BigCommerce vs Shopify: Features Comparison for Singapore Online Stores

A Quick Look at BigCommerce vs Shopify

BigCommerce and Shopify are two of the most popular eCommerce platforms available today, each offering a robust set of features tailored to different business needs. Shopify is often praised for its user-friendly interface and extensive app ecosystem, making it a go-to choice for many small to medium-sized businesses. On the other hand, BigCommerce is known for its powerful built-in tools and scalability, making it an attractive option for larger enterprises or those looking to grow quickly.

While Shopify excels in simplicity and a vast array of customizable themes, BigCommerce stands out with its comprehensive SEO features and lower reliance on third-party apps. Both platforms support multiple payment gateways, offer solid security features, and provide 24/7 customer support, though their approach to these services differs slightly.

In the following sections, we’ll dive deeper into a head-to-head comparison, covering key aspects like ease of use, themes, scalability, and more, to help you decide which platform is best for your Singaporean online store.

BigCommerce vs Shopify: A Head-to-head comparison

When choosing between BigCommerce and Shopify, it’s important to consider how each platform performs in various critical areas. Below, we’ll explore the key aspects of each platform to help you make an informed decision.

Ease of Use

Ease of use is a major factor, especially for those who are new to eCommerce or lack technical expertise. Shopify is widely recognized for its intuitive and user-friendly interface. The platform’s drag-and-drop builder allows users to create and customize their online stores without needing any coding knowledge. Setting up a store on Shopify is straightforward, and the platform offers a guided onboarding process to help you get started quickly.

BigCommerce, while powerful, has a more complex interface that may require a bit of a learning curve, particularly for users who want to take full advantage of its extensive features. Unlike Shopify, which focuses on simplicity, BigCommerce offers more advanced customization options out of the box. This can be a significant advantage for businesses that require specific functionalities, but it may also mean spending more time getting familiar with the platform.

For those who prioritize ease of setup and simplicity in daily operations, Shopify may be the better choice. However, if you’re looking for a platform that provides greater flexibility and are willing to invest the time to learn it, BigCommerce could offer the tools you need for more customized eCommerce solutions.

Read more: Magento vs Shopify: Which eCommerce Platform Fits Your Singapore Business

Themes and Templates

Shopify is well-known for its extensive collection of over 70 professionally designed themes, many of which are mobile-responsive and highly customizable. Shopify’s themes cater to a variety of industries, allowing you to find a design that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic. While the majority of Shopify’s themes are paid, they are often praised for their sleek, modern designs and ease of customization through the platform’s intuitive theme editor. Shopify also offers a selection of free themes that, despite being fewer in number, still maintain a high level of quality and functionality.

BigCommerce, on the other hand, offers a smaller selection of themes compared to Shopify, with around 12 free themes and several premium options. However, what BigCommerce lacks in quantity, it makes up for in affordability and flexibility. Many of BigCommerce’s themes are designed with specific industries in mind, and they come with a range of customization options that can be accessed without needing to code. Additionally, BigCommerce themes are often more affordable than Shopify’s premium offerings, making them a cost-effective choice for businesses on a budget.

Both platforms ensure that their themes are optimized for mobile devices and offer a seamless shopping experience across all screen sizes. However, Shopify’s larger and more diverse theme library gives it a slight edge, especially for users who prioritize design variety and ease of use.

Extensions and Apps

Shopify boasts one of the largest app marketplaces in the eCommerce industry, with over 6,000 apps covering everything from marketing automation and inventory management to customer support and analytics. This vast selection means that Shopify users can find an app for almost any functionality they need, whether it’s a simple social media integration or a complex custom reporting tool. Additionally, many of Shopify’s apps are designed to integrate seamlessly with the platform, ensuring a smooth user experience.

One of the standout features of Shopify’s app ecosystem is its variety of free and paid apps, catering to businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small business owner looking for basic tools or a large enterprise needing advanced features, Shopify’s app store has you covered. The downside, however, is that relying heavily on third-party apps can quickly add up in costs, especially if you need multiple paid apps to run your store effectively.

BigCommerce takes a slightly different approach by offering more built-in features out of the box, which reduces the need for additional apps. While BigCommerce’s app marketplace is smaller than Shopify’s, with around 1,000 apps, it includes a solid selection of high-quality integrations that cover essential business needs. The platform focuses on providing powerful native tools for SEO, product management, and shipping, among other areas, which can save businesses money and reduce reliance on external developers.

Support

Shopify provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and phone. Their support team is known for being responsive and helpful, making it easy to get assistance when you need it. Shopify also has a comprehensive help center, community forums, and a large library of guides and tutorials that can help you resolve issues independently. The ease of access to live support is one of Shopify’s strengths, particularly for users who prefer immediate, one-on-one assistance.

BigCommerce also offers 24/7 support through live chat, email, and phone. However, BigCommerce is often praised for its in-depth knowledge base and extensive resources, which include step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and a dedicated community forum. These resources are designed to help users troubleshoot and learn how to use the platform effectively. While BigCommerce’s live support is comparable to Shopify’s, the platform’s strong emphasis on self-help resources makes it an excellent choice for users who prefer to solve problems on their own.

Payment Methods

Shopify supports over 100 payment gateways, including popular options like PayPal, Stripe, and its own Shopify Payments. Shopify Payments is especially attractive because it integrates seamlessly with the platform and doesn’t charge additional transaction fees, making it a cost-effective option for many merchants. However, if you choose to use a third-party payment gateway, Shopify does impose transaction fees unless you’re using Shopify Payments.

BigCommerce also offers support for a wide range of payment gateways, including PayPal powered by Braintree, Stripe, Square, and more. Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce doesn’t charge any additional transaction fees, regardless of the payment gateway you choose, which can be a significant advantage for businesses looking to minimize costs. Additionally, BigCommerce offers multi-currency support, making it easier to sell to international customers.

SEO Features

Shopify provides built-in SEO features that allow you to easily edit title tags, meta descriptions, and URLs. The platform automatically generates a sitemap and handles canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues. Shopify also offers apps that can enhance your SEO efforts, such as tools for image optimization and advanced analytics. The platform’s clean code and fast loading speeds are beneficial for SEO, helping your store rank higher in search engine results.

BigCommerce is known for its strong SEO capabilities, offering advanced features such as URL customization, site-wide HTTPS, and built-in 301 redirects. BigCommerce also allows for more granular control over SEO settings, which can be a significant advantage for users with technical expertise. The platform’s fast page loading times, along with its ability to handle large catalogs efficiently, contribute to better search engine rankings.

Read more: Top 10 BigCommerce SEO Agencies: Optimizing Your eCommerce Presence

Security

Shopify provides SSL certificates for all stores, ensuring that customer data is encrypted and secure. The platform is PCI DSS compliant, meaning it meets the highest security standards for handling credit card information. Shopify also offers fraud analysis tools to help you detect and prevent fraudulent transactions.

BigCommerce also includes SSL certificates and is PCI compliant. The platform provides advanced security features, such as DDoS protection and regular security updates, to ensure that your store remains secure against threats. BigCommerce’s focus on enterprise-level security makes it an excellent choice for businesses that handle large volumes of transactions or sensitive data.

Scalability

Shopify offers a range of pricing plans that cater to businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. As your business grows, you can upgrade to higher-tier plans that offer more features and support for additional staff accounts. Shopify Plus, the enterprise version of Shopify, provides advanced features and customization options for large businesses. The platform’s extensive app ecosystem also allows you to add functionality as needed, making it easy to scale your store.

BigCommerce is known for its ability to handle large and complex catalogs without compromising performance. The platform’s robust built-in features reduce the need for third-party apps, which can simplify scaling. BigCommerce also offers enterprise solutions with advanced features, such as custom pricing and priority support. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses that expect rapid growth or need to manage a large inventory.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing between BigCommerce vs Shopify depends on your specific needs and expertise. BigCommerce is ideal for beginners and those seeking ease of use, while Shopify is better suited for those requiring extensive customization and scalability.

And you know what? SmartOSC is a trusted partner of both. So reach out to us today, and we’ll provide innovative solutions and expert guidance for your eCommerce success. We can even help with BigCommerce to Shopify migration for better functionality, scalability, or user-friendliness.