Need to flip your WordPress web site right into a moneymaker by including an internet retailer? You may’t go improper with including BigCommerce for WordPress.

Competitors amongst WordPress plugins could be intense, and because of this, plugin suppliers have made it simpler than ever so that you can get your retailer up and working.

And whereas WooCommerce will get a lot of the plugin plaudits from WordPress specialists, BigCommerce deserves its day within the solar.

The one drawback? Selecting the best WordPress ecommerce plugin for you.

In case you’re simply right here for a fast primer, don’t fear. We’ll clarify what BigCommerce can do as your ecommerce platform and why you would possibly choose it over WooCommerce. Then, we’ll stroll you thru putting in BigCommerce’s WordPress plugin.

Right here’s what you’ll study:

What’s BigCommerce?

As its title suggests, BigCommerce is a giant participant within the ecommerce trade. Whereas it’s not as in style as Shopify or Amazon, it has made severe headway lately.

This NASDAQ-listed agency powers the web shops of well-known enterprises, akin to Ben & Jerry’s and GE Home equipment, via its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform.

You may combine BigCommerce with most web sites, that means you possibly can maintain your web site’s appear and feel whereas tapping into a brand new income stream.

After a interval of considerable progress, BigCommerce created a plugin to convey its ecommerce performance to one of many net’s hottest content material administration methods (CMSs): WordPress.

WordPress is utilized by an estimated 42.3% of all web sites, so it’s no shock that BigCommerce would need in on the motion. BigCommerce developed its plugin with assist from WordPress specialists Fashionable Tribe, and it was Gutenberg prepared out of the field.

Whereas the WordPress plugin was solely made accessible in 2018, it has spared no time in amassing downloads.

BigCommerce for WordPress

One of many main advantages of BigCommerce for WordPress is the truth that it’s headless. And headless commerce in WordPress has some nice perks, akin to elevated safety and adaptability.

Your BigCommerce retailer’s again finish operates utterly individually out of your WordPress web site’s customer-facing storefront (i.e., the entrance finish).

However what in case your WordPress entrance finish and BigCommerce again finish must have a pleasant chat by the hearth?

Properly, they’ll achieve this utilizing an open API (utility planning interface).

Advantages of BigCommerce over WooCommerce

An entire like-for-like comparability of performance wouldn’t do both plugin justice. For the aim of this text, we’ve identified a number of areas the place BigCommerce has the sting.

Pricing for credit score and debit card transactions

In case you use WooCommerce Funds in your ecommerce retailer, you’ll be charged a typical 2.9% + $0.30 for funds made by U.S. debit and bank cards. Nevertheless, for funds from playing cards issued outdoors the U.S., you’ll incur a hefty 4.4% + $0.30.

BigCommerce clients can use varied fee choices, akin to PayPal powered by Braintree. The cardboard processing price is 2.59% + $0.49 per transaction for the usual BigCommerce plan.

Professional and Enterprise plan clients with a sure income degree can get an excellent sweeter deal at 2.05% + $0.49. That’s an awesome incentive to make use of the BigCommerce plugin to construct your on-line retailer.

Separate ecommerce system

As a result of the commerce elements of the WordPress admin are transferred to BigCommerce’s system, your WordPress web site’s apps and themes have fewer efficiency impediments. The shortage of ecommerce litter additionally makes it simpler to scale your web site.

PCI compliance

With safety threats rising, web site guests prefer to see security measures like SSL certificates and PCI compliance earlier than they enter their fee data.

One advantage of BigCommerce over WooCommerce is PCI compliance.

Though WooCommerce itself meets PCI requirements, it leaves clients to kind out their very own ecommerce retailer compliance.

In distinction, BigCommerce shoulders some PCI compliance tasks, so you possibly can spend much less time worrying about cardholder privateness and extra time working your corporation.

Find out how to set up BigCommerce for WordPress

For the aim of anybody nonetheless discovering their toes on WordPress, we’ll begin with the fundamentals. The one actual precondition is that you have already got a WordPress web site and net host.

Like most plugins, the BigCommerce WordPress plugin is out there within the WordPress plugin library, in order that’ll be your first port of name. Navigate right here from the WordPress admin dashboard (you might also name it your admin panel or management panel — no judgment right here).

When you’re logged in, scroll down the left-hand panel till you see Plugins.

Once you hover your mouse over Plugins, you’ll see Add New.

After you click on it, you’ll see a search bar for locating WordPress plugins. Seek for the BigCommerce for WordPress plugin.

Now, click on the Activate button beside BigCommerce for WordPress. 

You’ll be taken to the Welcome web page for the BigCommerce WordPress plugin. The embedded YouTube video supplies a fast tutorial on the BigCommerce plugin.

Let’s begin from scratch and create a brand new account.

To create a BigCommerce account, you’ll must fill in varied particulars, akin to your electronic mail tackle, retailer title, cellphone quantity, and bodily tackle.

When you fill in all of your particulars, you’ll be prompted to arrange a brand new channel. You’ll see a short explainer of channels and directions for connecting your ecommerce retailer to different ecommerce web sites or WordPress multisites.

Typically, gross sales channels are the place your BigCommerce merchandise are bought, ordered, or marketed. They are often storefronts, marketplaces, point-of-sale (POS) methods for checkout, or advertising platforms.

Subsequent, add a brand new channel title.

After you add this channel, you’ll be requested to configure your retailer. You may both arrange a full-featured retailer or select “easy running a blog” so as to add merchandise to your posts and pages.

Let’s go for a full-featured retailer right here. When you do that, you’ll be prompted to arrange your navigation menus. This step is optionally available.

After that, you’re principally completed with the setup — congratulations on a profitable BigCommerce WordPress integration.

Now you can set up your retailer. A very good place to begin can be product web page and catalog administration. Additionally, don’t overlook to carry out a product sync each every now and then.

BigCommerce additionally has some helpful sources, akin to suggestions on WordPress themes, a few of that are tailor-made towards BigCommerce shops.

Now that you just’ve put in BigCommerce for WordPress, you possibly can deal with leveraging its options to improve conversions in your ecommerce web site.

In case you’re simply beginning out in your ecommerce journey, BigCommerce might take a while to get used to. That stated, you’ll discover loads of useful sources within the BigCommerce Data Base, and plugin help is out there, too.

Closing ideas: Find out how to set up BigCommerce for WordPress — step-by-step information

Along with your BigCommerce WordPress integration full, you possibly can deal with fine-tuning different elements of your web site to enhance its person expertise. 

In case you opted for a shared internet hosting plan, it’s possible you’ll discover that your web site’s engine begins to sputter throughout high-traffic seasonal gross sales durations.

To make sure your web site is able to ramp up sources on the drop of a hat, go for a managed internet hosting supplier like Nexcess that shoots for scalability and by no means misses.

With autoscaling included in all our managed internet hosting plans, you possibly can relaxation assured that your web site is able to maintain promoting till its digital cabinets are naked.

In case your ecommerce web site continues to develop, it’s possible you’ll want to consider a internet hosting plan that units no limits on success.

Get in contact with Nexcess as we speak to seek out out extra about how enterprise internet hosting can enhance high-growth companies.