Are you looking for a BigCommerce web design company? You have probably chosen it as your ecommerce platform because it provides a great combination of features, applications, and integrations. You will want to make sure you can drive business growth using all its powerful ecommerce features.
Williams Commerce is an experienced ecommerce agency which has partnerships with leading commerce platforms. We deliver digital transformation for our customers every day. Here’s our advice as a BigCommerce Elite Strategic Partner on choosing the best BigCommerce web design company for your business.
Why work with a BigCommerce web design company?
Whether you’re a start-up or medium-sized online business, BigCommerce offers you an elegantly simple solution.
It’s an open software as a service (SaaS) ecommerce platform hosted on your behalf. It can offer a lower total cost of ownership and faster time to market. With platform-wide application programming interfaces or APIs you also have flexibility through customisation and integration.
BigCommerce operates in over 150 countries so you can handle currencies, taxes and shipments around the world. You can also integrate BigCommerce with most popular leading shipping and business systems. It’s attractive because you can add products, run promotions, and make changes without relying on developers or technical experts.
However, to make the most of BigCommerce’s full functionality it’s a good idea to work with experienced ecommerce professionals. They can help you get the best from your ecommerce platform.
What to look for when choosing a BigCommerce web design company
One of the key benefits of BigCommerce is simplicity, so why do you need a web design company? The answer is the time you will save and the quality of the results you will achieve. Your agency will know how to take full advantage of BigCommerce to deliver outstanding user experience (UX) and business growth.
Here are some of the key things to check:
Visual design – your web design agency should be able to show you a portfolio of BigCommerce projects. This will give you confidence that they completely understand how to use BigCommerce to create unique online stores.
User experience – your agency should know how to use the best tools to enhance user experience and improve conversion rates.
Themes – the BigCommerce theme store provides a large selection of pre-built themes by style and industry. Themes are a great place to start but your agency should be able to customise them for a unique style.
APIs – APIs make customisations and integrations work smoothly for carts, checkouts and many other key apps and business systems. You can even decouple your site’s presentation layer from all your other business systems. Check your web design agency knows how to use APIs to streamline everything from product presentation to order management.
Technical expertise – you are working with an agency so you won’t have to develop in-house skills. Confirm their programmers have experience using PHP (5x and higher), with complementary database and third-party integration skills. If you’re migrating from another ecommerce platform check their experience and quality control practices too.
Communication – you’ll be working closely with your web design agency so good communication is a priority. Deep technical expertise shouldn’t be a barrier to useful communication on a day to day basis. As a client you’re entitled to clear and helpful explanations.
Problem solving – your business is unique, so it’s possible you will come across some unexpected challenges. Experience will help your web design agency come up with fast and effective solutions. They should give you confidence that whatever happens, they will find the answer.
Goal setting – ideally your web design agency will be appointed at an early stage. They will then be able to help you scope your project and set realistic and measurable goals. They will be happy to give you advice and recommendations.
Appointing a BigCommerce web design company
Recommendations from people you trust might be a good place to start. However, taking a methodical approach will help you compare skills and expertise with confidence.
Create a brief – defining your initial requirements in a written document will give agencies basic information about your project. Describe the ecommerce features and functions you need along with your business goals. Seeing how agencies respond to your specific requirements will give you a good indication of their approach.
Make a short list – you might receive a lot of responses to your brief, and you won’t want to interview everyone. Each agency will have specific strengths so use a priority list to narrow your selection. Check their reviews and testimonials and ask for referees.
Set a budget – your new ecommerce site or your replatforming project will be an investment for your business. You might need to review your budget once your web development agency is on board. However, setting an initial budget that includes your platform, implementation, training and maintenance is a good idea.
Compare business values – it’s important to work with people you trust because you will be relying on your agency. Meet your shortlisted candidates and assess how well they fit with your business before making your choice.
Work with an experienced BigCommerce web design company
The Williams Commerce team is a BigCommerce Elite Strategic Partner. We deliver bespoke ecommerce projects and custom BigCommerce development in the UK and internationally.
We’ll be happy to discuss your ecommerce requirements and provide recommendations that will meet your needs and transform your business.
