Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Pricing and Fees
- Core Features
- Marketing Tools and Analytics
- AI Capabilities
- Integrations and Apps
- Ease of Use and Customer Support
- Final Verdict
- FAQ
Introduction
Choosing the right ecommerce platform can be a daunting task, especially with so many options available today. If you're evaluating Weebly and BigCommerce, you're probably wondering which one aligns best with your business needs. Whether you run a small-scale operation or manage a rapidly growing company, your ecommerce platform can make or break your online presence. This blog post aims to offer an in-depth comparison of Weebly and BigCommerce, focusing on key aspects like pricing, features, and ease of use, to help you make an informed decision.
Pricing and Fees
Weebly
One of Weebly's most attractive features is its cost-effectiveness. It offers a "free forever" plan that gives you access to basic ecommerce tools, including a shopping cart and the ability to sell unlimited items. Weebly's paid plans range from $10 to $26 per month. The Personal plan ($10/month) covers custom domains and unlimited storage. The highest-tier Performance plan ($26/month) offers advanced features like abandoned cart emails and comprehensive ecommerce insights. While Weebly provides an affordable starting point, its feature set may eventually necessitate a platform upgrade as your business scales.
BigCommerce
In contrast, BigCommerce doesn't offer a free plan but provides a 15-day trial period. Pricing starts at $39/month for the Standard plan and goes up to $399/month for the Pro plan, with custom pricing for enterprise solutions. A key advantage of BigCommerce is its lack of transaction fees across all plans. However, each plan has a sales limit—for example, the Standard plan restricts annual sales to $50,000. While more expensive than Weebly, BigCommerce delivers advanced features, including omnichannel selling tools and AI capabilities, providing greater value for money at higher tiers.
Core Features
Website Building and Design
Weebly: Known for its ease of use, Weebly offers a range of templates suitable for portfolios, blogs, and ecommerce. Its intuitive drag-and-drop editor requires no coding skills, making it accessible to users at any technical level.
BigCommerce: While BigCommerce also offers hundreds of responsive templates, they are generally more specialized for ecommerce stores. The learning curve is steeper due to advanced design capabilities like HTML and CSS customization. Nevertheless, these options provide greater flexibility for those looking to make granular design changes.
Ecommerce and Selling Features
Weebly: Despite its affordability, Weebly offers robust ecommerce features. These include unlimited product listings, inventory management, tax calculation, and delivery options. However, advanced features like abandoned cart emails and PayPal payments are gated behind pricier plans.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce excels with powerful selling tools. It supports diverse payment systems through a PayPal partnership that offers discounted rates. It also integrates seamlessly with social media platforms and marketplaces for omnichannel selling, and provides extensive inventory and order management capabilities. Additionally, BigCommerce allows granular customization of product pages, supporting both physical and digital products, as well as services.
Marketing Tools and Analytics
Weebly: Weebly offers solid blogging tools, lead capture forms, and pop-up notifications but falls short in SEO capabilities. While it provides essential features like product sales promotions and basic email marketing, it lacks the depth needed for advanced marketing strategies.
BigCommerce: This platform shines in SEO features, allowing extensive site editing for higher search engine rankings. BigCommerce supports comprehensive marketing tools including customized dashboards, thorough inventory analytics, and customer segmentation, giving you deep insights into sales and customer behavior.
AI Capabilities
A significant differentiator is AI integration.
BigCommerce: BigCommerce is pioneering in AI with its "BigAI" toolkit. This suite includes AI-driven content generation, predictive analytics, personalized product recommendations, and more.
Weebly: Weebly does not natively support any AI features. You would need to rely on third-party integrations available through its marketplace to introduce some level of AI capabilities.
Integrations and Apps
Weebly: Offers around 100 apps within its "App Center," covering essential categories like marketing, sales, and analytics.
BigCommerce: Provides a more extensive app marketplace with over 850 integrations. Apps are curated into collections like "Shipping Essentials," making it easy to find the tools you need. The platform also supports open APIs for creating custom workflows.
Ease of Use and Customer Support
Weebly: Weebly edges ahead in ease of use. Its straightforward design and limited yet sufficient feature set make it ideal for beginners.
BigCommerce: While more complex, BigCommerce provides excellent customer support, including 24/7 chat, email, and phone support on all plans. Its comprehensive learning resources and vibrant online community further enhance usability.
Final Verdict
Deciding between Weebly and BigCommerce ultimately hinges on your business size and growth ambitions. For small businesses or solo entrepreneurs, Weebly offers a cost-effective and user-friendly solution. However, as your business scales, its limited feature set may necessitate a switch to a more robust platform.
On the other hand, BigCommerce is better suited for larger businesses looking for advanced ecommerce functionalities, strong inventory management, and omnichannel selling capabilities. Though pricier, it provides excellent value, particularly for businesses aiming for significant growth.
FAQ
Is BigCommerce suitable for small businesses?
While BigCommerce is more feature-rich and pricier, it can be overkill for very small businesses. However, if scalability and advanced features are important, it may be worth the investment.
Can I switch from Weebly to BigCommerce easily?
Migrating from Weebly to BigCommerce involves transferring your data and reconfiguring your online store. Both platforms provide migration tools and support to facilitate the process.
Does Weebly support international selling?
Weebly offers basic international selling capabilities, including currency settings and tax calculations. However, for advanced international ecommerce features, BigCommerce is the better option.
Do both platforms offer mobile-responsive templates?
Yes, both Weebly and BigCommerce provide mobile-responsive templates to ensure that your online store looks great on any device.
What kind of customer support do Weebly and BigCommerce offer?
Weebly provides 24/7 support primarily via chat, email, and forums, whereas BigCommerce offers comprehensive support options including phone support on all plans.
By thoroughly understanding your business needs and growth objectives, you can make an informed decision between Weebly and BigCommerce. Choose wisely, and you can set a solid foundation for your ecommerce success.
