Choosing the right eCommerce platform is crucial for businesses selling their products online. One of the most popular solutions today is the SaaS (Software as a Service) model, which is reshaping modern e-commerce.
SaaS (Software as a Service) is a software delivery model that provides access to applications via the Internet. Users can interact with these applications through a web browser without installing local infrastructure.
Thanks to SaaS, entrepreneurs can access ready-made solutions for creating and managing online stores without setting up servers or worrying about complex technical support.
In the context of e-commerce, SaaS platforms allow businesses to focus on sales rather than the technical aspects of website management. However, like any solution, SaaS has advantages and disadvantages.
Among the most popular platforms in this category are Shopify and BigCommerce. Both provide powerful tools for managing online sales, but each comes with unique features that may be more or less suitable for your business needs.
The choice between Shopify and BigCommerce is essential for launching an online store and scaling your business into new markets. Selecting the right platform can be a critical success factor. Therefore, a thorough comparison of the key features of both solutions will help you figure out which one better meets your business requirements.
1. Ease of use and community support
One of the most important criteria when choosing a platform is its ease of use. Understanding how much time and resources will be required to set up your store and train your staff is crucial. Shopify and BigCommerce take different approaches to this aspect.
2. Customization and flexibility
Customization capabilities are also important for creating a unique customer experience. Tailoring your store to meet specific business needs can become a competitive advantage. Customization helps build a distinctive brand, improve user experience, and adapt store functionality to match your business’s unique requirements.
Shopify offers flexible tools for theme customization using its proprietary templating language, Liquid. This allows users to create unique pages without deep programming knowledge. However, more complex modifications may require additional apps or an upgrade to Shopify Plus for advanced features.
BigCommerce also provides strong out-of-the-box customization options through its support for Handlebars templates. However, Shopify clearly outshines BigCommerce in the number of apps and pre-built solutions available in its ecosystem, making it easier to extend functionality without custom development.
Overall, both platforms allow businesses to customize their stores to their specific needs. The level of customization mainly depends on the business's technical capabilities and resources.
3. Integrations and apps
Integrations with third-party services are another crucial aspect to consider. Integrating and using apps is key to ensuring your store’s flexibility and scalability.
Shopify has one of the largest app marketplaces, offering over 8,000 apps for various business needs — from process automation to CRM integrations. This allows businesses to quickly find and implement the necessary solutions without significant development costs.
BigCommerce offers a much smaller app selection, with around 1,200 apps, but it compensates for this by providing built-in features that are available as apps in Shopify. This reduces reliance on third-party developers and simplifies adding new functionalities.
4. Cost and pricing structure
Understanding the cost structure is essential for budget planning. Both platforms offer pricing models that can significantly impact your business’s long-term profitability.
Shopify charges transaction fees if you don’t use their payment gateway, Shopify Payments. In contrast, BigCommerce doesn’t charge additional transaction fees, making it potentially more cost-effective for businesses with high sales volumes.
However, in addition to the subscription plan cost, you’ll need to budget for additional expenses, such as apps and themes. Depending on the specific tools and customizations your store requires, these can add a few hundred dollars per month to your total expenses.
5. Marketing and SEO capabilities
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and marketing tools are essential to a successful online business. They help improve your store’s visibility in search engines and attract more potential customers.
Shopify offers a broad range of basic SEO settings. You can edit meta descriptions and page titles and use various apps to enhance your SEO efforts. However, Shopify has certain limitations on URL structure, which may negatively impact SEO performance for larger websites.
BigCommerce provides greater control over SEO settings. Users can create fully custom URLs and edit robots.txt and sitemap.xml files without additional plugins, making it a better option for large stores with extensive product catalogs.
- SEO: BigCommerce offers greater control over SEO parameters, making it a better choice for stores with extensive product catalogs.
- Marketing Tools: Shopify offers more user-friendly apps for email marketing, social media integrations, ad campaigns, and discount management.
If your business relies heavily on SEO for traffic, BigCommerce may be the better option due to its advanced customization features for URLs and page optimization. However, for businesses focusing more on social media and email marketing, Shopify offers a more comprehensive set of tools for effective customer engagement.
6. API limits and scalability
Both platforms offer APIs for integrations with third-party services, allowing businesses to automate processes and build custom solutions. However, it’s essential to consider the API request limits, as they can impact your store’s performance, especially when dealing with large volumes of data.
- Shopify has lower API request limits, which can cause delays when integrating large product catalogs or syncing data in real time. To increase these limits, users must upgrade to higher-tier plans or use Shopify Plus, which has higher API capacity.
- BigCommerce offers significantly higher API request limits, making it more suitable for large businesses handling high volumes of data. This primarily benefits companies integrating their stores with ERP systems, CRMs, or other external services.
BigCommerce provides more flexible and scalable API capabilities, making it a better choice for businesses that rely heavily on integrations and process automation. On the other hand, Shopify works well for businesses with basic automation needs, but as the business grows, additional costs may arise to increase API limits.
Executive summary
Both Shopify and BigCommerce are powerful SaaS platforms with strengths and weaknesses. Shopify is an excellent choice for small-to-medium-sized businesses that value ease of use, quick setup, and access to a large community of users and apps. BigCommerce, on the other hand, is better suited for larger companies that require deeper customization, advanced SEO features, and built-in tools for managing extensive product catalogs.
Let’s take a quick look at which platform is better suited for different business needs:
Covent IT recommendations:
- Choose Shopify if your priority is simplicity, quick launch, and access to the large catalog of apps.
- Choose BigCommerce if your business needs greater flexibility, extensive catalog management, or complex integrations.
Remember, your online store's success depends on selecting the right platform that aligns with your business goals, resources and choosing the trusted partners to support your development and growth.
