Which eCommerce Platform Should You Choose?
This is the question for so many businesses who want to sell online.
There is a lot of advice and information on the internet to help answer this question, but it’s not very comprehensive.
In this blog post, I’m going to share some of the details that other comparison posts are missing, giving you unbiased information that will be helpful in your decision-making process.
As a Lead Developer and Architect at EYEMAGINE, I have worked with many different eCommerce solutions. If there’s one piece of advice I can give on this topic it is to spend a decent amount of time doing your research.
It will save you a big headache in the long run.
(And if anyone is going to want to rush you through this process, that person is probably in sales).
Fundamental Questions to Ask
Before I get into the details of BigCommerce and Magento, let me raise a few questions that will help you on this journey. Here are a few key questions to ask yourself before choosing an eCommerce platform.
Business Questions
- What is the size of your business?
- What are your business goals?
- How customized is your business and/or your marketing strategy?
Technical Questions
- How many products do you have?
- How many customers do you have/want to have?
- How large and customized is your ecosystem? (ERP, CRM, etc.)
- Do you have any special technical requirements?
Answering these questions will help you and your developers discover the requirements and priorities of your eCommerce platform.
BigCommerce vs. Magento
Both BigCommerce and Magento are fantastic and first class solutions. There is no question about this.
It’s up to you to decide which platform is best for your business.
Here, we’ll highlight the specific pros and cons of each of these eCommerce platforms, including some key differences.
Design Templates & Marketplace
BigCommerce offers free design templates and its marketplace is growing. It’s also very easy to make design changes with BigCommerce, which is a big advantage.
Magento has thousands of templates in its marketplace. In addition, Magento has a large and professional community behind it that’s very useful when you need help with your site.
With Magento, you can be sure that you’ll be able to complete any design or back-end customization. In this sense, Magento is a good option if you’re starting with a clean template that you want to customize.
Ease of Use
BigCommerce is a fairly simple solution. Your site should be ready to launch - without any surprises - after the customization process.
This allows you to estimate your timeline more accurately, and is a huge win for your business because you can start selling ASAP.
Magento on the other hand, is not a “one-click solution.” It takes some more time to customize, and you’ll be surprised at what extensions you can’t find in Magento.
Hosting
BigCommerce is a self-hosting solution, so you won’t see the code base behind the solution. This is included in the monthly fee.
On Magento, you can choose a hosting partner from the market. There are many to choose from and most of them provide good quality service.
You can also choose AWS (Amazon) and build up an auto-scale professional “server park.”
Budget
If you’re trying to keep costs low, then BigCommerce is a more budget-friendly solution.
Just make sure you understand the details of their packages, as their pricing grid doesn’t list what’s included or not included in each.
In my experience, clients who start out with the more basic, low-cost packages eventually realize they need to switch to a more advanced one, so we recommend choosing either Pro or Enterprise.
Unfortunately, BigCommerce does not have a free version.
Magento does have a free version called Magento Community Edition and it’s open source. This version is ready to go with responsive design.
Magento packages are more pricy than BigCommerce, however it’s worth the cost if you’re seeking more customization on your website.
Enterprise Options
Both eCommerce platforms have enterprise versions that include all the features that platform has to offer.
The enterprise version of BigCommerce is an excellent solution that minimizes any room for surprises when your website launches.
But if it’s a competition, Magento 2.1 Enterprise comes out on top. On a technical level, it’s very evident that Magento understands the real meaning of the word “Enterprise.”
This deluxe version of Magento will not disappoint.
Marketing Features
This is one feature that is often overlooked on other BigCommerce vs. Magento comparison posts.
I would like to highlight Magento 2.1 Enterprise here, for effectively creating a bridge between the eCommerce and marketing worlds with its Content Staging and Preview option.
In Magento 2.1 Enterprise, you can schedule a wide range of new content, and then preview what it will look like on your site at a future date. This feature can be used with any type of content - from product data to banners.
This is a very useful tool for marketers.
Let’s say you want to be sure your new products will be available with the correct sales prices on a specific day like Black Friday.
You’re planning to run a marketing campaign at that time and you’ll have a new landing page you want to test. Content Staging and Preview allows you to efficiently set up this upcoming content.
SEE ALSO: What eCommerce Website Platforms Don’t Want You To Know About BigCommerce
Conclusion
Both BigCommerce and Magento are excellent and valuable eCommerce platforms.
The real question is: which one better fits your business goals?
Overall, if your goal is to save money then BigCommerce is most likely the best choice for you.
If you want more customization on any level and you have the resources, then you should definitely consider the Magento platform as your solution.
Need more help choosing which eCommerce platform is right for you? Contact us for a free consultation, today.
