BigCommerce Glossary: Understanding Key Ecommerce Terms

BigCommerce Glossary: Understanding Key Ecommerce Terms

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Navigating the world of ecommerce can feel like learning an entirely new language. BigCommerce, one of the fastest-growing ecommerce software platforms, has a robust vocabulary of its own. To help you build, manage, and scale your online store effectively, this glossary defines essential BigCommerce-specific terms and features.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Starting and growing an online business is an exciting journey, but it also comes with a steep learning curve. For those choosing BigCommerce as their ecommerce platform, understanding the platform’s unique language is crucial. This glossary will serve as your guide to key ecommerce terms and features specific to BigCommerce. By familiarizing yourself with these definitions, you’ll be empowered to make informed decisions and maximize your success on the platform.

BigCommerce Essentials

Before we delve into specific terminology, let’s cover some fundamental aspects of BigCommerce:

  • Software as a Service (SaaS) Model: BigCommerce operates as a SaaS, meaning you access the platform online for a monthly fee. This eliminates the need to purchase web hosting or install any software, making it convenient and accessible.
  • Templates: BigCommerce offers customizable templates that serve as the foundation for your online store’s design. These templates allow you to create a visually appealing and user-friendly storefront regardless of the types of products you sell.
  • Core Features: BigCommerce is packed with features designed to streamline your ecommerce operations. Even the most basic plan provides a wide array of tools, including 12 free templates, built-in SEO features, a drag-and-drop page designer, automated image optimization, a complete content management system (CMS), the ability to offer gift vouchers and discount coupons, integrations with leading payment gateways and email marketing services, and much more.

BigCommerce-Specific Terms & Features

Abandoned Cart Saver: This feature helps you recover lost sales by automatically sending personalized emails to customers who abandon their carts before completing their purchases. Available on the Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans, the abandoned cart saver tool significantly increases your chances of converting potential customers.

API Calls: API calls refer to requests made by your online store to external services or applications to exchange data. The Enterprise plan offers unlimited API calls, enabling seamless integrations with third-party systems like ERPs and high-volume data sharing.

Content Management System (CMS): BigCommerce’s CMS allows you to effortlessly create and manage all the content on your online store, including product descriptions, blog posts, and pages.

Customer Segmentation: This feature enables you to divide your customers into distinct groups based on specific criteria such as demographics, purchase history, or browsing behavior. By segmenting your customers, you can tailor marketing campaigns and personalize the shopping experience for each group, ultimately increasing customer engagement and sales. Customer segmentation is available on the Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans.

Drag-and-Drop Page Designer: BigCommerce offers a user-friendly page designer that allows you to easily customize your store’s layout and design elements without needing any coding knowledge.

Faceted Search (Product Filtering): This advanced feature enhances the customer experience by allowing shoppers to refine their product searches based on multiple attributes like price, color, size, and reviews. Faceted search is available on the Pro and Enterprise plans.

Google Customer Reviews: Integrate your store with Google Customer Reviews (available on the Pro and Enterprise plans) to collect and display authentic feedback from customers who have purchased from your BigCommerce store. This helps build trust and credibility with potential buyers.

Headless Commerce: BigCommerce supports headless commerce, an approach where the front-end (storefront) and back-end (ecommerce platform) are decoupled, allowing for greater flexibility and customization.

Image Optimization: BigCommerce leverages Akamai Image Manager to automatically optimize images for faster loading times and a better user experience.

Multi-Storefront: This feature allows you to manage multiple, unique storefronts from a single BigCommerce account. It is ideal for businesses with multiple brands, target customer segments, or those operating in different regions. The number of storefronts allowed varies per plan, with the Standard plan allowing up to 3, the Plus plan allowing up to 5, and the Pro plan allowing up to 8. The Enterprise plan offers custom multi-storefront solutions based on your specific needs.

Payment Gateways: BigCommerce integrates seamlessly with a wide range of leading payment gateways, including PayPal, allowing you to accept payments securely and efficiently.

Persistent Cart: Available on the Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans, persistent cart saves your customers’ products in their carts regardless of the device they use, providing a seamless shopping experience across devices.

Point of Sale (POS): BigCommerce integrates with POS systems, enabling you to seamlessly connect your online and offline sales operations. This means you can manage both your physical store and online store from the same platform.

Price Lists: This Enterprise plan feature allows you to create custom pricing rules based on customer groups, facilitating B2B ecommerce and tailored pricing strategies.

Product Reviews: BigCommerce enables you to collect and display product reviews and ratings from your customers, contributing to greater transparency and social proof.

Sales Channels: BigCommerce allows you to sell your products through multiple channels, including your online store, leading marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, and more.

SEO Optimization: BigCommerce is designed with SEO in mind, offering several built-in features that help improve your online store’s visibility in search engines. These features include optimized URLs, automatically populated SEO-friendly URLs for products, categories, and pages, microdata for richer search result listings, URL rewrite capabilities for easy renaming of products and pages, and more.

SSL Certificates: BigCommerce ensures your online store is secure by providing free sitewide HTTPS and a dedicated SSL certificate on all plans. This encrypts data transmitted between your store and customers, building trust and improving search rankings. Custom SSLs are available on the Pro plan.

Store Credit Cards: The Plus, Pro, and Enterprise plans offer the option for customers to save their credit card details for faster and more convenient checkout experiences.

Store Design (Visual Merchandising Tool): This intuitive tool simplifies storefront customization by allowing you to visually preview changes in real-time, making it easier to create a unique and compelling online store design.

BigCommerce Pricing Plans

BigCommerce offers four distinct pricing plans, each catering to different business needs and budgets:

  • Standard: Priced at $29.95/month, this plan is ideal for starting businesses and offers all the essential features to build and manage a successful online store. The Standard plan has a sales limit of $50,000 per year.
  • Plus: For $79.95/month, the Plus plan builds upon the Standard plan by adding powerful marketing tools like abandoned cart saver, persistent cart, customer segmentation, and support for store credit cards. It has a sales limit of $180,000 per year.
  • Pro: The Pro plan, at $299.95/month, includes everything in the Plus plan and adds features for scaling businesses, such as custom SSLs, Google Customer Reviews, product search filtering, and a significantly increased sales limit of up to $400,000 per year.
  • Enterprise: Tailored to high-volume businesses with sales typically exceeding $1 million per year, the Enterprise plan offers a comprehensive suite of advanced features. These include advanced product filtering, price lists, unlimited API calls, dedicated account management, and priority support. The sales limit is negotiable and customized to your business needs.

BigCommerce offers a 15% discount if you pay annually for the Plus and Pro plans. A 15-day free trial is also available.

FAQ

Can I sell any kind of product on BigCommerce?

Yes, BigCommerce supports physical, digital, and service-based products. It’s the only platform that supports all three without needing third-party apps.

Is BigCommerce a good option for beginners?

BigCommerce can be challenging for beginners due to its learning curve, complex terminology, and dual interfaces. Consider trying the free trial or alternatives like WooCommerce, Magento, or Shopify if you’re new to ecommerce.

How much does BigCommerce cost?

BigCommerce has four plans: Standard ($29.95/month), Plus ($79.95/month), Pro ($299.95/month), and Enterprise (pricing varies). An annual discount is available for the Plus and Pro plans.

Are there transaction fees on BigCommerce?

BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees when using its integrated payment gateways. Additional fees may apply if you choose external payment providers.

Conclusion

Understanding BigCommerce terminology is essential for making informed decisions about your online store and maximizing the platform’s potential. By mastering the definitions in this glossary, you’ll be better equipped to manage your store effectively and achieve your ecommerce goals. If you have additional questions or need further assistance, contact BigCommerce or a BigCommerce expert for personalized guidance.