Why Many Brands Migrate from Shopify to BigCommerce

In this highly competitive e-commerce landscape, choosing the right platform is akin to laying the foundation for your business success. The platform you choose must be flexible enough to cater to the varying demands of buyers and adapt to future growth altogether. Shopify has earned a reputation as the most dependable and user-friendly platform, primarily for small to mid-sized businesses. However, as businesses grow over time, owners begin to seek more options to meet their increasingly complex requirements. 

Below, we will discuss the most common scenarios when businesses are compelled to seek better options that can meet their size and day-to-day operational requirements. Shopify, despite its numerous perks and intuitive design, can sometimes struggle to meet the evolving requirements of large brands. 

When Growth Outpaces Simplicity

Shopify excels in offering an intuitive interface, a very clean design framework, and an extensive app ecosystem. As businesses grow and expand into large product catalogs, advanced B2B features, or complex integrations, you may require a whole array of additional apps and plug-ins. This is the time when businesses plan to switch to other platforms that can fulfill their varying needs. To migrate from Shopify to BigCommerce is quite understandable since its built-in features can reduce your reliance on third-party apps. 

Support and Ecosystem Edge

This is probably the most overlooked factor in platform migration. The customer support and surrounding ecosystem are also equally instrumental. If we look at Shopify first, it offers well-known, fully cooperative 24/7 customer support, active user forums, and a vast partner network comprising developers, designers, and consultants. 

BigCommerce, on the other hand, is also equally committed to active customer support. It also offers dedicated account managers for higher-tier plans and has cultivated a strong developer community, primarily focused on enterprise-level solutions. It provides a clear edge to businesses seeking specific customization in the long run. 

Most Commonly Required Tools are Built in

BigCommerce is a vast platform that is more promising and accommodating, especially for large businesses. It’s built-in features offer advanced product filtering, multi-currency options, and customized APIs as part of its standard package. However, these additional features can also be integrated on Shopify, albeit through the use of third-party apps and plug-ins that incur extra costs and management. 

This doesn’t imply that Shopify falls short of capabilities in any way. It is a perfect fit for businesses in their early stages of growth. But for larger operations, BigCommerce is perfectly suitable without compromising on functionality. 

Multi-Platform Experimentation on Growth Path

Many businesses adopt a multi-stage migration journey as an experiment to determine the exact compatibility with the nature and scale of their operations. For instance, some first move WooCommerce to Shopify because it offers a more manageable interface compared to WordPress-based systems. Later on, with expansion, they might consider switching to a more robust option, such as BigCommerce. 

In simple terms, each platform has its advantages and drawbacks, and each one can be instrumental in evolving the growth cycle of a business, depending on its suitability, cost, and potential for growth. Shopify is considered for its ease of use and speed, while BigCommerce is ideal for its depth and scalability. 

Long-Term Cost Assessment

At first glance, Shopify’s pricing might seem affordable. However, as time passes and more apps and plug-ins are integrated for smooth operability, the overall cost will certainly rise beyond one’s expectations. On the contrary, most of these features are included in BigCommerce by default, which outweighs your native platform. This becomes essential for businesses that require enterprise-grade tools and advanced functionality. 

Till your business expands to the extent that you require several additional third-party apps, sticking with Shopify is a rational decision since it offers all the incentives to small and mid-sized businesses. 

SEO and Marketing Suitability Factor

Although both platforms are comfortably reliable for your SEO and marketing requirements, still, BigCommerce provides more granular control over metadata and URLs, eliminating the need for external app or plugin support. This is a massive advantage for SEO-driven brands that have invested sufficient time and money in SEO. 

Shopify is also quite competent in this area compared to other platforms. Still, it requires in-depth research and analysis to determine the most suitable apps and plug-ins. In short, the decision comes down to which platform syncs well with your marketing strategy and preferences. 

Steps for a Smooth Transition 

Whether you plan to move from Shopify to BigCommerce or Volusion to BigCommerce, a well-planned migration plan is crucial for a smooth and problem-free transition. Here are some vital steps you must consider before the execution. 

• Properly map product data and categories
• Set up your 301 redirects to preserve rankings
• Adjust your new theme to match the previous one
• Test each functionality before going live

Although one can believe that all this is just a few clicks’ job, in reality, it takes a lot of expertise and professionalism. Therefore, I recommend hiring a team of professionals, as a single mistake can quickly go awry in a fraction of a second.

Conclusion 

I believe switching between different platforms is less about which exact platform is “better”; instead, it’s more about which platform currently aligns well with your current requirements and future growth plans. Shopify, without a doubt, offers a highly intuitive, speedy, and user-friendly experience that is ideal for startups and growing businesses. 

BigCommerce, on the other hand, shines when your business needs scalability, more built-in features, and cost-friendliness all at once. A start-up can ideally begin with Shopify without any concerns in mind, but when your business reaches a certain growth level, transitioning to BigCommerce is a rational decision. So, regardless of the current choice, just make sure that the platform you are switching to aligns better with your short-term wins and long-term vision.