When it comes to online stores and WordPress, WooCommerce has long been the most popular solution. Given the amount of features you get and the fact that there are hundreds of WooCommerce add-ons available, it’s no wonder that WooCommerce has been the main solution. Thanks to this plugin, anyone could open up a store in a matter of minutes and start selling their products.
However, recently, BigCommerce announced the release of their new plugin built specifically for WordPress websites. This means that WooCommerce now has some serious competition and in this post, I’ll go over what BigCommerce is, what their plugin offers, and whether it’s better than WooCommerce.
What Is BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a popular cloud-based e-Commerce platform. They offer a slew of powerful features geared for large online stores that want the ease of managing a large catalog and the flexibility to scale as their store grows. You can manage Amazon, eBay, Facebook, and Pinterest stores, all from one location with BigCommerce.
What makes BigCommerce different from WooCommerce is that it is a hosted platform, meaning you don’t have to sign up for a separate hosting plan nor do you have to go through the installation process. Instead, you pay a monthly or annual fee and get access to e-Commerce features offered on your chosen plan.
Aside from that, they offer standard e-Commerce features such as catalog management, shipping and labels, free SSL certificates, numerous apps to extend the functionality of your store, and themes that control how your store looks.
What Does BigCommerce for WordPress Plugin Offer
The BigCommerce for WordPress plugin currently boasts 4-star rating and more than 500 active installs. It allows you to connect your BigCommerce store to your WordPress website. What the plugin does is it allows you to make use of WordPress content management features so you can display your products and market them. At the same time, all the e-Commerce features and tasks which include catalog management and processing payments, through BigCommerce.
The benefit of this approach is two-fold. First, you can take advantage of WordPress to create landing pages for individual products or to promote your products through blog posts. Secondly, your website will load faster since the e-Commerce functionality is managed through BigCommerce.
Let’s take a look at some of the key features that BigCommerce for WordPress plugin will bring to your WordPress website and online store.
Ease of use
The BigCommerce for WordPress plugin is easy to use. If you already have a BigCommerce store, all you have to do is install the plugin and then enter your BigCommerce account information. If you’re just getting started with BigCommerce or want to give this platform a try, it’s easy to create a BigCommerce account right from your WordPress dashboard.
Once your account has been created or connected, you can begin listing your BigCommerce products on your WordPress website. You can choose to import all new products automatically or to manually choose which products should be listed.
The plugin also allows you to select the level of integration by allowing you to choose between a full-fledged store or a simple blogging approach that allows you to embed products in blog posts and pages.
Multiple Sites and Sales Channels Management
BigCommerce allows you to manage multiple sales channels and use multiple WordPress websites to sell your products. This means you can easily sell your products on Amazon, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and many other platforms. You can also easily promote the same products on all your websites.
AMP Support
A standout feature of the plugin is the fact that it comes with support for AMP. You can benefit implement AMP features on your product pages and make sure that they are mobile-friendly and that they load fast.
Support for Numerous Payment Gateways
BigCommerce supports numerous payment gateways, including PayPal, Authorize.net, 2Checkout, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and several offline payment methods. This means you can offer a variety of payment methods to your customers.
It’s also worth mentioning that BigCommerce gives you access to pre-negotiated credit card rates which are currently the lowest rates available in the e-Commerce industry.
Seamless Integration With Any WordPress Theme
BigCommerce for WordPress plugin integrates seamlessly with any WordPress theme. This means you can display your products in your store without worrying they won’t match the rest of your site.
Built-In PCI Compliance and Security
It’s worth mentioning that since BigCommerce handles the entire checkout experience, you don’t have to worry about making sure your WordPress website is PCI-compliant. BigCommerce handles that for you and in addition to that, it allows for safe account creation, logins, and the storage of payment information for your shoppers.
Round-the-Clock Customer Support
Finally, all BigCommerce customers have access to 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat, and email as well as an extensive collection of help, support, and how-to guides published by their help center.
Numerous Apps for Extra Functionality
Just like WooCommerce, there are hundreds of third-party apps for BigCommerce that extend the functionality of your store. Some are free and some are paid and they range from extra payment gateways, email and social media marketing apps, conversion optimization apps, and more.
BigCommerce for WordPress vs. WooCommerce
Now that we’ve covered the key features that BigCommerce for WordPress brings to the table, let’s compare its pros and cons with WooCommerce.
BigCommerce Pros and Cons
When it comes to the pros, BigCommerce has a few advantages:
- The ability to handle a large volume of products
- The ability to create and manage complex product catalogs
- “Headless” e-Commerce which refers to e-Commerce features being separate from your main site which is used as a marketing channel for your store
- Seamless integration with WordPress and any WordPress theme.
The downside of using BigCommerce is that you will have to pay to use their platform which might not be a great solution if you’re just getting started and trying to keep your costs down.
WooCommerce Pros and Cons
Like BigCommerce, WooCommerce has its own set of pros which include:
- Ease of use and deep integration with WordPress
- The ability to manage products right from your WordPress dashboard
- Support for various payment gateways and shipping methods
- Hundreds of WordPress themes designed specifically with WooCommerce in mind
- Hundreds of add-ons that extend the functionality of your store.
On the downside, adding a large number of products and orders to your WordPress websites can have a negative impact on its performance. This makes WooCommerce better suited for smaller or medium-sized stores. It’s worth mentioning that WooCommerce itself is free so if you don’t need advanced features, WooCommerce is definitely a more budget-friendly solution.
Final Thoughts
With the release of BigCommerce plugin for WordPress, you now have a powerful alternative for selling your own products directly from your website. Both BigCommerce and WooCommerce are great e-Commerce plugins and they both have their own set of pros and cons.
Before making your final decision, consider the pros and cons of each platform as well as the size of your store.
If you’re looking for an easy solution and only want to sell a handful of products, you can’t go wrong with WooCommerce. But, if you have a large inventory with thousands of products and are worried about your store’s performance, consider giving BigCommerce a try.
