Shopify vs. Bigcommerce vs. Wayfair: Which Should Your Business Use? [Updated 2024]

Whether launching an e-commerce business or expanding your brick-and-mortar store online, you need an e-commerce solution to help you make it happen. Various platforms exist to help you launch your store online. 

The benefits you get enable you to build and manage a business easily, all while growing your digital storefront. It’s helpful to assess Shopify, Bigcommerce and Wayfair to help you weigh your options.

From there, you can choose which e-commerce platform fits your business best.

E-Commerce Platform Features to Look For

Brands that spend on improving the customer experience achieve 16 points higher revenue growth and keep 36% more customers. Sites such as Shopify, Bigcommerce and Wayfair go a long way in improving this customer experience, and thus user engagement, with proven results. 

You must ensure each platform includes a robust set of features when choosing between them. E-commerce marketplaces should provide you with the ability to:

• Purchase a domain name
• Create a mobile-friendly site
• Customize your storefront appearance
• Make your site functional through app use
• Enhance online security
• Sell products via social media and online sales channels
• Translate your site into multiple languages
• Manage inventory and create shipping labels
• Process payments, orders and refunds
• Automate tax information
• Handle high sales and traffic volume

Luckily, e-commerce marketplaces like Shopify, Bigcommerce and Wayfair offer most or all of these features. When determining which to use, select an option that works best for your small business.

Here’s a comparison overview of each platform.

1. Shopify

Shopify is fully hosted and one of the most popular e-commerce market platforms. It’s no wonder many small businesses host their online store on Shopify.

The design and interface are intuitive and simple. The platform offers scalability and various features, including customizable storefronts and advanced store themes.

Shopify offers different subscription options. Its basic plan starts at $29 per month after completing the 14-day free trial.

Pros of Shopify:

• Drag-and-drop website-building 
• Easily purchase add-ons to improve the store’s functionality
• Built-in payment gateways, like Stripe or Paypal
• Offers inventory management software integration
• Shipping discounts
• 24/7 chat support

Cons of Shopify:

• Charges a 2% transaction fee on top of what third-party payment processors charge.
• The basic plan has limited features, so you have to pay more to gain more accessible features
• Support features on online chat may be lacking in certain areas
• Some products prohibited

Shopify has a low learning curve, making it ideal for people with little experience building e-commerce stores. The system is user-friendly and walks you through each stage of the process. 

2. Bigcommerce

Bigcommerce is one of the more popular e-commerce hosting platforms. Small businesses can create their online store or use a WordPress plug-in to integrate it into an existing site.

Bigcommerce offers the first month free, giving you plenty of time to establish your storefront and experiment with it. 

You might consider choosing Bigcommerce since it offers a wide range of features, including everything you need to build, manage and grow an online business.

One feature of Bigcommerce you might enjoy is the ability to sell items on sales channels, including Etsy, Google Shopping, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon and Jet.

Pros of Bigcommerce:

• Does not charge a transaction fee
• Plenty of integrations with third-party apps to add more site functionality
• Built-in payment platforms and various payment methods
• Customer segmentation to enhance the customer experience
• Cart-abandonment email
• Easily scalable as your business grows

Cons of Bigcommerce:

• Plans are expensive, starting at $29.95 per month
• Plans are based on your online store’s annual sales, which may impact your ability to scale
• Some store themes are free, but most have an additional expense of up to $200
• Can have a steep learning curve for nontechnical business owners
• Limits the amount of annual sales before forcing a pricey upgrade

You’ll need to check documentation, watch tutorials and seek help even if you’re an experienced web designer. The system is more complex than most third-party store sites. However, once you get the hang of it, the platform is fairly intuitive and feature-rich. 

3. Wayfair

Unlike most e-commerce platforms — which allow you to sell various products — Wayfair devotes its marketplace to those who sell furniture and home goods. 

Wayfair has around 22 million customers and a strong reputation. The e-commerce platform is innovative-oriented, using 3D renders instead of traditional product photography.

Nowadays, 3D is needed to enhance the visualization of products, and Wayfair provides that. Beyond what it offers, Wayfair has a less competitive environment, making it easier to rank your products and earn more profits.

Pros of Wayfair:

• Simple to use seller panel
• Real-time demand feature, making it easy to guess bestselling products
• Large logistics system and strong network
• Fewer sellers than platforms that offer more categories, leading to less competition
• Investment in advertising saves you from spending as much
• Logistics partners to speed up processes and reduce costs

Cons of Wayfair:

• Slower delivery service
• Limited to categories in furniture, lighting, decor and other home goods
• Lack of integration stability 
• Warehouse location limitations — must be in North America or the United Kingdom
• Must adhere to Wayfair’s return policies, even when unfair
• Wayfair chooses selling price, and other than the base amount, seller has little control

Wayfair is fairly simple to set up. It does have a slightly sharper learning curve than Shopify but is still manageable even without technical know-how. 

Choose What Is Right for You

Consider the pros and cons when choosing a platform to help you launch a store successfully. These marketplaces make it possible to grow your business, but you should carefully weigh your options. That way, you can ensure you’re getting the features you need to start scaling today.