Shopify Plus vs. BigCommerce: How Do They Compare?
Shopify Plus is a more powerful and feature-rich eCommerce platform that’s designed for larger businesses. It offers a number of features that are not available in BigCommerce, including:
- Increased transaction volume
- Dedicated account manager
- Advanced reporting and analytics
- Customisation options
- Multi-currency is a more expensive eCommerce option than BigCommerce, but it can be good value for businesses that need extra sales features and functionality.
BigCommerce is a more affordable option than Shopify Plus, but it may not be as suitable for businesses with complex needs. It offers a wide range of features and functionality, including:
- A user-friendly interface
- A powerful admin dashboard
- A wide range of themes and apps
- Secure payments
- 24/7 customer support
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What are the key differences between BigCommerce Enterprise and Shopify Plus?
Pricing
BigCommerce Enterprise offers a transparent pricing model based on annual sales volume, providing more predictability. The Shopify pricing model is variable and includes monthly fees and transaction fees, which can be advantageous for businesses with fluctuating sales volumes.
B2B Functionality
BigCommerce Enterprise has robust built-in B2B features such as customer groups, price lists, quote management, and custom catalogues. Shopify Plus, while it offers some B2B capabilities, relies more on third-party apps and custom development to achieve similar functionality.
Flexibility
BigCommerce Enterprise provides more flexibility in terms of design customisation, as it offers direct access to the platform's code. Shopify Plus offers customisation through its theme editor and liquid templating language, along with a large community of developers for additional customisation needs.
Support
Both platforms offer dedicated account management and support, but the level of support can differ. BigCommerce Enterprise provides 24/7 priority support with access to a team of experts. Shopify Plus offers a dedicated Merchant Success Manager and 24/7 priority support, with additional access to Shopify Plus Experts for technical assistance.
SEO Features
Both platforms have SEO-friendly features, but there are some differences. BigCommerce Enterprise offers built-in features like customisable URLs, automatic sitemaps, and SEO-friendly themes. Shopify Plus also has SEO-friendly features, but it relies more on third-party apps and integrations for advanced SEO functionalities.
Suitability
BigCommerce Enterprise is well-suited for businesses looking for comprehensive out-of-the-box sales features, strong B2B functionality, and scalability. It caters well to larger catalogues, high transaction volumes, and complex product configurations. Shopify Plus is known for its extensive app ecosystem, making it suitable for businesses that value flexibility, customisation, and seamless integrations.
Multi-store Management
Both platforms support multi-store management, but the approach may differ. BigCommerce Enterprise offers multi-store functionality out-of-the-box, allowing you to manage multiple storefronts from a single control panel. Shopify Plus supports multi-store management through its Shopify organization feature, but it may require additional app integrations for certain advanced functionalities.
Conclusion
The choice between BigCommerce Enterprise and Shopify Plus depends on your business's specific needs and priorities. BigCommerce Enterprise excels in robust out-of-the-box features and B2B functionality, while Shopify Plus offers extensive customization options and a vibrant app ecosystem. Consider factors like pricing, B2B needs, flexibility, support, SEO features, suitability, and multi-store management to determine which platform aligns best with your business goals.
To find out more about Shopify Plus development and migration, get in touch with our experts today.
Pros and Cons of BigCommerce
Pros:
- Ease of use for beginners: BigCommerce is a very user-friendly platform, even for those with no prior experience with eCommerce platforms. The interface is simple and straightforward, and there are plenty of resources available to help users get started.
- Great support: BigCommerce offers excellent customer support, 24/7 via phone, email, and chat. The support team is knowledgeable and helpful, and they are always willing to go the extra mile to help users resolve their issues.
- No transaction fee: BigCommerce does not charge any transaction fees, which can save businesses money on their online sales.
Cons:
- “Complicated” pricing structure: The BigCommerce pricing structure can be a bit complicated, with multiple plans and add-ons to choose from. This can make it difficult for businesses to choose the right plan for their needs.
- Theme editor can be quite hard to navigate: BigCommerce's theme editor can be quite difficult to navigate, especially for those with no experience with coding. This can make it difficult to customize the look and feel of a store.
- No shipping discounts on any plan: BigCommerce does not offer any shipping discounts on any of its plans. This can add up to a significant cost for businesses that ship a lot of products.
Pros and Cons of Shopify Plus
Pros:
- Impressive flexibility: Shopify Plus is a very flexible platform, which allows businesses to customize their stores to meet their specific needs. This includes the ability to add custom features, change the look and feel of the store, and integrate with third-party applications.
- Reliable store uptime: Shopify Plus has a very reliable uptime record, with less than 0.1% of downtime per year. This means that businesses can be confident that their online stores will be up and running when customers want to shop.
- Fast, smooth performance on any device: Shopify Plus stores are fast and responsive, even on mobile devices. This ensures that customers have a positive shopping experience no matter how they choose to shop.
Cons:
- Payment gateways not available in every country: Shopify Plus does not offer all payment gateways in every country. This can limit the payment options available to businesses that sell to customers in multiple countries.
- Reported customisation issues with coding: Some users have reported issues with customizing Shopify Plus stores with code. This can be a challenge for businesses that need to make extensive changes to their online stores.
You can find out more about our Shopify Plus integrations here.
