Author: Edeh Kelechi
If you intend to open an eCommerce store, you will most likely be confused about which platform to choose.
The demand for SaaS (software as a service) eCommerce-based platforms has soared over the years, with benefits in size, cost of ownership, and reduced platform management among the main reasons.
Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise are two of the most popular and trustworthy SaaS eCommerce platforms; nevertheless, choosing one depends on your demands.
In this article, we’ll compare the functionalities of these platforms to help you decide which one is best for you.
What Is Shopify Plus?
Shopify Plus is an enterprise version of Shopify that gives users access to more features, functionalities, underlying code, and comprehensive support than other Shopify plans.
What Is BigCommerce Enterprise?
BigCommerce Enterprise is the platform for high-volume brands. It gives users access to out-of-box functionalities and integrations and handles massive traffic effortlessly to provide the highest conversion rate for your business.
Shopify Plus vs. BigCommerce Enterprise: Pros and Cons
Before we delve further into the differences between Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise, let’s review some of their pros and cons.
Shopify Plus pros
- It offers straightforward and efficient front-end management and back-end changes.
- It is simple to use
Shopify Plus cons
- It doesn’t allow users to manage multi-brand or international setups effectively.
- Users cannot control their overall URL structure.
BigCommerce Enterprise pros
- It offers a wide variety of advanced SEO optimization capabilities.
- Users have many product options and variants to choose from.
BigCommerce Enterprise cons
- It has limited availability of add-ons.
- Slightly complicated pricing structure.
A Detailed Comparison Between Shopify Plus vs. BigCommerce Enterprise
Overall, they are very similar platforms with benefits but have some key differences, which we will discuss.
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Customer Support
With the Shopify Plus plans, you’ll receive a dedicated Merchant Success Manager who will support you 24/7 through various means such as email, telephone, and live chat.
Asides from technical issues, you can ask for assistance on brand strategy, conversion, and business management.
On the other hand, BigCommerce Enterprise also offers 24/7 customer support from a Senior Technical Support agent for technical issues, account management, in-house catalog transfer services, and project management.
Overall, both Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise offer similar support to their customers.
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Pricing
It will help if you optimize your costs to run a successful firm. Because comprehensive pricing for Shopify Plus is not publicly available on their website, you may need to contact them personally to obtain the required information.
Other charges you may incur when running your business on Shopify Plus include:
- Monthly platform fees begin at $2,000.
- Credit card processing costs differ by country. In the United States, for example, each domestic Visa and Mastercard transaction will cost you 2.15 percent plus $0.3. Plus, an additional 1% for AMEX or overseas cards.
- If you utilize a pre-made Shopify theme, development fees will range from 0 to $180. Your development costs may be higher if you employ a custom theme.
These are some of the fees you’ll have to pay to run your store, even though there isn’t precise pricing on their website, and you’ll need to contact them for the information.
- Monthly platform costs can range from $1,000 to $15,000. However, BigCommerce Enterprise charges you based on the number of sales you make.
- Credit card processing fees begin at 2.94 percent + $0.3 for each transaction.
- Development charges range between $145 and $235, which is much higher than Shopify Plus.
Overall, BigCommerce Enterprise’s pricing may be less expensive than Shopify Plus.
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Ease of Use
The first thing you need to understand is that using an Enterprise solution for your business will always mean having access to extra features. Even though having more features is a great idea, there is a higher learning curve when determining how to use the service.
While Shopify Plus and BigCommerce offer standard mobile-optimized websites, Shopify Plus provides access to Shop Pay, a mobile-optimized one-step checkout that BigCommerce doesn’t offer.
Shopify Plus may be easier to use than BigCommerce Enterprise because of its user-friendly design. Even though BigCommerce is very scalable, Shopify Plus ensures you can build a good website independently even if you haven’t built one before.
Conclusion
Overall, Shopify Plus and BigCommerce Enterprise share many similarities and a few differences. So, to decide on the best platform for your business, you’ll need to consider your needs and choose the one that matches it the best.
