, and 80 percent of them following at least one business account, brands have a significant opportunity to connect with a wide audience and showcase their unique products and stories. Starting today, BigCommerce merchants can effortlessly tag products in their Instagram posts, providing users with instant access to contextual information such as pricing and product descriptions with just a single click. This seamless integration enhances the shopping experience and offers a convenient way for customers to explore and engage with products, ultimately driving more conversions and sales for BigCommerce merchants.


2017. BigCommerce expands relationship with PayPal



BigCommerce has announced an expanded collaboration with PayPal, aimed at providing businesses with a comprehensive suite of products and services to enhance sales opportunities. As of today, BigCommerce customers will enjoy increased capabilities to offer flexible consumer financing options through PayPal Credit, access innovative business financing via PayPal Working Capital, and gain valuable insights into their shoppers through the exclusive PayPal Marketing Solutions app, recently launched for BigCommerce customers. Since 2013, BigCommerce and PayPal have been trusted partners, working together to support merchants in growing their businesses through a comprehensive payment solution. BigCommerce's seamless integration with PayPal, powered by Braintree, enables business owners to effortlessly accept credit and debit cards, as well as offer the convenience of PayPal as a payment option. With this enhanced collaboration, BigCommerce customers can now leverage the power of PayPal's robust suite of products and services, empowering them to attract more customers, increase conversions, and optimize their overall sales performance. By providing flexible financing options, access to business financing, and valuable shopper insights, BigCommerce and PayPal are equipping businesses with the tools they need to thrive in the competitive ecommerce landscape.


2017. Shopify Mobile adds Discounts, Product Collections, Live View, and More



During the Black Friday Cyber Monday event last year, a greater number of Shopify merchants accessed their accounts through mobile devices compared to desktop computers. This trend has prompted the developers to prioritize the inclusion of essential features required for your success during the #BFCMWin on your smartphones and tablets. Now, you have the capability to create, customize, and manage discounts directly from your mobile devices. Additionally, one of the noteworthy new additions is the availability of Product Collections, which significantly aids your customers in swiftly finding their desired items. With the Shopify app on mobile, you can effortlessly set up and modify Product Collections. Moreover, the Live View feature on mobile enables you to monitor your store's performance in real-time, proving to be particularly advantageous during high-traffic periods such as the BFCM weekend.

Author: Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep is a marketing expert with a wealth of knowledge in various domains: customer relationship management, social media management, advertising, search engine optimization, website building, Sandeep has established himself as a multifaceted professional. He honed his skills while working at Salesforce and Hubspot, where he gained invaluable insights into the industry. Now, as the proud owner of a small advertising consulting agency, Sandeep continues to provide innovative and effective strategies to businesses, helping them thrive in the competitive landscape of digital marketing. You can contact Sandeep via email sandeep@liventerprise.com