While merchants and businesses that need an online store or would like to improve their current online store seek out a platform that will give them the tools to execute and drive their businesses for growth and improved margins. When considering the likes of Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and other competing platforms, looking at similar industries and their ways of doing business gives their way of handling online payments, and business model tools that affect customer experience - luckily, there are companies that focus on this research.
Research background
The outfit AppsTunTheWorld put together a research study that covers the BigCommerce Customer profiling them by industry and by region. While it is easy to say the bulk of the company's profiles were in the USA, looking at their industries does speak volumes on the sophistication and application of the platform to address customers online. Considerations from BigCommerce "features", Search Engine Optimization, Credit Card Processing, BigCommerce Login Administration, all the way to the BigCommerce support and communities of developers. When a company adopts and places their resources and confidence on a platform, it shows that not only does that particular business has confidence in the solution, but they see the solution as a competitive advantage.
BigCommerce platform
Much like several eCommerce platforms, BigCommerce holds a special competitive advantage to certain types of businesses and it isn't just a place for payment processing. It is both a point of sale system for products and services, it is in tune with the popular search engines but most importantly it is adaptable for B2B and Enterprise level businesses which need to have capabilities that are custom in the way of handling clients. Accepting payments in various forms outside of credit cards, net-30 or greater terms, or even business credit. The type of customers BigCommerce attracts look to use their business model as an advantage, not just their product offering - combined it is a driver for customer adoption.
Customer Types by industry
Key segments in eCommerce will obviously show retail being the driver, but have a look at the following industries:
Retail: 34.4%
Manufacturing: 18.8%
Consumer Packaged Goods: 15.6%
Healthcare: 9.4%
Professional Services: 6.3%
Government: 3.1%
Non-Profit: 3.1%
Oil/Gas Industry: 3.1%
Transportation: 3.1%
As you will note, Manufacturing being in second place speaks to the B2B segment, as well as the Healthcare to Transportation segments having a B2B flavor. Having a BigCommerce Store for retail has advantages when your business breaks out of the B2C and are looking to have co-branded or rebranded products as a new sales channel and you need to open up a B2B store on the same platform. The payment solutions get expanded from the credit card issuers to additional B2B payment methods to accommodate the demand, and you are now in a hybrid model of B2B and B2C which some of the above have entered into.
Top BigCommerce Customers
"Companies using BigCommerce for eCommerce include Procter & Gamble, a United States-based Consumer Packaged Goods organization with 101000 employees and revenues of $76.12 billion, PerkinElmer, Inc., a United States-based Healthcare organization with 13000 employees and revenues of $2.90 billion, Gildan Activewear Inc., a Canada based Consumer Packaged Goods organization with 48000 employees and revenues of $2.60 billion, Whataburger, a United States-based Retail organization with 46000 employees and revenues of $2.50 billion, flydubai, an United Arab Emirates-based Transportation organization with 4000 employees and revenues of $1.60 billion and many others." -- AppsRunTheWorld.com
The application of the BigCommerce platform is varied and the amount of transactions going through the Open SAAS platform is impressive. The high-performance API allows you to integrate with various systems with efficiency and gives your departments the capability to interact with the system with time efficiency and get reports for analysis without having a slow API holding you back. Running larger businesses on a slow API is like being in the 1980s with a 386Mhz desktop computer in today's world - sharing your information on a floppy disk, expectations are set a lot higher in today's business world.
Conclusion
When you start a B2C business, your options are wide open, and cost/ease-of-use might jump out as a priority when the business grows, suddenly your priorities change as the tools needed to grow are now outside of the current reach of the platform. Google searches of your competitors and using www.builtwith.com to see how they are set up online might give you an idea of what they are using. Competitive information always helps reveal what works, solving the "not-re-inventing the wheel". Having the foresight in where your business is to grow, and what tools you might need 2-3years from now takes strategic thinking - no search queries needed, just a solid vision of your industry, and securing a platform that delivers both - startup, B2C, B2B or both and Enterprise level capabilities - BigCommerce can deliver it. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your vision with a BigCommerce Expert - feel free to reach out to us at wish@thegenielab.com
Source: https://www.appsruntheworld.com/customers-database/products/view/bigcommerce