At the heart of any successful online business is an ecommerce platform. But what is an ecommerce platform, exactly? Simply put, it's the foundational technology that powers your online store—helping you manage products, process payments, and deliver seamless customer shopping experiences.
BigCommerce is an ecommerce platform that allows businesses of all sizes to build, scale, and optimize their online stores easily. Known for its flexibility and robust features, it’s designed to meet the needs of fast-growing businesses without the headache of managing overly complex systems. As an Elite BigCommerce Development Partner, Americaneagle.com provides expert design, development, and digital marketing services to ensure your website doesn't just work—it thrives. Adding our team to yours, you’ll have the tools and expertise to fully realize your ecommerce goals.
Understanding the Core Features of SaaS Platform BigCommerce
BigCommerce stands out among ecommerce platforms with its powerful built-in tools, flexibility, scalability, and ease of use. It provides robust features like customizable templates, advanced SEO capabilities, and seamless integrations with leading business tools. As a leading website builder for online stores, it supports multi-channel selling, allowing businesses to connect with customers across marketplaces and social platforms. With the expertise of a BigCommerce website developer like Americaneagle.com, you can unlock the platform's full potential, creating an optimized and engaging shopping experience that drives growth and success.
What Makes BigCommerce Stand Out?
BigCommerce is more than just an ecommerce platform; it’s a complete digital platform solution designed to drive success for businesses of all sizes.
- With built-in SEO, it equips your store with advanced tools to boost search engine visibility, such as customizable URLs, automatic sitemaps, and metadata optimization features, helping you rank higher and attract more organic traffic.
- Its omnichannel capabilities empower businesses to sell across multiple platforms and marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, social media, and even physical stores—all from a single, unified system. It makes it easier to reach customers wherever they shop.
- The platform prioritizes security, featuring robust measures like PCI compliance, HTTPS support, and fraud protection to safeguard your customer’s data and affirm their trust in your brand.
- Its’ ability to scale makes it ideal for growing businesses. It offers flexible APIs and limitless product catalogs, so your store can handle increased traffic, larger inventories, and expanding operations without skipping a beat.
Who Can Benefit from BigCommerce?
Different businesses have different needs, and BigCommerce caters to them all. For small business owners, it offers affordable, easy-to-use tools to get an online store up and running quickly. Enterprise companies benefit from its ability to handle high volumes of traffic, unlimited product catalogs, and complex integrations, making it perfect for scaling operations. Niche entrepreneurs also find value in its flexibility, with customizable templates and unique features that help create tailored shopping experiences to stand out in competitive markets.
How to Build Your Ecommerce Store with BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a great ecommerce platform to use to power your website. Here’s how to get started:
Choosing Your Niche and Business Model
Choosing the right niche and business model is crucial for maximizing the potential of BigCommerce. To identify a profitable niche for your business, focus on areas that align with your current interests while analyzing market gaps and consumer trends for future growth. Evaluate market demand by researching search volumes, competitor performance, and customer needs. Selecting the right business model—whether B2B, B2C, DTC, or drop shipping—depends on your goals. For instance, drop shipping reduces upfront costs, while DTC offers greater control over branding.
Selecting the Right BigCommerce Plan
BigCommerce provides a range of pricing plans designed to accommodate businesses of all sizes, from startups to established enterprises. The Standard plan includes basic features like unlimited products and no transaction fees, while the Plus plan adds customer retention tools such as abandoned cart recovery. The Pro plan offers advanced features like custom reporting and higher sales thresholds, ideal for growing businesses. For large-scale operations, the Enterprise plan provides tailored solutions and dedicated support.
Designing and Customizing Your Storefront
Designing and customizing your BigCommerce storefront is essential for creating a strong brand impression and boosting conversion rates. Start by selecting a responsive BigCommerce theme that ensures your site looks great and functions seamlessly on all devices. Customize storefront layouts to reflect your brand’s established, standardized personality by adjusting colors, fonts, and navigation for a user-friendly experience. Consider leveraging web design services from a proven agency to enhance branding and streamline functionality for a polished and professional look. A well-designed storefront not only attracts customers but also maximizes engagement and sales.
Setting Up Product Listings and Categories
Setting up product listings and categories in BigCommerce requires attention to detail to optimize user experience and drive sales. Start by crafting compelling product descriptions that highlight features, benefits, and unique selling points to captivate buyers and improve search visibility. Organize products into clear, well-structured categories that make navigation intuitive, helping customers quickly find what they’re looking for. Also, use high-quality visuals—such as professional images and engaging videos—to showcase your products effectively and build trust with shoppers. Smart organization and presentation can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates.
Optimizing Your Online Store for Conversions
A beautiful store is only the beginning; your site must be optimized to convert visitors into customers.
Essential Conversion Optimization Strategies
Boosting conversions on your BigCommerce-powered website involves implementing essential strategies to enhance user experience and encourage sales. Start by improving page load speed to reduce bounce rates and keep customers engaged. Use high-quality images and concise, informative product descriptions to capture attention and build trust. Regularly conduct A/B testing to identify and implement the most effective site elements, such as layouts or button designs. Craft compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) that guide users toward purchases, and streamline the checkout process to minimize cart abandonment. These steps work together to optimize your store’s performance and drive conversions.
Leveraging BigCommerce Integrations and Apps
BigCommerce integrates seamlessly with many different tools to enhance functionality, from marketing automation to customer relationship management. You can streamline operations, improve marketing efforts, and deliver a better user experience by leveraging apps and integrations. Collaborate with BigCommerce web designers or a BigCommerce website developer to ensure these tools complement your web store design and achieve your business goals. Whether it’s syncing inventory or optimizing email campaigns, these integrations help you build a more efficient and customer-focused online store.
Must-Have BigCommerce Apps for Success
Equipping your BigCommerce store with the right apps is key to achieving success. Use email marketing tools like Klaviyo and Mailchimp to automate campaigns and engage customers effectively. Improve visibility and track performance with SEO and analytics tools such as SEMrush and Google Analytics. Streamline operations by integrating inventory management apps that sync stock across platforms. Enhance customer satisfaction with live chat and AI-powered chatbots for real-time support. ShipperHQ optimizes shipping options with accurate rates and rules, while Algolia delivers fast, intelligent search functionality to help customers easily find products, boosting conversions and satisfaction.
Finally, integrate robust payment and shipping solutions to simplify order processing and ensure a seamless shopping experience.
Driving Traffic with Digital Marketing Strategies
Even the best online stores need high-performing marketing strategies to consistently attract and retain customers. Let’s look at the top digital marketing tactics for BigCommerce stores. Create targeted social media ads and Google Shopping campaigns thoughtfully-designed to attract your ideal audience. Focus on online store design that enhances your brand while optimizing for SEO to improve visibility. Develop timely and engaging content, like blogs or product guides, to drive organic traffic, and use email marketing to nurture relationships. Consistent use of these strategies during online store creation and beyond will help build lasting customer connections and increase traffic.
SEO Best Practices for BigCommerce Stores
To achieve strong SEO rankings for your BigCommerce store, follow these SEO best practices: Begin with keyword research to identify high-performing search terms that align with your products and audience. Use these keywords in product descriptions and meta tags to enhance relevancy. Use structured data markup to make your site more visible to search engines and stand out in search results. Develop a content marketing strategy that includes engaging blogs and tailored landing pages to drive organic traffic. Finally, build backlinks from reputable sources to boost your domain authority and strengthen your store’s overall online presence.
Leveraging BigCommerce for B2B Ecommerce
The BigCommerce B2B Edition has robust ecommerce capabilities, making it one of the best B2B ecommerce platforms for wholesalers, manufacturers, and enterprise-level businesses.
Key B2B Features of BigCommerce
Custom pricing and customer-specific catalogs allow businesses to create personalized shopping experiences for different customer groups. This level of customization ensures that clients see only what’s relevant to them, fostering loyalty and repeat sales.
Another major advantage is the seamless integration with ERP, CRM, and inventory management systems via the app marketplace. By syncing these tools, businesses can streamline workflows, reduce manual input, and ensure real-time data accuracy across platforms. BigCommerce also supports advanced payment options, including purchase orders, net payment terms, and bulk purchasing.
For businesses managing multiple brands or selling across different regions, BigCommerce’s multi-storefront capabilities allow you to operate all storefronts from a single platform. This improves efficiency and makes it easy to scale without added complexity. Secure account management tools give businesses control over customer roles, permissions, and access, so sensitive information stays safe while streamlining order management for your buyers.
How BigCommerce Supports B2B Growth
BigCommerce is designed to fuel B2B growth by providing a scalable, feature-rich platform tailored to enterprise sellers' demands. Its scalable architecture effortlessly supports large product catalogs and manages high order volumes, ensuring smooth performance even as your business grows. This level of reliability makes it ideal for wholesalers and manufacturers handling complex inventories and busy sales periods.
With built-in automation tools, BigCommerce simplifies tasks like order processing and fulfillment, reducing errors and saving valuable time so businesses can focus on growth rather than back-end inefficiencies. The platform provides robust analytics and reporting features to make informed decisions, allowing businesses to track vital metrics like sales trends and customer behavior. This data-driven approach helps identify opportunities and refine strategies for sustained growth.
Headless Ecommerce Capabilities
BigCommerce’s headless commerce capabilities offer unmatched flexibility for businesses by allowing them to pair a robust backend with any frontend framework or CMS. This seamless integration enables faster site performance, custom design freedom, and the ability to deliver highly tailored shopping experiences across multiple channels. By decoupling the front end from the back end, BigCommerce empowers scalability and innovation.
Managing and Scaling Your Ecommerce Business
Scaling an ecommerce business requires strategic planning, automation, and a solid understanding of logistics. First, having the right platform is essential to streamline operations and prepare for growth. A storefront builder like BigCommerce provides the tools needed to create a scalable and effective online store, making it one of the best website builders for online stores. Custom features or integrations may require the expertise of a BigCommerce website developer to ensure your infrastructure supports your ambitions.
Automation is another critical element for managing and scaling with BigCommerce. From inventory tracking to order fulfillment, automating repetitive processes saves time and minimizes errors. Also, maintaining efficient logistics and shipping strategies ensures your customer’s user experience doesn’t suffer as your order volumes grow. By combining the right technology, professional support, and operational efficiency, your ecommerce business can scale seamlessly while continuing to deliver value to your customers.
How to Handle Ecommerce Logistics and Shipping
A seamless logistics and shipping process bolsters customer satisfaction and builds trust in your ecommerce brand. Start by selecting reliable shipping carriers that align with your business needs and customer expectations. Research carriers' delivery times, costs, and areas of service to find the best fit. Offering multiple shipping options, like standard and expedited delivery, can cater to different customer preferences, boosting convenience and loyalty.
Clear and transparent delivery policies are another key to success. Inform customers upfront about shipping costs, estimated delivery times, and return options to avoid confusion and reduce cart abandonment. Efficient inventory management is equally important. Use inventory-tracking tools to monitor stock levels, predict demand, and prevent delays caused by out-of-stock items.
Partner with Americaneagle.com for Your BigCommerce Success
Building a thriving ecommerce store requires the right platform, strategies, and expert support. BigCommerce provides the tools needed for success, offering robust features and unmatched scalability to support businesses of all sizes. Partnering with the right development experts can make all the difference to maximize the platform's full potential.
Americaneagle.com is a trusted BigCommerce Development Partner, renowned for crafting innovative, custom solutions that help businesses excel. Whether you’re looking to build from scratch or optimize an existing store, our team has the experience and expertise to drive impactful results.
Visit our CONTACT US page to schedule a consultation or learn more about our BigCommerce services.
Related FAQs
Is BigCommerce a good choice for small businesses?
BigCommerce can be an excellent choice for small businesses, especially those planning to scale. Its user-friendly interface, no transaction fees, and powerful built-in tools make it a cost-effective solution.
How much does it cost to run a store on BigCommerce?
This depends on the solutions your company needs. BigCommerce provides a range of pricing plans designed to accommodate businesses of all sizes, from startups to established enterprises.
Can I migrate my existing store to BigCommerce?
Yes, the platform provides tools and support, including automated data migration options for products, customers, and orders. Partnering with a BigCommerce developer can make the process even smoother, ensuring that your store transitions without data loss or functionality issues.
What are the best marketing strategies for a BigCommerce store?
The best marketing strategies for a BigCommerce store include SEO to improve visibility, email marketing to nurture customer relationships, and social media advertising for broader outreach. Leveraging BigCommerce’s built-in tools like discounts, abandoned cart recovery, and omnichannel integrations can also help boost sales, and analyzing customer behavior with BigCommerce’s robust analytics is key to fine-tuning your campaigns and maximizing ROI.
