Shopify vs BigCommerce: Which Platform Scales Better for Fast-Growing Businesses?

As a technology leader in web development, I understand the critical role that selecting the right eCommerce platform plays in a business's success. For fast-growing businesses, the stakes are even higher. With speed, scalability, and adaptability as key elements of growth, choosing between Shopify and BigCommerce becomes a strategic decision that can propel or hinder your progress. My aim is to simplify the technology selection process for you by providing a clear, detailed comparison of these two giants in the eCommerce space.

Understanding Your Needs

When you are scaling a business, two factors come into sharp focus: the ability to handle increased traffic and the flexibility to adapt to new market realities. Whether you're a startup experiencing rapid growth or an established company expanding into new markets, your eCommerce platform must support your ambitious roadmap seamlessly and effectively.

Ease of Use: Building the Foundation

Shopify: User-Friendly and Intuitive

Shopify has long been celebrated for its user-friendly interface. Its drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to design and deploy an online store without deep technical expertise. This intuitive user experience extends to backend operations, enabling you to manage products, orders, and customer interactions with remarkable ease.

Shopify’s extensive library of themes and plugins allows for substantial customization, yet the base functionalities are designed to get you up and running quickly. This platform is ideal for businesses that need a robust yet straightforward solution to scale rapidly.

BigCommerce: Rich Features with a Steeper Learning Curve

BigCommerce also offers a user-friendly interface, but it comes with a broader array of built-in functionalities. While this makes the platform incredibly versatile, it also results in a steeper learning curve compared to Shopify.

BigCommerce's dashboard is comprehensive, offering more out-of-the-box features, such as advanced SEO tools, product filtering, and multi-store capabilities. However, this complexity means that you may need more time and technical know-how to set up and manage your store effectively.

Scalability: Supporting Your Growth

Shopify: Scaling Made Simple

Shopify shines in scalability primarily through its extensive app ecosystem. If your business requires new functionalities, chances are there is an app for that in Shopify’s marketplace. As your needs evolve, you can easily enhance your store with additional features, mitigating the need for custom development in many cases.

Shopify Plus, the enterprise version, offers additional customizability and advanced features, making it a viable option for businesses experiencing rapid growth. It can handle high volumes of traffic and transactions, ensuring that your store performs reliably during peak times.

BigCommerce: Built-In Power

BigCommerce aims to reduce dependence on third-party apps by offering more built-in capabilities. This inherent functionality is particularly advantageous for fast-growing businesses that want a more streamlined, all-in-one solution.

BigCommerce’s Enterprise plan is designed for scalability, accommodating large catalog sizes and significant traffic volumes without compromising on performance. It also allows for complex integrations and customizations, which can be crucial for businesses with unique requirements.

Customization: Flexibility Meets Functionality

Shopify: Flexible but App-Dependent

Shopify provides extensive customization options through its theme editor and Liquid templating language. For businesses with specific frontend design needs, Shopify’s flexibility is a boon.

However, for backend customizations or specific functionalities, Shopify heavily relies on third-party apps. While this allows for quick enhancements, it may also result in additional costs and dependencies that could complicate your operations in the long run.

BigCommerce: Built-In and Extensive

BigCommerce offers a robust set of native customization features. While it supports a comprehensive theming framework for frontend alterations, it truly excels in backend customizability.

The platform includes features like customer segmentation and advanced product options natively, reducing the need for external apps. This built-in power makes it easier and more cost-effective to scale and adapt your store as your business evolves.

Performance: Speed and Reliability

Shopify: Optimized by Default

Shopify’s hosted solution means that the platform handles all the performance optimization for you. This includes server maintenance, security updates, and speed enhancements, allowing you to focus on growing your business rather than managing technical details.

The platform's CDN (Content Delivery Network) ensures fast load times, which is critical for maintaining high conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

BigCommerce: High Performance with Control

BigCommerce also offers a hosted solution with built-in performance optimization. It leverages Akamai's CDN, ensuring excellent speed and reliability.

Where BigCommerce stands out is in its control over server resources. This allows for more fine-tuned optimizations, which can be crucial for businesses with specific performance demands.

Integration and Ecosystem: Connecting the Dots

Shopify: App-Rich Ecosystem

Shopify’s strength lies in its extensive app ecosystem. With thousands of apps available, you can integrate almost any tool or service you need. This makes Shopify an adaptable solution that can grow with your business while maintaining a flexible, modular structure.

BigCommerce: Comprehensive Integration

BigCommerce offers robust integration capabilities, natively supporting a wide range of third-party services and platforms. This can simplify operations significantly, as fewer third-party dependencies mean less potential for compatibility issues.

Furthermore, BigCommerce's open API architecture allows for seamless integration with various enterprise systems, making it a versatile option for growing businesses with complex tech stacks.

Pricing: Invest Smartly

Shopify: Predictable but Potentially Costly

Shopify’s pricing model is predictable, with various tiers designed to accommodate different business sizes. However, as you scale and add more apps, costs can add up.

The transaction fees for using non-Shopify payment gateways can also eat into your margins, so it’s crucial to factor these into your budget.

BigCommerce: All-In-One Value

BigCommerce offers a more comprehensive base package, with many features included in the standard pricing tiers. This can make it a more cost-effective solution in the long run, especially for businesses that would otherwise need to rely heavily on third-party apps.

BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees, which can be a significant advantage for businesses with high sales volumes.

Making the Decision: What’s Best for You

Choosing between Shopify and BigCommerce depends on your specific needs, goals, and existing tech landscape. For businesses prioritizing ease of use and vast app integrations, Shopify is an excellent choice. However, if you require built-in power, extensive customizability, and better control over costs, BigCommerce stands out.

In the end, it’s about aligning the platform with your business’s strategic objectives. At Deploi, our team of expert developers and digital strategists is here to help you navigate this decision, ensuring a seamless integration that supports your growth journey.

Contact us today to discuss your eCommerce challenges and discover how we can help you scale effectively and efficiently.