BigCommerce

BigCommerce is an online platform that allows you to create and manage an e-commerce store. It is an all-in-one tool designed for selling online, whether via a website, social media, marketplaces, or in a physical store.

This CMS makes it easy to create and manage your site, with a simple interface for managing your products, orders, payments, and logistics, while offering advanced features for those who want to go further.

No, BigCommerce is proprietary software (or a proprietary CMS). This means that the code is closed and you cannot modify it, unlike WordPress, for example.

And since it's a hosted CMS (by BigCommerce), you don't have to find a web host. This is an advantage because everything is done for you. But the downside is that it costs more.

We sometimes see articles saying that BigCommerce is a WordPress plugin (like WooCommerce, for example). So... Is it true or false?

BigCommerce is a CMS in its own right, like Shopify or PrestaShop, for example. But there is indeed a BigCommerce plugin for WordPress. The purpose? To manage content with WordPress and the e-commerce part with BigCommerce. Personally, I don't really see the point!

BigCommerce is primarily designed for online commerce. Unlike more general CMSs, it specializes in selling physical or digital products. It offers everything you need to manage a real e-commerce business, but it's less suitable for a simple showcase site or blog without a store.

If you want to create a blog or a showcase website, we'll look at some alternatives to BigCommerce at the bottom of this article, because this CMS is clearly not designed for that.

BigCommerce and Shopify are two hosted e-commerce solutions that are easy to use and designed for online stores. Shopify is very accessible but a little more closed. BigCommerce offers more technical flexibility and integrates easily with external systems.

PrestaShop, on the other hand, is open source (meaning you have to host it on your own web host), which gives you maximum freedom but requires more technical management.

BigCommerce strikes a good balance between performance, simplicity, and customization.

BigCommerce is a good option if you're looking for a robust, flexible, and scalable solution. The platform allows you to sell on multiple channels (website, Amazon, Instagram, etc.), customize your store without starting from scratch, and efficiently manage your catalog, promotions, taxes, and inventory.

This software is one of the largest e-commerce CMSs currently available.

The BigCommerce CMS is suitable for ambitious small businesses and large brands alike. The platform is simple enough to be used by a small team, while offering advanced features (B2B, multichannel, API, etc.) to support more complex projects. It is a solution designed to grow with your store.

You can use BigCommerce without knowing how to code. The interface is clear and intuitive, and most features are accessible in just a few clicks.

But that's in theory. In practice, if you want to go further in customization or integrate specific tools, you can access the code or hire a developer (you can find some on this page).

BigCommerce allows you to sell both physical products (clothing, accessories, decorative items, etc.) and digital products such as ebooks, software, downloadable files, or online training courses.

You can also manage variants (sizes, colors, options), subscriptions, and even services. The platform is flexible enough to adapt to your business, regardless of the type of product.

The platform is designed to sell internationally with ease. You can activate multiple languages, offer different currencies, manage shipping costs by geographical area, and configure taxes according to country.

BigCommerce also allows you to connect your store to marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay, and sell via social media abroad. And that's a big plus in terms of sales, because you benefit from the traffic of large marketplaces.

BigCommerce offers a wide range of e-commerce features:

• Advanced product management
• Promotions
• Abandoned carts
• Multi-channel (website, social media, marketplaces)
• Customer account creation
• Integrated SEO tools
• Inventory management
• Comprehensive analytics
• And integrations with external software (ERP, CRM, marketing, etc.)

This is a very comprehensive solution designed to support e-commerce projects of all sizes.

You can choose a theme from a library of templates provided by BigCommerce. Once the theme is installed, you can customize it directly from the visual editor: colors, fonts, layout, banners, images, and more. For those who want to go further, the code can also be modified (HTML, CSS, Handlebars). This allows you to create a truly customized website tailored to your brand.

BigCommerce offers a wide range of integrated payment solutions: credit cards, Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, as well as more local options depending on the country. You can also activate BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) solutions such as Klarna or Afterpay. Installation takes just a few clicks, directly from the admin interface.

BigCommerce is designed to perform well in SEO. You can easily customize title and description tags, optimize URLs, manage redirects, create a sitemap, and even add optimized content to your product and category pages.

The platform is also fast and mobile-friendly, which is a real plus for SEO. To take things further, you can integrate tools such as Google Search Console or specific SEO extensions.

BigCommerce integrates easily with tools such as ERP and CRM, either through apps available in their marketplace or through custom connectors. This allows you to centralize your sales management, inventory, billing, and customer relations.

If you already use a tool such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Odoo, or another, it is entirely possible to connect it to your BigCommerce store.

If you need help with your store, you can find a freelance BigCommerce expert directly on our BeFreelancr platform (lucky for you, you're on the right page).

Whether you need help creating your website, technical customization, SEO optimization, or integrating third-party tools, you'll find a professional who fits your needs and budget. Take a look at the services offered by our BigCommerce freelancers above.

On BeFreelancr, you have access to a wide range of BigCommerce-related services: online store creation, design overhaul, product catalog configuration, performance optimization, payment method integration, multilingual system setup, ERP/CRM connectors, SEO, maintenance, and technical support. You can entrust all or part of your project to a qualified freelancer.

The main alternatives to BigCommerce include Shopify (very easy to use), PrestaShop (open source, more technical but very flexible), and of course WooCommerce (WordPress e-commerce extension).

The choice depends mainly on your needs, your budget, and your technical level. BigCommerce remains an excellent option if you are looking for a comprehensive, scalable, and performance-oriented platform.

And as I said at the beginning, if you want to create a blog or a showcase website, you should look to WordPress or Webflow instead.