We’ve developed e-commerce sites for Victoria’s Secret, Aesop, & Omega Watches using all the mainstream platforms including Big Commerce. Some clients come with preconceived ideas of what is the best e-commerce platform for their needs. However, based on our experience the best fit for most small to mid-size etailers tends to be Big Commerce.
Big Commerce has a more powerful, robust feature set than Shopify or other comparable competitors. Other competitors require upgrades or premium features to equal what Big Commerce offers out of the box, like its amazing single page checkout, abandoned cart and Amazon integration. Shopify’s app store has 1,500+ apps but some are for features that Big Commerce has standard.
Our experience has been nothing but stupendous with ticket resolutions on Big Commerce. Their 24/7 customer support responds promptly, escalates the ticket if it can’t be resolved quickly, and keeps us in the loop with status updates. We’ve also initiated tickets on Shopify which has good response times, but their customer reps don’t seem to be as knowledgeable about products or solutions.
One of the biggest downsides is how costly Shopify is compared to Big Commerce. The Basic Shopify plan cost is only $29 just like Big Commerce’s Standard Plan. However, to have the same tools & features as Big Commerce’s Standard plan, it could cost up to 2x-3x the cost. In addition Shopify charges a .5%-2% transaction fee on all orders, Big Commerce doesn’t have this expense. This is a big sticker shock to our clients once they receive first invoice. Big Commerce has a simpler fee structure and has no additional or hidden charges.
From a developer’s perspective, Shopify has more limitations on customization of its code due to using its proprietary Liquid code. Big Commerce is built on common PHP and HTML so it’s easier to find developers. When you do have a developer, making edits is simpler for them without having to understand unique syntax of Liquid.
Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses but after working on 50+ Big Commerce and Shopify sites, our clients have been more satisfied with their Big Commerce stores. We’ve done several Shopify to Big Commerce migrations but have never had a request to migrate to Shopify.