BigCommerce: Essentials vs. Enterprise for Wholesale & Retail

BigCommerce Essentials vs. Enterprise, which one is better for wholesale and which is greater for retail purposes? If you want to build a new eCommerce store or maintain an old one on BigCommerce, it’s necessary to pay a closer look at our comparison. 

What are BigCommerce Essentials?

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BigCommerce Essentials is a generic term for the paid versions, including Standard, Plus, and Pro. BigCommerce Essentials is more oriented towards retail and B2C customers. However, the platform adds B2B functionalities in its Plus and Pro versions for small wholesalers.

The cheapest and most common one among them is the BigCommerce Standard edition, which costs $29.95 per month. The next one is the Plus edition with few extra features here and there, which costs $79.95 per month. With a vast price gap compared to the other two, the BigCommerce Pro edition is the final one and it costs roughly $299.95 each month.

It’s recommended for sellers who plan for Plus or Pro edition to get the 10% discount by selecting yearly payment. If paying yearly, the monthly price of the Plus edition drops to $71.95, while the BigCommerce Pro edition drops to $269.96.

What is BigCommerce Enterprise?

BigCommerce Enterprise edition uses personalized pricing via direct negotiation with businesses and corporates, making it difficult to get a good idea of how much the monthly price might be.

However, by comparing the similarity of pricing plans between Shopify & BigCommerce, you can get a rough idea of how much the cost might be.

Compared with each other, you can clearly notice the similarity between BigCommerce and its closest rival, Shopify, in terms of pricing plans. BigCommerce and Shopify offer the same prices with their three “regular” ecommerce plans.

Both of them also offer an enterprise-level pricing plan with lots of extra features and functionalities. However, while BigCommerce keeps silent, Shopify publicly announces its monthly price, which would cost at least $2,000.

Shopify charges $29 per month, $79 per month, and $299 per month, while BigCommerce charges $29.95 per month, $79.95 per month, and $299.95 per month. And, on top of those three options, both Shopify and BigCommerce offer an enterprise-plan (at Shopify, it’s called “Shopify Plus”), which, unlike BigCommerce, is very transparent about the price: it starts at $2,000 a month.

Given how comparable the monthly license fees of both platforms are, it’s a close call to estimate that BigCommerce Enterprise would cost at least $2,000 per month. Although it depends on several factors, including customer’s specific needs and yearly discounts, the actual price could certainly be variants.

What Should You Choose? BigCommerce Essentials vs Enterprise

ALSO, CHECK OUT our complete BigCommerce web development guide for B2B store!

When choosing which BigCommerce plan to build and operate your websites, you should take note of these important factors.

1. Functional expectations.

Firstly, you should figure out whether or not the more expensive pricing options meet your expectation of features and functionalities.

Are the bonus features and improvements fit your vision? Are these features helpful enough to improve your business? Can you operate without them?

2. Calculated expense.

Secondly, take careful control of your monthly expenses.

For example, are the extra features helpful enough to earn you orders that at least satisfy the pricing gap between the cheaper plan and the more costly one?

3. Revenue limits

Third, consider your revenue limits for possible future expansion and pricing plan upgrades. If you hit your maximum revenue limit allowances, pricing plan upgrades could undoubtedly happen.

If you reach the revenue limit multiple times while on a BigCommerce Standard or Plus edition, it’s a must to upgrade to the next pricing level.

Moreover, if you reach the limit while on the Pro plan, an additional $150 per month is required for each additional $200,000 of successful sales.

4. BigCommerce wholesale and retail.

In either case, it’s most important to remind yourself of the business objectives and models your company is after.

For wholesale purpose

We have listed all possible B2B features and compared the pricing plans for your sake. Please take a look at the table below.

Basically, BigCommerce Enterprises is mostly focused on wholesale functionality compared to those Essentials ones.

However, due to its high cost, not every B2B business can afford them. Only those that can make up at least $2,000 of sale revenue should ever consider choosing the plan, even though it offers the best quality features.

Back to BigCommerce Essentials, as you can easily notice, the more pricey the plan is, the more wholesale features you have. For that reason, we recommend you choose at least the Plus edition, and if you can afford it, then the Pro edition should be a potential upgrade.

For retail purpose

There are at least two significant features that are not included in all three editions, yet are great for both B2C and B2B customers.

• Abandoned Cart Saver.

The Abandoned Cart Saver is a one-of-a-kind feature that might make the already leaving customers go back for a purchase. It is only available in the Plus and Pro plan but not in the Standard option.

• Product Filtering.

A better browsing experience that helps customers narrow items by size, color, brand, etc. could make your customers more likely to make purchases. It’s especially helpful for stores with a huge variety of items. Sadly, in BigCommerce Essentials, the Product Filtering feature is only available in the Pro pricing option.

Conclusion

To be fair, BigCommerce Essentials is a lesser option compared to BigCommerce Enterprise, yet it’s great enough for small and medium-sized businesses that aim at either wholesale, retail or both at once.

BSS Commerce is one of the leading Multi-platform eCommerce solutions and Magento development services providers in the world. With experienced and certified developers, we commit to bring high-quality products and services to optimize your business effectively

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Nguyen Bao Hoang

Marketing Executive at BSS Commerce

Hoang is the Marketing Executive heavily focused on all the mandatory B2B eCommerce and Search Engine Optimization knowledge. His works are the best recommendations for newcomers. He loves enjoying a hot coffee at the beginning of the day.

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