BigCommerce Enterprise and Shopify Plus are well-known, enterprise-level, e-commerce platforms. They each offer a suite of tools with features tailored to meet the specific needs of large-scale businesses. Let’s take a look at what those tools and their features are for Shopify Plus vs BigCommerce Enterprise so you can get some idea of which one might be better for your business.
Overview of Shopify Plus vs BigCommerce Enterprise
BigCommerce Enterprise has what most users consider a user-friendly interface that’s coupled with powerful customization capabilities that let you create a visually stunning online store. The service focuses on scalability and flexibility which makes it a compelling choice if your company is experiencing rapid growth and you’re looking for a platform that can change as your needs change. BigCommerce Enterprise gives you advanced SEO functionalities, enabling your business to enhance its online visibility so you can reach a wider audience.
Shopify Plus is also known for its ease of use as well as its versatility. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, Shopify Plus lets you design pleasing storefronts without requiring you to know how to code. Shopify has many apps you can add on to integrate payment gateways, marketing tools, logistics solutions and more. This provides you with the flexibility to customize your e-commerce operations according to your specific requirements. With Shopify Plus, you can do complex processes such as inventory management and order fulfillment by using automation features that streamline your backend operations.
For useability in general, BigCommerce Enterprise emphasizes flexibility and customization options that gives you fine-grained control over your online stores’ design and functionality. Shopify Plus has a user-friendly approach that will appeal to users of varying technical skill levels. So in either case, if you have someone on your team (and you probably do) who can handle some coding, you’ll likely want to let them loose on the platform of your choosing.
Features Comparison
Now let’s see how these services compare as far as some of the features they offer you. Both platforms do offer a wide range of features that can enhance your e-commerce operations and let you scale your business effectively.
You want your store to stand out in the crowd, so customization is important. Shopify Plus has tools that allow you to create a highly customized online store tailored to your brand. You can design a unique storefront, using the Liquid programming language and various theme options, that hopefully will appeal to your target audience. BigCommerce Enterprise also lets you incorporate customizations via its Stencil framework and visual design editor. (Again, you’ll want a coder on hand to implement such changes.)
Since virtually no online store is sufficient in its basic form, you’ll want to be able to integrate third-party features to make it do what you need. Shopify Plus has an extensive app store with thousands of such integrations covering marketing, accounting, inventory management, and more. BigCommerce Enterprise also offers a wide range of integrations through its app marketplace. Deciding which platform you want may depend on exactly which integrations you need and which are available on the given platform.
Both Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise support selling across multiple channels beyond just your online store. Shopify’s multi-channel selling tools enable you to easily sell on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, as well as marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. BigCommerce has similar offerings, while letting you maintain centralized control over inventory and order management.
Cost Comparison
Money always matters. If you find the best service for your store but can’t afford it, you’ll have to settle for second best, third best and so on. Both of these platforms have pricing structures that differ in terms of initial investment, ongoing expenses, and the value they provide.
Note that, since BigCommerce doesn’t advertise its costs for their Enterprise service, we won’t be quoting exact numbers in this comparison.
Shopify Plus typically requires a higher upfront investment than BigCommerce Enterprise. Shopify Plus has a one-time setup fee in addition to its monthly subscription cost. This setup fee can range from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on what you need to customize and which integrations you require. BigCommerce Enterprise doesn’t have a setup fee and has a more straightforward pricing model that’s based on monthly subscriptions.
Both Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise offer you tiered pricing plans based on the volume of your sales or transactions processed through the platform. At lower sales volumes, you might not notice much difference in costs. However, Shopify Plus tends to become more expensive as your sales volume increases due to its revenue-based pricing model. BigCommerce Enterprise offers pricing that’s a bit more predictable. They have fixed monthly fees that don’t increase as your sales grow.
Don’t forget that integrating those apps and add-ons may mean additional expenses that need to be factored into your budget. Custom development work and ongoing support services might vary in cost between the two platforms based on their ecosystems and available resources.
User Experience
User experience (UX, for short) is going to play a vital role in the success of your e-commerce store and the service it’s based on. We mentioned a few times earlier that having a coder would be handy, but there’s a lot you can do on these services without one.
Shopify Plus gives you an intuitive, user-friendly interface that lets you customize your store without the need for coding expertise. It has a drag-and-drop editor you can use to design your storefront so your brand shows through. To do similar work with BigCommerce Enterprise, you may need a developer’s help.
Shopify Plus leverages its own infrastructure to deliver fast loading times for websites hosted on its platform. By prioritizing performance optimization and utilizing content delivery networks (CDNs), Shopify Plus ensures that your store will load quickly and efficiently. While BigCommerce Enterprise also emphasizes speed optimization, visitors to your store may experience slightly longer loading times due to differences in server architecture and resource allocation. However, with a good developer on your side, you may be able to make the difference unnoticeable.
Customer Support
You never need help until you do, so let’s see what each of these services can do to help you when you come calling.
Shopify Plus provides 24/7 customer support through live chat, email, and phone, ensuring that you can get assistance whenever you need it. You also get a dedicated account manager who can provide you with personalized guidance. BigCommerce Enterprise offers 24/7 technical support via phone and live chat, with email support available only during business hours.
Shopify Plus is known for its responsive and knowledgeable support team that can help with a wide range of issues, from technical troubleshooting to strategic advice on growing your business. Users often praise Shopify Plus’s customer service for its quick response times and effective solutions. BigCommerce Enterprise’s support team is also highly regarded for their expertise in e-commerce best practices and their ability to provide tailored solutions to users’ needs. In other words, both services’ support teams know what they’re talking about.
Both Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise offer extensive documentation, tutorials, and community forums where you can find answers to common questions and troubleshoot problems on your own. So it’s pretty much a toss-up here.
Security
Both Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise prioritize the protection of sensitive customer data and transactions, as well they should.
Shopify Plus has Level 1 PCI DSS compliance, which ensures that all payment information is securely encrypted. Shopify Plus provides daily backups of data and offers advanced fraud analysis tools to help you detect and prevent fraudulent activities. BigCommerce Enterprise also provides Level 1 PCI compliance as well as SSL certification for secure data transmission. BigCommerce Enterprise uses industry-standard encryption protocols to protect customer information and transactions from potential threats.
Both services have dedicated teams that monitor their platforms for any vulnerabilities or suspicious activities. In the event of a security breach or threat, both have protocols in place to quickly respond to and mitigate any potential damage.
Scalability
We’re already looking at high-volume services, so maybe scalability isn’t all that important to you at this level, but it’s still good to know whether or not your platform does scale well.
BigCommerce Enterprise has a reputation for being highly scalable, with its flexible architecture and cloud-based infrastructure allowing your business to smoothly scale up as your operations expand. It can support large product catalogs, high traffic volumes, and complex business processes without experiencing significant downtime or performance problems.
Shopify Plus also offers cloud-hosted infrastructure and a global CDN. You can quickly add new products, launch additional sales channels, and expand into new markets without worrying about technical limitations.
Case Studies and Success Stories
Finally, let’s take a look at a couple of case studies we’ve found to see how current users have fared with these services.
One notable case study from Shopify Plus involves the fashion brand Gymshark, which experienced exponential growth after migrating to the platform and expanding internationally. Gymshark was able to handle high traffic volumes during peak sales seasons, thanks to Shopify Plus’ infrastructure and scalability features. They leveraged advanced marketing tools to personalize customer experiences and drive engagement, and they are now valued at over $1 billion.
Skullcandy, a popular audio accessories company, saw tremendous results after switching to BigCommerce Enterprise. Skullcandy was able to optimize its online store for conversions and deliver a seamless shopping experience to customers. The result? Increased visibility, higher conversion rates, increased customer satisfaction and greater profitability.
Conclusion
Both platforms offer robust e-commerce solutions tailored for large businesses. It’s tough to pick one over the other without knowing your specific line of business.
BigCommerce Enterprise shines with its flexible pricing structure and comprehensive out-of-the-box features. Shopify Plus stands out for its ease of use, extensive app store, and customer support.
The decision between the two ultimately depends on the specific needs and preferences of your business. If you’re looking for a more customizable solution with advanced features like headless e-commerce capabilities or a lower total cost of ownership, BigCommerce Enterprise might be your choice. On the other hand, if integration with various apps and third-party services is most important, you might go with Shopify Plus.
Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses; thus, selecting between Shopify Plus vs BigCommerce Enterprise means you’ll have to make a thorough assessment of your requirements. You’ll need to consider budget constraints, desired features, scalability needs, and long-term growth plans when making this decision.
Both Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise offer high-quality solutions that can propel your business towards success in a very competitive online marketplace.
That said, it may be that your business isn’t ready or you can’t afford to invest in scaling with these enterprise level solutions just yet. If that’s the case, check out some of our other e-commerce platform comparisons. We’ve recently covered Shopify vs ECWID, Prestashop and Sellfy, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages.
Author
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Aaron began building e-commerce websites back in 2010, and has extensive experience testing out the tools of the trade.
Aaron started CompareEcom for people to quickly compare the many and varied e-commerce platforms. His mission is to help businesses find the best growth and analytics e-commerce solution for their needs.
