Getting Your Business Online On-Time, and Even Earlier

Shopify vs. Big Commerce Comparison

You want to build an online store, but don’t know what ecommerce store solution to use? We can help you through that process! The thought of building an online store can be an intimidating thing. That’s why one should consider a service like Shopify and/or Big Commerce. There are so many changes in technology it’s hard to keep up especially when building an online store. There are a lot of people who come up with support sites that help create businesses online, just like Shopify.com and BigCommerce.com.

My problems with my personal online stores include: Getting site hacked several times, checkout process errors, getting credit cards to work property in checkout, troubleshooting misc. errors, and the list goes on. I’m going to sign up for an online store service like Big Commerce on my next store build. There are too many things that come up when you are building ecommerce stores on your own. The costs add up fast! You might think that the subscription fee for Shopify or Big Commerce is expensive, but it’s really not. Consider my costs getting malicious code removed from my WordPress sites multiple times, adding security features, making backups, paying web developers, hosting, domain names, buying plugins, buying new themes. When you purchase a service you have some peace of mind there is someone there to back you up if something goes wrong. In the online world I don’t have to tell you that things go wrong everyday. You need a team that backs you up daily!

Sign up for BigCommerce Here:

Bigcommerce makes it easy to sell online. You get a website, shopping cart, SEO, design, hosting and more. Try it for free!

Sign up for Shopify Here:

Use Shopify to create an online store. Visit here!

Obviously, these two are competitors that offer the same service, which is aid for people who wish to create a store on-line.  The concept is simple: sign up, choose a design, post your products, and then sell.  Both even have a trial period wherein you can set up the service and test it out.  Once you’re satisfied, then you can sign up for a plan and make your business start earning. I decided to review Shopify and Big Commerce since they are two of the most popular online store building services.

Shopify vs. Big Commerce Breakdown

If compared, there is no clear winner in the set up process.  Once that you join either company, you are given a huge number of options that you can choose from in order to design your store front.  The templates are numerous, and both have editing capabilities that would allow you to be hands on when it comes to your storefront.  This includes the use of HTML if you decide to go geek in the preparation.  If you do have something more specific in mind, both websites offer the help of professional designers.

The payments process is somewhat different.  For Shopify.com, all transactions are processed through their payment system, and a transaction fee is charged depending on the plan that you hold for the month (the highest plan is free of charge).  For BigCommerce.com, you have the choice of linking up with your own merchant, and this is the recommended process if you have an existing account with a payment company.  Otherwise, you can go with BigCommerce.com payments, a supporting company that allows you to use a gateway through BigCommerce.  This supports US payments only so far.  A switch can be made between your own payment facility and the one from bigcommerce at any time.

Pricing for the plans also vary, and this needs a bit more scrutiny:

Shopify – this has three main plans and a fourth, very basic plan that just allows basic selling.  The other three plans though (with the lowest plan at $29 a month) vary only with the number of products, the file storage size and the transaction fee.  The top plan that goes for $179 a month has unlimited everything, no transaction fee and the option for real time carrier shipping.

BigCommerce – the lowest plan is at $24.95 a month with about the same items such as the base plan of shopify.  It does allow for three staff log-ins, which would be great if you have people in your employ.  You can control what the staff can do, and you can get services from Google Adwords at a discount.  The mid range plan has something new in terms of customer retention though, and that is the abandoned cart saver.  With this feature, you can check on what people have placed in their cart and left there without making the purchase.  With this information, you can send them a mail and ask them if they are still interested.  This is known to help merchants immensely in taking back lost sales and getting feedback from customers.

All in all, both companies have a great platform to offer those who want to set up their on-line store without any hassles.  With the pros and cons that they have, it would really be up to the shop owner to decide where to go.  Just weigh the services, try it out and sell. I’d suggest going to the sites and looking over the live site examples. Also, both services offer a free trial so DO sign up for both and see which you like better.

Sign up for BigCommerce Here:

Bigcommerce makes it easy to sell online. You get a website, shopping cart, SEO, design, hosting and more. Try it for free!

Sign up for Shopify Here:

Use Shopify to create an online store. Visit here!

This is an example of what you can create with these services (See below):

Screen shots of current pricing: