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What is BigCommerce Development?

BigCommerce development is the practice of building and customising stores on BigCommerce — the Austin-based, fully hosted e-commerce platform that publicly positions itself as "open SaaS". Compared to Shopify, BigCommerce ships more native features without third-party apps (multi-currency built in, no transaction fees on any plan, native multi-storefront on Enterprise, deeper API rate limits, native B2B on B2B Edition). Compared to Magento it offers SaaS economics (BigCommerce hosts the platform, you don't). Named brands on BigCommerce: Skullcandy, Ben & Jerry's, SoloStove, Berlin Packaging, Vodafone retail.

Our BigCommerce practice covers four output paths: custom Stencil themes hand-coded from Figma / PSD / XD; Catalyst headless storefronts on Next.js + GraphQL Storefront API (BigCommerce\'s official React framework, launched September 2024); B2B Edition setups with BundleB2B; and migrations from Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce. For platform comparison see our Shopify or Magento services.

Stencil vs Catalyst — Theme Framework Choice

BigCommerce supports two first-party theme frameworks. Most BigCommerce-dev pages on Google still only mention Stencil — Catalyst is a recent shift the industry hasn't caught up to. Honest matrix:

Stencil (classic)

  • Default theme framework for traditional themed BigCommerce stores.
  • Handlebars templates + SCSS + JavaScript hooks; the stencil-cli for local development.
  • Largest existing theme ecosystem — the marketplace, the Cornerstone reference theme, every BigCommerce-native app.
  • Best for traditional storefronts where the BigCommerce control panel drives the editing experience.
  • Trade-off: server-rendered Handlebars limits how rich the front-end can be vs a React SPA.

Catalyst (headless, since Sept 2024)

  • Official Next.js-based reference headless storefront from BigCommerce.
  • React Server Components, TypeScript, GraphQL Storefront API built in.
  • Best for headless commerce where you want a React storefront on infrastructure you control (Vercel, Cloudflare).
  • Built-in Make Swatch, components via shadcn/ui, ready-to-extend patterns.
  • Trade-off: still maturing — Stencil's app-store integrations don't all map cleanly to a headless front-end.

BigCommerce vs Shopify vs Magento — Honest Platform Comparison

From a shop that builds all three, here's where each wins:

  • Choose BigCommerce when — you want SaaS economics without nickel-and-diming via apps (multi-currency, native B2B, no transaction fees included), you need multi-storefront on one plan, your APIs and webhooks need higher rate limits than Shopify offers, or you're moving off Magento and don't want to host the platform yourself.
  • Choose Shopify when — you value the largest app ecosystem, you're a DTC brand riding the Shopify network effect (Shop Pay, Shop App, Shopify Audiences), or you're under $10M GMV and want the fastest path to launch.
  • Choose Magento / Adobe Commerce when — you need the deepest possible customisation and you have a DevOps team to host and patch it; you're on Adobe's enterprise marketing stack; or your B2B workflows exceed what BigCommerce B2B Edition and Shopify Plus B2B can handle.

Send us a one-line note on your catalogue size, B2B needs, and existing stack — we'll give you an honest recommendation rather than pitching the platform we specialise in.

Why Choose BigCommerce for Your Online Store

BigCommerce is a robust, enterprise-grade eCommerce platform that offers built-in scalability, advanced features, and easy management — without needing external plugins or complex setups. It's ideal for businesses seeking flexibility, performance, and multi-channel selling capabilities.

At MarkupFox, we leverage BigCommerce's native tools and APIs to deliver custom-coded, high-performing stores that are easy to maintain and optimized for conversions. Comparing platforms? See our design to Shopify conversion service for a Liquid OS 2.0 vs Hydrogen breakdown, our Shopify development services for the Shopify Plus path, or our Magento / Adobe Commerce development services for enterprise B2B and multi-store builds, before you commit.

Who Can Use This Service

  • Established brands and enterprises seeking a scalable eCommerce platform.
  • Businesses migrating from other CMS platforms to BigCommerce.
  • Agencies or retailers needing custom integrations and advanced store features.
  • Companies selling across multiple channels (Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google).
  • Online stores looking for better performance, SEO, and conversion rates.

Features & What We Provide

  • Custom BigCommerce Theme Development - We convert your design (Figma, XD, PSD) into a responsive, pixel-perfect BigCommerce theme.
  • Theme Customization - Modify existing templates to match your brand identity and UI/UX needs.
  • Headless BigCommerce Development - Integrate with React, Next.js, or Angular for lightning-fast front-end experiences.
  • API & App Integration - Seamless connection with CRMs, ERPs, or third-party tools.
  • Product & Store Setup - Adding categories, products, and managing store configurations.
  • SEO & Performance Optimization - Implement schema, metadata, caching, and CDN for faster load times.
  • Migration & Upgradation - Safe transfer from Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, or custom platforms.
  • Payment Gateway Integration - Secure setup for global payment options.
  • Maintenance & Support - Ongoing updates, bug fixing, and performance monitoring.

Why Choose MarkupFox

At MarkupFox, we build hand-coded, performance-optimized BigCommerce websites that are fast, secure, and SEO-ready.

Our experienced team specializes in custom theme creation, API integration, and headless store development — ensuring maximum flexibility and scalability.

We offer end-to-end project support, from design to launch, along with flexible engagement models suited for agencies, startups, and established enterprises.

Support & Satisfaction Guaranteed

All our BigCommerce projects come with 365 days of support, free minor revisions, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

We ensure your store runs smoothly, remains secure, and delivers a flawless user experience that drives results.

Some FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions


01. What is BigCommerce development and how is BigCommerce different from Shopify?

BigCommerce development is the practice of building and customising stores on BigCommerce — the open-SaaS e-commerce platform headquartered in Austin, Texas. BigCommerce is fully hosted like Shopify, but its philosophy is "open SaaS": more native features included without third-party apps (no transaction fees on any plan, multi-currency built in, native B2B on B2B Edition, deeper API limits and webhook depth). Shopify wins on ecosystem and app-store breadth; BigCommerce wins on native B2B, multi-storefront on one plan, and not nickel-and-diming you with bolt-on apps.

Both. Stencil is BigCommerce's classic theme framework — Handlebars templates, SCSS, JavaScript hooks, the BigCommerce stencil-cli for local development. We use Stencil for traditional themed storefronts. Catalyst is BigCommerce's official headless storefront framework (launched September 2024) — Next.js App Router + React Server Components + TypeScript on top of the GraphQL Storefront API. We use Catalyst when the project is headless and on Next.js. Both are first-party supported by BigCommerce.

Yes. We hand-code custom Stencil themes from Figma (preferred), PSD, Adobe XD, and Sketch source files — proper config.json with theme variations and editor options, Handlebars partials and helpers, SCSS that follows the BigCommerce front-end framework, JS that uses the Stencil API for cart and checkout interactions, and full responsive design. Themes are committed to your Git repo and pushed via stencil-cli.

Yes. Headless BigCommerce uses BigCommerce as the commerce engine via the GraphQL Storefront API while the front-end is built with Catalyst (the official Next.js-based reference storefront), a custom Next.js build, React SPA, or Vue/Nuxt store. We handle GraphQL queries for products and categories, cart/checkout flows, server-rendered SEO, and image optimisation. For most stores we still recommend Stencil unless headless is genuinely required.

BigCommerce B2B Edition (powered by BundleB2B since 2022) is included on Enterprise/B2B plans and covers customer-specific catalogues, quote management, payment methods, multi-tier pricing, sales-rep portals, and ABM workflows. Shopify Plus B2B is native (since 2023) with Companies, B2B Catalogs, and customer-specific quantity rules — improved aggressively over the past two years. For straightforward B2B, both work. For complex multi-tier dealer networks, quote workflows, and ABM, BigCommerce's B2B Edition is typically the deeper option. We'll give you an honest comparison.

Yes. Products, customers, orders, and SEO data via the official BigCommerce migration tools or third-party services (LitExtension, Cart2Cart). We preserve URL structure via 301 redirects, rebuild the storefront on Stencil or Catalyst to match your existing design, and validate the migration on a staging store before cutover. Migration scope and pricing depend on the source platform and catalogue size.

Lean Stencil templates (no nested partial sprawl), deferred JavaScript, Akamai CDN already included with BigCommerce, lazy-loaded images via the BigCommerce image manager, deferred third-party scripts, and explicit Lighthouse benchmarks on delivery. For headless builds on Catalyst we use Next.js RSC, ISR for category pages, and edge caching to push to <1s LCP. We measure against Google Lighthouse and target 90+ scores consistently.

Inner pages start at $229; a BigCommerce home page is $469. A small custom Stencil theme (5–10 pages) runs about 3–5 weeks; a mid-size store with custom theme variations, app integrations, and migration runs 6–12 weeks; B2B Edition and headless Catalyst builds are scoped per project. We confirm fixed scope and timeline in writing before kickoff.