When you’re starting up your online shop, it can be confusing trying to work out which platform to build your e-store on. BigCommerce is widely considered the most scalable e-commerce platform, with more built-in features than other options such as Shopify and Wix.
However, for some beginners, the terminology and language used in the setup process can be confusing and off-putting; it’s hard to make progress when you can’t understand what’s being asked of you.
If you’re stuck in your BigCommerce journey, here’s a step by step guide to either get you going or get you back on track:
Step 1: Register your details
As you’d expect from a platform created for e-commerce and website design, the BigCommerce homepage is clear and simple to use; there’s even a button to click to start a free 15-day trial, so you can indeed ‘try before you buy’ from their service.
Following a few questions about the type of business you’re in, and what you’re looking to sell, you’ll have access to the BigCommerce dashboard, where you’ll later come to make any changes to how your site is operating.
The biggest decision here is naming your store — however, don’t antagonize over this too much, you can always come back and rename it.
Step 2: Customize your settings
If you haven’t set up an e-commerce site before, then this is where the details may get a bit more complicated for you. Make sure you take full advantage of BigCommerce’s guided video tour when you reach the dashboard, so you better understand what each of the features are there to perform.
You can have some fun choosing the right theme for your store, which matches your branding and visual aesthetic well. BigCommerce has a number of free, well-designed templates, to make your set up as speedy as possible. Although, if you’ve got a budget to spend, the paid templates will provide you with a stronger visual point of difference versus other companies also using BigCommerce to sell through.
You don’t need to be a tech-expert or even design-savvy to be able to create a good looking and well functioning BigCommerce site. The terminology you’ll need to know — such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) — can be easily debunked with a quick Google search. For instance, SEO simply means how readily your website link appears in search engine results; the jargon of web design is truly quite basic, once you start to explore it. Additionally, Big Commerce Partners can provide support any time along the journey.
Step 3: Add your products and start selling
Once you’re happy with the visual style and structure of your site, it’s time to add some products to sell.
Click on ‘Products’ in the left-side menu, and then ‘Add’ to upload images of your wears into the system. You’ll need to input some additional information, to display next to the picture, such as sizes/dimensions, material, description and — of course — price. Whilst the sort of information you input will change depending on the item, make sure you’ve got a well-thought-through pricing strategy.
Then, you should be good to go. Happy selling!
