An Introduction to BigCommerce

As more of our lives move onto the cloud, it makes sense that our shopping would too! Enter BigCommerce, a software as a service platform that has strong offerings for merchants, from new business to enterprise level. Over the next few months, I’ll introduce you to BigCommerce and describe some of the great things that Americaneagle.com is doing to make BigCommerce a perfect match for you.

What is software as a service?

Software as a service or SaaS is a concept where the user licenses a product through a subscription as opposed to a one-time purchase. This means that instead of having to buy Generic eCommerce Platform v 1.0, then v 1.2, then v 3.0, then v 3.01 Super Ultra Premium Edition X, you pay a regular rate that increases or decreases depending on the features you need - and new upgrades are included. As BigCommerce adds new functionality, you have it rolled into your service without requiring a complete overhaul and restructuring of your business.

No more hosting fees, no more downtime!

Most web platforms require independent hosting and, as enterprise businesses know, that can quickly become very costly as you have to pay for server space or dedicated servers. And if those servers fail or become overloaded – maybe overnight or during a Cyber Monday sale – your business can suffer greatly. With BigCommerce, your hosting fees are included in your monthly subscription, meaning that it is, on average, a quarter of the cost of an on-premise eCommerce solution. This comes with an average uptime of 99.99%, including 100% availability during Cyber Week. 24/7 reliability is a requirement, not a “nice-to-have” in eCommerce, where your next customer could be halfway around the world, or on their phone at 3:30 AM.

Built-in multi-channel selling!

Modern merchants know that customers shop around and that you are only limiting yourself if you are not involved in the most popular eCommerce marketplaces. BigCommerce has built-in integrations with all the top marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google Shopping, Instagram, and Pinterest. No more maintaining separate databases and inventories, BigCommerce allows you to post to these channels directly from your BigCommerce site and process orders through your BigCommerce back end. BigCommerce also features buy buttons – snippets of code that you can copy and paste anywhere that can be customized to match the look and feel of your store. Have marketing emails or an affiliate who blogs about your products? With this simple snippet, they can link directly to your BigCommerce store.

Modern analytics, search engine optimization, and abandoned cart emails – oh my!

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a necessity for today’s eCommerce businesses and BigCommerce provides you with easy to use tools to write your own meta titles and descriptions for every product and page, and call out specific keywords for more successful on-site searches. In conjunction with an aggressive campaign strategized by a partner like Americaneagle.com, you’ll put your best foot forward as you climb the Google ranks and drive customers to your storefront! BigCommerce then provides you with powerful on-site analytics to track those customers and convert visits into sales. Included are easy to understand reports that let you monitor your store’s performance, as well as robust analytics through the premium Ecommerce Insights service to give you actionable information on your storefront.

Expansive customization options

When some hear “SaaS platform”, they think customization is lost. With BigCommerce and Americaneagle.com, however, heavily customized front end designs and integrations are at your fingertips! Top third-party applications such ShipperHQ, ShipStations, MailChimp, Brightpearl, and Jasper are available through the BigCommerce Marketplace at a single click, while the powerful BigCommerce API allows the skilled programmers at Americaneagle.com to build custom applications and integrations that meet your business needs. BigCommerce sites are more than just functional, though, and in the hands of the expert designers and front end developers of Americaneagle.com, BigCommerce’s Stencil Theme Framework is the blueprint for gorgeous, fully responsive websites.

Next month, we’ll turn our focus to the Stencil Theme Framework and look at some examples of how a new look can transform your store! 

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About the Author

Michael Vasta

Michael
Vasta