Manage BigCommerce: 10 Tips To Reach Best Performance and Success

Are you looking to enhance your online store management with BigCommerce? In this guide, we’ll explore the essential features and provide tips to manage BigCommerce for performance and success.

What Features Affect Managing BigCommerce Online Store?

Explore the key features that impact the management of your BigCommerce online store and unlock the secrets to e-commerce success.

Storefront Design Optimization

BigCommerce lets you optimize the storefront’s structure with diverse functionality, such as:

• Page Builder Visual Editor: Without codes, store owners can easily modify store pages with a drag-and-drop editor within a few clicks.
• Theme Customization: You can customize themes in different formats, such as Javascript, HTML, and CSS.
• Checkout Customization: BigCommerce platforms accept credit card payments in two ways: Paypal powered by Braintree and third-party payment processors like  Squarespace  Payments, Stripe, and Paypal.
• Mobile Optimization: You can make the online store mobile-friendly in your visitor’s shopping journey.
• WordPress Integration: BigCommerce allows you to integrate your store with WordPress to optimize your product marketing efficiency.

Product Management

With BigCommerce’s intuitive platform, you can efficiently organize and create many product options – up to 250 per product to attract customers and drive sales.

Using BigCommerce’s product management tools, you can easily add, edit, and categorize your products. This allows you to maintain a well-organized inventory, making it simple for customers to find the items they want.

BigCommerce also provides robust product presentation options, including high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and customer reviews. By optimizing your product pages with compelling content, you can effectively communicate the value of your products and inspire confidence in potential buyers.

Furthermore, BigCommerce offers seamless integration with various third-party applications and services, allowing you to enhance your product management capabilities.

Headless Commerce

We really impressed with headless commerce integration when managing BigCommerce online stores. This feature helps you easily integrate with any available framework, such as Next.js, Gatsby, and Nuxt.js, creating a seamless integration to your customers on your site. 

Unlike traditional e-commerce platforms that force you to make a monolithic choice, BigCommerce allows you to integrate with the CMS of your choice, whether it’s WordPress, Contentful, Prismic, or any other platform that best suits your needs.

Moreover, BigCommerce headless includes channels toolkit to discover, test, and onboard headless solutions within the BigCommerce control panel, saving developer resources.

Cross-Channel Ecommerce

With BigCommerce’s Multi-Storefront feature, you can effortlessly manage various unique storefronts from a single dashboard. This tool is perfect for handling multiple brands, targeting different customer segments, or expanding into various regions.

For Marketplace integration, BigCommerce allows you to connect with leading platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Google Shopping, ensuring your products are available in your customers shopping.

For brick-and-mortar operations, BigCommerce keeps your in-store sales up-to-date through native POS systems, including Teamwork Commerce, streamlining your offline and online sales channels.

Selling in multiple languages

While BigComme doesn’t natively support multilingual capabilities, you can still sell in multiple languages using the platform through integration with the translation app Weglot.

With Weglot, you can seamlessly translate your store’s content into multiple languages, making it accessible to a global audience. This integration allows you to provide a localized shopping experience for customers in different regions, increasing engagement and conversion rates.

However, it’s important to note that using Weglot may require an additional investment on top of your BigCommerce fees. 

Reports & Analytics

With Ecommerce Analytics, you can dive deep into your store’s performance metrics, measuring merchandising performance down to the SKU level. Customizable date ranges allow you to analyze sales trends over time, helping you understand how seasonal factors impact your business.

Furthermore, Ecommerce Analytics provides a comprehensive view of customer, marketing, and merchandising data all in one dashboard. This centralized access lets you gain valuable insights into customer segments, identifying your biggest spenders and highest-valued customers.

Read more: An Ultimate Guide To BigCommerce Analytics

10 Tips For Improving Your BigCommerce Store Management

Now, let’s explore ten actionable tips to help you optimize your BigCommerce store management and unlock its full potential.

Craft marketing plan 

Crafting a comprehensive marketing plan is essential for the success of your BigCommerce store. A perfect marketing strategy helps you define your target audience, identify key marketing channels, and set measurable goals for your business, maximizing your return on investment (ROI). 

Whether focusing on social media marketing, email campaigns, or paid advertising, having a marketing plan is considered the first step to reach your business goals. 

Create an engaging website (enhance your store’s design) 

Creating an engaging website enhances your BigCommerce store’s design and attracts customers. A visually appealing and user-friendly website captivates visitors and encourages them to explore your products and purchase them. To enhance your store’s design, consider the following tips:

• Choose a visually appealing theme: Select a BigCommerce theme that reflects your brand identity and aligns with your target audience’s preferences. You need ensure the theme is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for mobile devices.
• Focus on user experience: Prioritize user experience by logically creating your website layout, making it easy for visitors to find. Use clear navigation menus, prominent call-to-action buttons, and intuitive search functionality to streamline the browsing experience. 
• Optimize product pages: Showcase your products effectively by using high-quality images, detailed product descriptions, and customer reviews. Highlight key features and benefits to entice customers and encourage them to purchase.
• Personalize the shopping experience: Implement personalization features such as product recommendations, dynamic content, and targeted promotions to tailor the shopping experience.
• Combine with multimedia elements: Use multimedia elements such as videos, slideshows, and interactive graphics to engage visitors and showcase your products because multimedia content can help convey information more effectively and leave a lasting impression on customers.
• Integrate social proof: Display customer testimonials, ratings, and reviews prominently on your website to build trust and credibility.

Determine your budget

Managing your BigCommerce will include analyzing your current finances and expenses to understand your financial position. Consider factors, such as operating costs, marketing expenses, inventory management, and any other overhead expenses associated with running your online store.

Prepare for peak seasons

Preparing for peak seasons is essential for ensuring the success of your BigCommerce store during periods of high demand. By anticipating increased traffic and sales, you can effectively manage inventory, optimize marketing efforts, and provide exceptional customer service to maximize revenue and customer satisfaction.

Here are some key steps to prepare for peak seasons:

• Analyze past performance: Review historical data from previous peak seasons to identify trends and patterns in customer behavior, sales volume, and product demand. Use this information to forecast future sales and plan accordingly.
• Stock up on inventory: Anticipate higher demand for popular products during peak seasons and ensure adequate inventory levels to meet customer demand. Work closely with suppliers to secure additional stock and minimize the risk of stockouts. 
• Optimize marketing campaigns: Develop targeted marketing campaigns to promote seasonal offers, discounts, and promotions to attract customers during peak seasons. Utilize email marketing, social media advertising, and other channels to reach your target audience effectively.
• Enhance website performance: Prepare your website for increased traffic by optimizing page load times, upgrading server capacity, and implementing caching solutions. Ensure a seamless shopping experience for customers to minimize bounce rates and maximize conversions.
• Streamline order fulfillment: Implement efficient order fulfillment processes to expedite order processing, packaging, and shipping. Consider partnering with reliable shipping carriers and fulfillment centers to handle increased order volumes and ensure timely delivery.
• Provide exceptional customer service: Hire additional staff or allocate resources to customer support teams to handle inquiries, resolve issues, and provide assistance during peak seasons. Implement live chat support, extended customer service hours, and self-service options to enhance the overall customer experience.

Choose careful logistics services

Selecting the right logistics services is crucial for the smooth operation of your BigCommerce store. Carefully choosing reliable shipping carriers and fulfillment partners ensures timely delivery, reduces shipping costs, and enhances customer satisfaction.

Here are some tips for choosing logistics services:

• Research and compare: Take the time to research and compare different logistics providers based on shipping rates, delivery times, reliability, and customer service. Look for providers with a track record of delivering timely packages and handling shipments carefully.
• Consider your shipping needs: Evaluate your shipping requirements, including package sizes, weights, and destinations. Choose logistics services that can accommodate your specific shipping needs and offer flexible options for domestic and international deliveries.
• Check reviews and testimonials: Read reviews and testimonials from other merchants who have used the logistics services you’re considering. Pay attention to feedback regarding delivery times, package handling, and customer service experiences to ensure you’re choosing a reputable provider.
• Negotiate rates: Don’t hesitate to negotiate shipping rates and terms with logistics providers to secure the best possible deals for your business. Many providers offer discounted rates for high-volume shippers or provide customized pricing based on your shipping volume and frequency. 
• Evaluate technology and integrations: Consider logistics providers that offer advanced technology and integration capabilities to streamline order fulfillment and shipping processes. Look for providers that integrate seamlessly with your BigCommerce store and offer features such as real-time tracking, automated shipping label generation, and inventory management tools.
• Assess customer support: Prioritize logistics providers that offer responsive and reliable customer support. You’ll want to partner with a provider that can quickly address any shipping issues or concerns that may arise and provide timely assistance to ensure a positive customer experience.

Regularly update your inventory 

Keeping your product listings accurate and up-to-date ensures customers access the latest information and availability, reducing the risk of out-of-stock items or inaccuracies in product descriptions.

Here are some tips for effectively managing and updating your inventory:

• Set up inventory tracking: Use BigCommerce’s built-in inventory management tools or integrate with third-party inventory management software to track stock levels, monitor product availability, and receive alerts for low-stock items.  
• Establish a schedule: Regularly update your inventory to ensure that product listings reflect current stock levels and availability. Depending on your business needs, this may involve daily, weekly, or monthly inventory updates.
• Monitor sales and replenish stock: Keep track of sales trends and popular products to identify which items need to be restocked.
• Add new products promptly: When adding new products to your inventory, update your BigCommerce store promptly with accurate product descriptions, images, pricing, and availability. This helps attract customers to new offerings and ensures a positive shopping experience.
• Remove discontinued items: Regularly review your inventory to identify any discontinued or obsolete products and remove them from your store. This prevents customers from ordering unavailable items and helps maintain a clean and organized product catalog.
• Update product information: Review and update product information, including descriptions, specifications, and images, to ensure accuracy and relevance. This can help improve search visibility and conversion rates by providing customers with detailed and informative product listings.

Revise content pages, meta descriptions, or meta tags

Regularly revising content pages, meta descriptions, and meta tags is crucial in influencing how your store appears in search engine results and can impact click-through rates and conversions.

• Update product descriptions: Review and update product descriptions regularly to ensure they accurately reflect your products’ features, benefits, and specifications. Use relevant keywords strategically to improve search engine visibility and attract potential customers.
• Optimize meta descriptions: Craft compelling meta descriptions that summarize the content of each page and encourage users to click through to your store. Include relevant keywords naturally and highlight unique selling points to differentiate your store from competitors.
• Refine meta tags: Review and refine meta tags, including title and heading tags, to improve their relevance and alignment with target keywords and topics. Use descriptive and keyword-rich titles to optimize visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and improve click-through rates.
• Optimize image alt text: Don’t overlook the importance of optimizing image alt text for SEO. Use descriptive alt text that accurately describes the content of each image and includes relevant keywords where appropriate. 
• Implement structured data markup: Use structured data markup, such as schema.org markup, to provide search engines with additional context about your store’s content.
• Monitor performance and make adjustments: Regularly monitor the performance of your content pages, meta descriptions, and meta tags using analytics tools. Pay attention to metrics such as click-through, bounce, and conversion rates to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven adjustments accordingly.

Simplify the checkout process

Simplifying the checkout process is essential for improving the user experience and increasing conversion rates on your BigCommerce store. Here are some strategies to streamline the checkout process:

• Single-page checkout: Condense the checkout process into a single page to minimize the steps customers need to complete their purchase. This reduces friction and makes it easier for customers to navigate the checkout process quickly.
• Guest checkout option: Customers can check out as guests without creating an account. This eliminates the need for customers to register an account, speeds up the checkout process, and reduces the purchase barriers.
• Progress indicators: Use progress indicators to show customers where they are in the checkout process and how many steps remain, helping customers understand the checkout flow and reducing abandonment rates.
• Multiple payment options: Offer a variety of payment options to accommodate different customer preferences. Accept major credit cards, digital wallets, and alternative payment methods to make it convenient for customers to complete their purchases.
• Clear shipping and return policies: Clearly communicate shipping costs, delivery times, and return policies upfront to set customer expectations. Providing transparent information helps build trust and confidence in the checkout process.

Create a customer review section 

Creating a customer review section on your BigCommerce store is a valuable way to build trust with potential customers and showcase the positive experiences of past buyers. Here’s how to set up a customer review section effectively:

• Choose a review platform: Decide on a review platform that integrates seamlessly with your BigCommerce store. Several options are available, including built-in review features within BigCommerce or third-party review apps like Yotpo, Trustpilot, or Judge.me.
• Enable customer reviews: Activate the customer review feature within your chosen platform and configure settings to allow customers to submit reviews for purchased products.
• Moderate reviews: Set guidelines for acceptable content and moderate reviews regularly to filter out spam or irrelevant comments. Respond to customer feedback promptly to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.
• Encourage participation: Encourage customers to leave reviews by sending follow-up emails after purchase, offering incentives such as discounts or loyalty points, or showcasing existing reviews prominently on your website. 
• Respond to reviews: Engage with customers by responding to their positive or negative reviews. Thank customers for their feedback, address any concerns or issues raised, and take steps to resolve any problems.

Focus on mobile optimization 

Focusing on mobile optimization is essential for ensuring a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience for customers visiting your BigCommerce store on mobile devices.

• Responsive design: Implement a responsive design for your BigCommerce store that automatically adjusts its layout and content based on the screen size and resolution of the device being used. This ensures your store looks and functions well on smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
• Mobile-friendly navigation: Simplify navigation menus and ensure they are easy to use on touchscreens. Use a clear and intuitive menu structure with large, easily clickable buttons to make it effortless for mobile users to browse your store and find what they want.
• Fast loading times: Optimize your website’s loading times to ensure quick access to content and reduce bounce rates. Minimize file sizes, leverage browser caching, and use lazy loading techniques to prioritize the loading of visible content first.
• Thumb-friendly design: Position essential elements such as buttons, links, and form fields within easy reach of the user’s thumb to enhance usability on mobile devices.

Train your team 

Effectively training your team is crucial for ensuring they have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide exceptional customer service and manage operations efficiently. 

• Provide comprehensive onboarding: Develop a structured onboarding program to introduce new team members to your BigCommerce store and its products, policies, and procedures. Cover essential topics such as navigating the backend system, processing orders, managing inventory, and interacting with customers.
• Offer role-specific training: Provide targeted training sessions focusing on the skills and knowledge required for their respective positions, whether customer support, sales, marketing, or website management.
• Utilize hands-on learning: Provide opportunities for shadowing experienced team members, role-playing customer interactions, and completing practical tasks related to their job roles.
• Use online training resources: Provide access to tutorials, videos, and interactive modules that cover topics such as BigCommerce platform features, industry best practices, and customer service techniques.
• Provide constructive feedback: Offer regular feedback and coaching to team members to help them improve their performance and address areas for growth. Recognize and celebrate achievements while providing constructive criticism and guidance for improvement areas.

Bottom Line

Effectively managing a BigCommerce store requires a comprehensive approach encompassing various aspects, from optimizing the website’s performance to providing excellent customer service.

Managing BigCommerce: FAQs