BigCommerce vs Shopify: Which is Better for Established Adelaide Businesses?
Choosing the right e-commerce platform is a critical decision for any established Adelaide business looking to scale its online sales channel or migrate from an underperforming system. Two dominant players often headline the discussion: BigCommerce and Shopify. Both are powerful SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions, but they have distinct strengths, weaknesses, and philosophies that make one potentially a better fit than the other, depending on your specific business model and growth trajectory.
As certified BigCommerce partners with experience helping Adelaide businesses succeed online, we at A7Designs understand the differences of both platforms. Compare BigCommerce vs Shopify across key areas relevant to established businesses:
1. BigCommerce vs Shopify Core Features & Functionality:
- Shopify: Renowned for its ease of use and vast App Store. It provides a strong core feature set, but often relies on paid third-party apps for more advanced functionality (e.g., complex product options, specific B2B features, advanced SEO tools). This app-centric approach can add significant ongoing cost and complexity.
- BigCommerce: Often described as having more robust native functionality built-in, particularly for businesses with larger catalogues or more complex needs. Features like extensive product options/variants, customer groups (essential for B2B/wholesale), and relatively strong native SEO capabilities often require fewer paid apps compared to Shopify to achieve similar results.
- Verdict: Shopify excels in simplicity and its massive app ecosystem. BigCommerce often provides more powerful built-in features, potentially reducing reliance on numerous apps, which can be advantageous for managing complexity and cost as you scale.
2. BigCommerce vs Shopify Pricing & Total Cost of Ownership (TCO):
- Shopify: Offers clear tiered monthly subscription plans. A key factor is transaction fees – Shopify charges fees (on top of payment processor fees) if you don’t use their integrated Shopify Payments gateway. App costs can accumulate quickly.
- BigCommerce: Also uses tiered monthly plans, often correlated with annual sales volume. Crucially, BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees regardless of the payment gateway you use. While some apps may still be needed, the richer native feature set can lead to lower overall app spending compared to Shopify for complex stores.
- Verdict: Calculate the total cost. Factor in subscription tiers, expected transaction fees (especially if not using Shopify Payments), and necessary app costs. For high-volume stores or those needing many paid apps on Shopify, BigCommerce can sometimes offer a lower TCO despite potentially higher base plan costs at the enterprise level.
3. BigCommerce vs Shopify B2B Capabilities:
- Shopify: Basic B2B functionality is available on its higher-tier plans (Shopify Plus) or requires dedicated B2B apps. While improving, its core architecture was initially B2C-focused.
- BigCommerce: Offers BigCommerce B2B Edition, a dedicated suite of powerful native B2B features built upon its core platform. This includes customer-specific pricing/catalogues (via Price Lists and Customer Groups), quote management, purchase orders, sales rep masquerading, invoice payments, and more. It’s designed from the ground up to handle complex B2B workflows.
- Verdict: For businesses with significant B2B requirements (wholesalers, manufacturers, distributors), BigCommerce B2B Edition offers a far more comprehensive and integrated native solution than standard Shopify plans. This is a major differentiator. As BigCommerce B2B Specialized Partners, we see this as a key strength.
4. BigCommerce vs Shopify Customisation & Flexibility:
- Shopify: Offers good theme customisation through its editor and Liquid templating language. However, deep backend customisation or complex integrations can sometimes be more challenging compared to platforms with more open APIs in certain areas.
- BigCommerce: Provides strong theme customisation capabilities (using Stencil framework) and is known for its robust, open APIs, making it highly flexible for complex integrations with ERP, CRM, PIM systems, and custom application development. Its “Headless Commerce” capabilities are also well-regarded for enterprise needs.
- Verdict: Both offer customisation, but BigCommerce often provides greater flexibility for complex backend integrations and deep customisation, which can be critical for established businesses with unique workflows or existing complex systems.
5. BigCommerce vs Shopify SEO Capabilities:
- Shopify: Provides solid core SEO features suitable for many businesses. Some limitations exist, such as less control over URL structures in certain areas compared to other platforms. Advanced SEO often requires apps.
- BigCommerce: Generally considered to have slightly more robust native SEO features, including greater control over URLs, automatic 301 redirects on URL changes, and good schema markup implementation.
- Verdict: Both platforms can achieve good SEO results. BigCommerce offers slightly more granular control out-of-the-box, potentially reducing the need for paid SEO apps for some technical aspects.
Which Platform for Your Established Adelaide Business?
- Consider Shopify if: Your business is primarily B2C, you prioritise ease of use above all else, you benefit significantly from its specific app ecosystem, and transaction fees (if applicable) are manageable.
- Consider BigCommerce if: You have significant B2B operations, require complex product variations or pricing rules, need deep integration with ERP/CRM systems, prefer more powerful built-in features over relying heavily on apps, or anticipate needing enterprise-grade scalability and customisation.
Making the Right Choice with BigCommerce vs Shopify:
The best platform with BigCommerce vs Shopify depends on a thorough analysis of your specific business model, operational workflows, technical requirements, growth plans, and budget. As experienced e-commerce consultants based in Adelaide and certified BigCommerce experts, A7Designs can help you navigate this decision. We provide unbiased advice focused on finding the platform that truly aligns with your long-term goals, whether that’s optimising your current store or migrating to a new solution.