BigCommerce.

E-commerce Platform

Positions itself between Shopify and Commercetools: SaaS reliability with significantly larger API surfaces for headless and B2B. Sweet spot for mid-market organizations.

What is BigCommerce?

BigCommerce is a SaaS e-commerce platform with two faces: standard B2C shops run like Shopify, but you can also use the REST/GraphQL APIs for headless architectures and B2B environments. Less flexible than Commercetools, but much more flexible than standard Shopify.

What makes BigCommerce different?

Larger API surface than Shopify. BigCommerce advertises "API-first" and MACH alignment. Technically it's a monolith with strong API surfaces – enough for headless and B2B.

Native B2B is BigCommerce's strong point. B2B Edition offers Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ), multi-company hierarchies, advanced permissioning – real B2B functionality that many retailers need.

Dutch attention has decreased. BigCommerce invested heavily in the Dutch and European market years ago, but focus seems to have shifted to the US. The platform itself is solid.

Strengths

B2B functionality is mature – Multi-company accounts, CPQ, bulk ordering, advanced permissioning natively built-in.

GraphQL Storefront API – Full headless capability. You can build your own frontend.

REST + GraphQL both available – Developers have choice. REST for simple, GraphQL for complex queries.

Mid-market sweet spot – Less expensive than Commercetools, more flexible than Shopify.

Who uses BigCommerce?

BigCommerce serves retailers from small to large with focus on B2B and enterprise.

Puma – Sports brand, omnichannel e-commerce

Ben & Jerry's – Ice cream, B2C + wholesale

Gibson – Guitar manufacturer, B2B + DTC

Toyota – Automotive, parts B2B

PROS Partnership – B2B digital commerce

Our perspective

BigCommerce is, in our experience, a solid choice for mid-market companies that find Shopify too limited, but aren't ready for Commercetools' complexity. B2B capabilities are genuinely impressive.

Suitable for

B2B-focused retailers – CPQ, multi-company hierarchies, permissioning are really well implemented

Multi-channel retailers – REST/GraphQL APIs make headless feasible

Companies that want faster than Commercetools, more flexible than Shopify

International companies – Multi-currency, multi-language, multi-compliance

Consider carefully

Less "echo" in the Netherlands – Fewer local experts than Shopify

Not purely composable – You're bound to BigCommerce's data model

Pricing scale problem – Enterprise can quickly become EUR 50k+/month

Is BigCommerce suitable for enterprise?

Yes, but with nuances. BigCommerce Enterprise is suitable for EUR 10-500M revenue companies. For Fortune 500 hyper-complex multi-brand environments: Commercetools is better.

Summary: BigCommerce is the "Porsche" between Shopify (Volkswagen) and Commercetools (Formula 1). Significantly more power than Shopify, not as overwhelming as Commercetools. B2B capabilities are genuinely strong.

Need help with your commerce platform choice? We're happy to help with headless and B2B considerations.

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In practice

Integrations & ecosystem

BigCommerce integrates with: Stripe, Square, Klarna, Adyen (payments), ShipBob, custom WMS (fulfillment), Contentful, Sanity (CMS via API), SAP, NetSuite (ERP), Akeneo, Salsify (PIM). Marketplace contains 300+ apps.

Implementation

Self-service small plans: 2-4 weeks. BigCommerce Enterprise with custom development: 3-6 months. Learning curve is moderate – dashboard is intuitive, headless/GraphQL requires developer skills.

Support & community

Enterprise gets dedicated account managers and 24/7 phone support. Community is smaller than Shopify. API docs are clear; B2B documentation is detailed.

AI & product development

BigCommerce AI assistant helps with product descriptions (nascent). B2B CPQ and permissioning get attention in the roadmap. Focus on B2B maturation and headless improvement.

Compare with alternatives

How does BigCommerce compare to Shopify?

BigCommerce offers more flexibility (GraphQL/REST headless, B2B) than Shopify Plus, but less than Commercetools. Shopify is faster to go live, BigCommerce wins on B2B capabilities. For pure B2C startups: Shopify. For B2B or complex multi-channel: BigCommerce.

Also check out our analyses of other platforms:

Shopify – SaaS all-in-one, faster to go live, less API surface

Commercetools – Fully API-first, maximum flexibility, more complex implementation

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between Standard and Enterprise?
Standard plans (EUR 29-254/month) are for shops up to ~EUR 2M GMV. Enterprise is custom-priced with dedicated support.
Is BigCommerce really API-first?
Partially. You can go headless via GraphQL/REST, but it's not purely API-first like Commercetools.
How good is B2B on BigCommerce?
Excellent. B2B Edition supports multi-company accounts, CPQ, permissioning, custom pricing. Real B2B, not an afterthought.
Can I use BigCommerce headless?
Yes. GraphQL Storefront API is great for custom frontends (React, Vue). Not as pure as Commercetools, but genuinely usable.
What does BigCommerce Enterprise cost?
Depends on revenue, GMV, custom features. Typically EUR 5k-50k+/month. Request a quote from sales.

Need help with your commerce choice?

Breakfast helps you make the right choice. Independent advice, no hidden agendas.

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