How to Open a Store in Big Commerce in 10 Steps?

In just 10 simple steps, you can use BigCommerce to quickly establish an independent station.

1. Create a BigCommerce account

First, create a BigCommerce account using your email. After registering and logging in, BigCommerce will provide an introductory video to help sellers learn more about the platform.

2. Choose a theme

The BigCommerce dashboard contains all the tools and functions needed to develop a standalone site. The theme can be customized in the Storefront options. The default theme of BigCommerce is Cornerstone, there are 12 free themes to choose from in the "Theme Marketplace" (theme market), as well as 120 advanced themes, the price is between 165-250 US dollars.

You can change the images, colors, fonts, and customize some store elements of the free theme, but you cannot add sidebars or some homepage function options, so the free theme is more suitable for the initial use of independent stations. After you become more familiar with website operations, you can explore paid topics to meet sales needs.

You can also choose to upload a custom theme, but the custom theme does not support the addition of new features and technical support. It is only recommended for users with excellent theme-building technology.

After choosing a theme, you can go to Storefront>"My Themes" at any time to change the colors, fonts, payment buttons and checkout options, as well as the appearance of various elements of the website.

3. Add logo and homepage carousel

Open the logo tab in Storefront, you can add logo text or upload logo image:

Navigate to the "Home Page Carousel" page and delete the preloaded demo image:

Add distinctive and eye-catching pictures to highlight the brand and product features. Up to 5 photos can be inserted.

When adding images, you can also add the following elements to each slide:

Title: A title of 1-5 words, used to explain the main point of the image.

Text: A brief description of the image. For ease of reading, the text should preferably not exceed eight words.

Button text: Add a button to the picture that inspires the next step, such as "Learn More", "Buy Now" or "Browse Product Collection".

Link: Add a hyperlink so that visitors can directly enter the relevant product page when they click on the picture.

The default dwell time for each slide is 5 seconds, and you can manually change the conversion speed.

4. Create product categories

The creation of product categories is not only to facilitate visitors to view products, but also to enable Google to better understand the structure of the site and help improve Google rankings.

Go to Product> Product Categories. BigCommerce will automatically add sample product categories, which can be deleted or added as needed.

When creating a new product category, you need to fill in 8 fields. The category name (1), category page URL (2), and category description (3) are required. Fields 4-8 can be skipped or added later.

5. Add products

Select "Add" in the product column on the right to enter the add product page:

The basic product information and description that need to be added include:

Basic information: In addition to the product name, enter the product SKU, product type, default price, brand, weight, and product category.

Product description: Fill in a rich product description to reflect the core functions and advantages of the product.

Pictures and videos: Upload pictures and videos showing the product features.

Product Identifier: You can enter multiple product identifiers, such as Universal Product Code (UPC), Manufacturer Part Number (MPN), etc.

Pricing: Enter the default price excluding tax, the tax type of the product, and the tax code. Optional fill in information such as cost, sales price, volume discount, and manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP).

Inventory: Enter the initial inventory of the product to track inventory. You can also set a "low inventory" value, BigCommerce will send reminders when the inventory drops to a critical value.

If you provide product variants or customization, you also need to fill in the variant information column, enter the different colors and sizes of the product, and fill in the relevant information about the customized product in the customization column.

Add product fulfillment information

The relevant fields for product fulfillment include:

Dimensions and weight: add product weight (in ounces), height, width, and depth.

Shipping details: Enter a fixed shipping price or choose the free shipping option.

Purchasability: In addition to most off-the-shelf products, for products that are not available or are about to be launched and accept reservations, you can choose the non-purchasable option.

Gift box packaging: can provide gift box packaging services for specific products.

6. Create an information page

In the right column Storefront> web page (web page), enter the following page:

Generally need to add the following 4 pages:

Delivery and returns: Add delivery and return information, including delivery options, rates and expected delivery time, return instructions, and refund policies.

Contact us: Fill in contact information and other relevant information, such as online operating hours.

About us: Let customers know more about the company's business before shopping, and can provide more detailed information about the brand and the company.

Privacy Policy: The privacy policy of the website.

In addition, you can add pages such as seller stories and case studies to enrich the content of the website.

When developing or editing a webpage, there are 6 key parts that need to be filled in:

Page type (1): There are five different options, option 1 is suitable for most situations.

Page name (2): Fill in the page name.

Page URL (3): Enter keywords that are relevant and concise to the page.

Page content (4): Add page content.

Navigation menu option (5): Choose whether to add the web page to the website navigation bar. Due to the limited space of the main navigation menu, you can also put the web page link in the site footer.

Advanced option (6):  Add SEO content, such as search keywords and meta description of the page.

7. Set up navigation

Storefront> My Themes in the right column, select "Customize" to start the theme customization and enter the navigation editor.

The previously set product categories and web pages will appear in the main navigation menu. If you need to modify them, you can cancel the visibility in the "Visibility" of the "Theme" option.

If you don’t want something to appear in the header title, you can find "Navigation Menu Options" in Storefront> Web Pages, and then deselect "Yes, show this web page on the navigation menu" (Display this page on the navigation menu), and save the changes.

In addition, enter the "Social Media Links" option, you can add up to 6 social media links:

8. Set shipping options

Click "Store Setup"> "Shipping" and enter the detailed information of the shipping address:

Enter "Set Up Services" and select shipping services such as B Shipping (free for BigCommerce merchants), ShipStation (free trial for BigCommerce merchants for 60 days) or other shipping partners that are compatible with the platform. If you plan to ship the product in other ways, you can click Skip Settings.

The default shipping area of BigCommerce is the United States. You can also add other shipping areas under the "Checkout Shipping Options" option on the Shipping Manager panel.

Next, select the "Configure" button next to the shipping area to set the shipping method.

You can choose the real-time shipping quotation option through FedEx, UPS or USPS (you need to link the website to the shipping company), or add a static shipping quotation. Please note that if your shipping area contains multiple countries and regions, you need to repeat this step for each shipping area.

Types of static shipping quotes include:

• Free shipping

• Uniform freight

• Shipment by weight or total order

• In-store pickup

9. Set up payment method

In the home dashboard> Store Setup> Payment, set the payment method:

BigCommerce provides many payment options, including PayPal (this is a built-in payment option, no need to choose, click "no thanks" to deactivate).

Common payment options include:

Payment gateway: Register a Square, PayPal or Stripe account and link to the store.

Merchant service account: Set up a merchant service account, such as Chase Merchant Services, to collect payments.

Digital wallet: Link the store to Visa Checkout, Apple Pay, Chase Pay, Google Pay or Masterpass.

Offline payment: BigCommerce can also set less common offline payment options, such as money order, pay on delivery or pay in store.

10. Final touches and start

Don't forget to set store information and tax rules before starting the stand-alone station.

Set up store profile

In Store Setup> Store Profile, enter the name, address, email address and phone number so that customers can get in touch with you. This contact information will automatically appear in the footer.

Set up sales tax

The default tax setting of BigCommerce is Manual Tax, which can be edited and changed at any time. It is recommended to consult an accountant to get a clear understanding of the sales tax situation.

Preview and launch

After everything is ready, preview the overall layout of the website to ensure that there are no problems or omissions, you can upgrade the trial version to activate the stand-alone station.