How To Create An Online Store With Bigcommerce: The Basics

If you want to sell your goods and services online, you’ve come to the right place!

This article will cover everything you need to know about Bigcommerce, including how it works, what makes it stand out from other eCommerce platforms, and how to get started.

What is Bigcommerce?

Bigcommerce is an online eCommerce platform that allows you to

create an online store,
sell goods and services,
take customer orders all from one website.

Bigcommerce is a customer-first marketplace designed to help you build your online business from scratch and makes it easy to sell online. The noteworthy features of Bigcommerce are,

It lets you create a product catalogue on any of your own websites.
You can create customized product pages with images, descriptions, and prices.
The product pages are automatically updated across all websites.
Enables to send automated emails via a “Merchant Dashboard” to notify customers about their orders or sales.
It lets you create marketing campaigns with eCommerce ads to promote your store.

What makes Bigcommerce unique?

Since it’s an online store platform, BigCommerce Store Development has more functionality than Shopify.

For instance, you can create an online store, create product pages, add images and text, and manage inventory. You can also set shipping and handling, create product variations, and track sales.

Unlike other digital commerce platforms such as Volusion, eComSuccess, or Shopify, Bigcommerce is a hybrid eCommerce platform that supports online and physical retail stores.

This is an excellent feature for many online retailers who are trying to move into the physical retail space, but don’t have the experience or expertise needed to run a successful physical retail location.

Pros of using Bigcommerce

Easy to Use: Much like Shopify and Volusion, you can use Bigcommerce to create your online store. You’ll be able to add products, images and manage inventory.

Inventory Management: One of the most significant benefits of using an online store like Bigcommerce is that it allows you to manage your inventory. So, if you’re a service provider handling your clients’ inventories, you can easily track it all in one place.

Low Investment: Compared to other eCommerce platforms, Bigcommerce is relatively cheap. You can get started with a free account and won’t need any technical expertise to use it.

Comprehensive Product Catalog: You’ll have access to an extensive catalog of products with over 5 million products to choose from.

Easy to Customize: You can customize your online store’s theme and make it look exactly how you want it with Bigcommerce.

Mobile-Friendly: You can easily create a mobile-friendly site that works on any device and browser.

Easy to Integrate: You can integrate your online store with other eCommerce services such as Sprout, Shopify, and Bigcommerce Apps.

Cons of using Bigcommerce

Limited Functionality: Unlike Shopify and Volusion, Bigcommerce doesn’t have many additional features such as inventory management, custom themes, and custom apps.

Limited Product Variety: Bigcommerce has a small product variety. So you need to diversify your products and make them unique and special enough to stand out.

Limited Customer Support: Unlike other eCommerce platforms that offer support via email, phone, or live chat, Bigcommerce only provides email support.

Limited Growth Potential: Bigcommerce has limited growth potential, primarily focused on online stores.

Expense of Maintenance: Because Bigcommerce primarily focuses on online stores, you’ll need to maintain and upgrade it frequently to keep it running smoothly.

No Free Trial: Unlike Shopify and Volusion, you won’t get a free trial with Bigcommerce.

Getting Started With Bigcommerce

The best way to get started with Bigcommerce is by signing up for an account. Once you create an account, follow the steps below to use the platform.

Create a website: If you don’t have a website yet, you’ll need to create one first.

Upload the website: Once you have a website, you can upload it to your Bigcommerce account.

Choose a theme: You can pick your theme from the list of options available. If you want to create an online store, you can use any theme, but if you use the eCommerce functionality in your website, you’ll need a theme with an eCommerce plugin.

Set up a shop: After you have completed the website, you can start setting up your shop.

Create products: When the shop is set up, you can create products and start selling.

Create an account: At last, its time to create an online store and your account.