BigCommerce Development LondonBigCommerce storesenterprise power, zero fees.
WebAnts is a London BigCommerce agency. We build custom BigCommerce stores — Stencil themes, headless frontends, B2B setups and migrations — with no transaction fees and enterprise features out of the box. No deposit required.
15+
BigCommerce stores delivered
3–7 wks
Typical store delivery
90+
PageSpeed target
£0
Deposit — milestone payments only
4.9★
Average client rating
What is BigCommerce
Enterprise ecommerce. Managed platform. Zero fees.
Starting from
£4,000
Flat quote · No prepayment · 3–7 wk delivery
BigCommerce is an Open SaaS ecommerce platform combining managed hosting with open API access — zero transaction fees on any plan, enterprise features out of the box, and a headless-ready architecture. WebAnts is a London BigCommerce agency building stores for DTC brands, B2B wholesale businesses, fashion and apparel brands, and enterprise retailers needing multi-storefront from one admin.
Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees regardless of which payment provider you use — and includes unlimited staff accounts, advanced reporting, and native B2B features on standard plans. Unlike Magento, BigCommerce is fully managed — no servers to configure, no security patches to apply, no hosting bills to manage.
We build custom BigCommerce stores on Stencil, headless BigCommerce frontends on Next.js, Shopify-to-BigCommerce migrations, and B2B Edition setups for wholesale brands. Flat written quote after a free 30-minute call.
Why BigCommerce
Six reasons serious stores choose BigCommerce.
Zero transaction fees. Enterprise features on standard plans. Open SaaS architecture. BigCommerce gives you the benefits of managed hosting without the Shopify tax.
01
Zero transaction fees on any plan
BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees on every plan — from Standard to Enterprise. You pay only your payment gateway's processing fee. No Shopify-style 0.5%–2% platform surcharge on every order, regardless of which payment provider you use.
02
Enterprise features without enterprise price
BigCommerce includes features that Shopify reserves for Shopify Plus: unlimited staff accounts, advanced reporting, abandoned cart recovery, custom checkout, and B2B price lists — all available on standard plans. You get enterprise capability without the enterprise price tag.
03
Open SaaS architecture — no vendor lock-in
BigCommerce's Open SaaS model gives you a managed SaaS backend with full API access for your frontend. Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce imposes no restrictions on your checkout customisation, third-party payments, or headless architecture. Your data is always portable.
04
BigCommerce B2B Edition for wholesale
BigCommerce B2B Edition provides company accounts, buyer roles, quote management, purchase order workflows, net payment terms, and customer-group pricing — purpose-built for wholesale and corporate account management without custom development.
05
Multi-storefront from one admin
BigCommerce Multi-Storefront allows you to run multiple storefronts — different brands, regions, or currencies — from a single BigCommerce account. Shared or separate catalogues, different themes per storefront, all managed from one admin and one subscription.
06
Headless-ready with GraphQL Storefront API
BigCommerce's GraphQL Storefront API and Catalyst framework (Next.js-based reference storefront) make it one of the most headless-friendly SaaS platforms available. Decouple your frontend completely while keeping BigCommerce for checkout, catalogue, and order management.
What we build
12 BigCommerce services.
From a Stencil theme build to a headless multi-storefront composable commerce platform — all delivered in-house in London.
01
Custom BigCommerce Stencil Theme Development
Bespoke BigCommerce stores built on the Stencil framework — pixel-perfect implementation of your brand, responsive across all breakpoints, optimised for Core Web Vitals. Stencil's Handlebars templating system gives full control over every page template without limitations.
02
BigCommerce B2B Edition Setup
BigCommerce B2B Edition configuration: company accounts with buyer roles and permissions, customer-group pricing, quote request workflows, purchase order approval chains, net payment terms, and credit limits. We configure and test every B2B flow before launch.
03
BigCommerce Multi-Storefront Configuration
Multiple storefronts under one BigCommerce account — different brands, regions, or currencies, each with its own theme, catalogue, and checkout. Shared inventory management and order processing from a single admin panel.
04
Headless BigCommerce (Next.js + Catalyst)
Decouple your BigCommerce backend from the frontend with a Next.js storefront built on BigCommerce's Catalyst framework or a custom headless architecture. Sub-second page loads, full design freedom, and Incremental Static Regeneration — while keeping BigCommerce for checkout and order management.
05
BigCommerce Product Catalogue Setup
Product import via CSV, BigCommerce API, or a custom migration script. Products, variants, images, custom fields, categories, and brand pages structured correctly for both SEO and the BigCommerce storefront. Used for migrations from Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento.
06
BigCommerce Payment & Shipping Configuration
Payment gateway configuration (Stripe, Braintree, Square, PayPal), real-time shipping rates (Royal Mail, DPD, FedEx, UPS), click-and-collect, and free shipping threshold rules — all configured and tested with live transactions before launch.
07
BigCommerce SEO & Core Web Vitals
Product schema, BreadcrumbList schema, canonical tags, custom URL structures, XML sitemap configuration, and meta template optimisation per category and product. We configure structured data and 301 redirects as standard on every build — BigCommerce stores built by WebAnts rank from launch.
08
Shopify to BigCommerce Migration
Moving from Shopify to BigCommerce to eliminate transaction fees. Products, customers, orders, and redirects migrated. We map Shopify metafields to BigCommerce custom fields, rebuild the Stencil theme to match your Shopify design, and handle DNS cutover during a low-traffic window.
09
WooCommerce to BigCommerce Migration
Moving from WooCommerce to BigCommerce for a managed SaaS platform that handles hosting, security, and updates. We migrate your product catalogue, customer data, and orders — and rebuild your theme in Stencil with a performance-first approach.
10
BigCommerce App Integration (Klaviyo, Yotpo, Gorgias)
Connect BigCommerce to Klaviyo (email and SMS automation), Yotpo (reviews and loyalty), Gorgias (customer support), Searchanise, Nosto, or any other app via the BigCommerce App Marketplace or direct API. We configure, test, and document every integration.
11
BigCommerce Speed Optimisation
Stencil theme performance audit, JavaScript bundle analysis, image optimisation, Cloudflare CDN configuration, and Core Web Vitals profiling. We identify and fix the performance bottlenecks holding your BigCommerce store back from a 90+ PageSpeed score.
12
BigCommerce Maintenance & Retainers
Post-launch BigCommerce maintenance covering theme updates, Stencil upgrades, app updates, performance monitoring, product imports, new page builds, and custom development tasks. Monthly retainers from £350/month — or a block of hours you draw down as needed.
How we work
Four phases. No mystery.
Milestone payments — you see progress every week and own every deliverable the moment it lands.
01
Discovery
A free 30-min call to scope your catalogue, B2B requirements, migration source, payment gateways, and budget. You leave with a flat written quote — not an hourly estimate and not a vague range.
02
Design
Wireframes, then polished Figma designs in your brand. Storefront, category pages, product detail pages, and checkout. You approve one screen at a time — no big-reveal surprises at the end of the design phase.
03
Build
Weekly staging updates on your BigCommerce environment. Products imported, payments configured, B2B set up (if applicable), SEO structured data added, apps connected. Core Web Vitals tested before launch sign-off.
04
Launch & Support
Launch day, DNS cutover, 301 redirects verified, Search Console submission. Two weeks post-launch support included. Optional maintenance retainer from £350/month — or take the keys and run it yourself.
Transparent pricing
What does BigCommerce development cost in London?
Every project is scoped individually — but here are real ranges based on scope. All prices are flat fees, not hourly estimates. Written quote after a free 30-min discovery call.
Starter
£4,000 – £8,000
2–4 weeks
Custom Stencil theme, up to 500 products.
- ✓Custom Stencil theme
- ✓Up to 500 products imported
- ✓Payment gateways configured
- ✓SEO (meta, schema, sitemap)
- ✓GA4 + Search Console
- ✓Two weeks post-launch support
Best for: New stores, SMEs, Shopify migrants wanting no fees
Growth
£8,000 – £16,000
4–6 weeks
Full store + B2B + apps + email.
- ✓Custom Stencil theme + advanced PDPs
- ✓B2B Edition (company accounts + pricing)
- ✓Klaviyo email + SMS integration
- ✓Yotpo reviews + loyalty
- ✓Full SEO + structured data
- ✓Two weeks post-launch support
Best for: Growing DTC brands, wholesale retailers, SMEs
Scale
£16,000 – £28,000
6–10 weeks
Multi-storefront + headless + advanced integrations.
- ✓Multi-Storefront setup
- ✓Headless Next.js + Catalyst
- ✓Advanced app integrations
- ✓ERP or PIM integration
- ✓Advanced SEO architecture
- ✓Dedicated support month
Best for: Multi-brand retailers, enterprise DTC, headless builds
Enterprise
From £28,000
10–18 weeks
BigCommerce B2B Enterprise + composable commerce.
- ✓BigCommerce B2B Enterprise
- ✓Composable commerce architecture
- ✓Custom B2B workflows
- ✓Multi-storefront multi-currency
- ✓Full design system
- ✓Ongoing retainer available
Best for: Enterprise retailers, global brands, complex B2B operations
Platform migrations
Moving to BigCommerce from another platform?
We migrate Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and custom platforms to BigCommerce — products, customers, orders, and 301 redirects all handled. You eliminate transaction fees and gain a managed platform from day one.
Shopify to BigCommerce
Moving from Shopify to BigCommerce to eliminate transaction fees. The most common migration we handle for growing DTC brands. Products, customers, orders, and redirects migrated — and your Shopify theme rebuilt in BigCommerce Stencil at parity or better.
WooCommerce to BigCommerce
Moving from WooCommerce to BigCommerce for a managed SaaS platform that handles hosting, security, and updates without the WordPress maintenance overhead. We migrate your catalogue, customers, and orders — and configure B2B pricing where needed.
Magento to BigCommerce
Moving from Magento to BigCommerce for lower maintenance overhead and a modern SaaS stack. We migrate your product catalogue (with attribute mapping), customer records, and order history — and rebuild the frontend in Stencil or as a headless Next.js store.
Custom Platform to BigCommerce
Moving from a bespoke ecommerce system to BigCommerce — extracting products and orders from the legacy database, importing to BigCommerce via API, and building a custom Stencil theme that preserves your brand and SEO equity from day one.
What you get
Everything included.
No hidden extras.
Every BigCommerce build ships with the full stack — Stencil theme, products, payments, B2B setup (if applicable), SEO, and a proper launch.
- ✓BigCommerce store live on your domain
- ✓Custom Stencil theme built and tested
- ✓Products imported with variants and images
- ✓Payment gateways configured and tested
- ✓B2B pricing configured (if applicable)
- ✓SEO: meta, schema, sitemap, robots.txt
- ✓301 redirects configured (if migrating)
- ✓Core Web Vitals pass — PageSpeed 90+
- ✓GA4 + Google Search Console setup
- ✓Two weeks post-launch support included
From £4,000 for a Stencil theme store. Full B2B Edition store from £8,000. Flat quote after a free 30-min call.
Who we build for
BigCommerce for
brands that mean business.
Platform comparison
BigCommerce vs the alternatives.
We build on multiple platforms. Here is an honest four-way comparison — Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and Webflow Ecommerce — so you can make the right call.
| vs Platform | BigCommerce wins on | They win on | Choose BigCommerce when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Zero transaction fees on any payment provider, unlimited staff accounts, more native B2C and B2B features on standard plans, no forced plan upgrade for advanced features | Larger app ecosystem, Shopify Payments integration, larger merchant community, easier initial setup for absolute beginners | You're paying Shopify transaction fees and don't want to be locked into Shopify Payments, or you need more native features without upgrading to Shopify Plus |
| WooCommerce | Fully managed SaaS hosting (no server admin, no WordPress maintenance), native multi-storefront, auto-scaling, managed security and updates | Full code ownership, zero platform fees of any kind, WordPress CMS alongside your store, unlimited plugin extensibility | You want a managed platform with no server admin and no WordPress maintenance overhead, while still getting enterprise features and zero transaction fees |
| Magento | Fully managed SaaS hosting, lower development and maintenance cost, faster delivery, easier ongoing management for smaller teams | Deeper enterprise B2B customisation, 100k+ SKU catalogue maturity, full code ownership, more established enterprise agency ecosystem | You need enterprise-level features without Magento's development cost, maintenance overhead, or infrastructure complexity |
| Webflow Ecommerce | Unlimited SKUs, zero transaction fees, native B2B pricing, proper checkout customisation, advanced shipping rules, dedicated ecommerce infrastructure | Visual design freedom, Fastly CDN hosting, no-code editor for non-technical marketing teams, better for content-heavy sites | Your store needs B2B pricing, complex product variants, advanced shipping rules, or a catalogue that Webflow Ecommerce cannot handle natively |
“WebAnts built something better than I’d ever imagined — shipped faster than any agency I’ve worked with.”
LaTisha Ebanks
Marketing Director, North Pointe Marketing
Start a project
Free 30-min call.
Flat written quote.
No prepayment.
Tell us about your BigCommerce project — platform you’re migrating from, B2B requirements, catalogue size, and your timeline. We’ll review it and send a flat quote within 24 hours.
★★★★★ 4.9 on Google
★★★★★ 5.0 on Clutch
★★★★★ 5.0 on Upwork
Top Web Designers 2025 — DesignRush
FAQ
BigCommerce questions, answered directly.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is an Open SaaS ecommerce platform powering thousands of online stores globally. It combines the benefits of SaaS hosting (managed infrastructure, automatic updates, security) with open API access for headless and custom development. BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees on any plan, includes enterprise-level features on standard plans, and offers a native B2B Edition for wholesale businesses. It's used by brands from SMEs to enterprise — including Toyota, Skullcandy, and Ted Baker.
How much does BigCommerce development cost in London?
A custom BigCommerce store from WebAnts starts from £4,000–£8,000 for a Stencil theme build with up to 500 products (2–4 weeks). A full store with B2B Edition, Klaviyo, and Yotpo typically costs £8,000–£16,000 (4–6 weeks). Multi-storefront or headless builds run £16,000–£28,000. Enterprise B2B composable commerce builds start from £28,000. Every project gets a flat written quote after a free 30-minute discovery call — no hourly estimates, no deposit.
What are BigCommerce transaction fees?
BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees on all plans — Standard, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise. You pay only your payment gateway's processing fee (e.g. Stripe at 1.4% + 20p for European cards). This is a key differentiator from Shopify, which charges 0.5%–2% transaction fees unless you use Shopify Payments exclusively. For a store turning over £500k/year on Shopify's basic plan, switching to BigCommerce can save £5,000–£10,000 annually in transaction fees alone.
BigCommerce vs Shopify — which should I choose?
Choose BigCommerce if: you're currently paying Shopify transaction fees and want to use your preferred payment gateway, you need more native enterprise features (unlimited staff, advanced reporting, B2B pricing) without paying for Shopify Plus, or you want headless flexibility without Shopify's checkout lock-in. Choose Shopify if: you want the largest app ecosystem, Shopify Payments is your preferred gateway and the fees aren't material, or you need a physical retail POS. WebAnts builds on both — we recommend based on your transaction volume and feature requirements.
BigCommerce vs WooCommerce — what's the difference?
BigCommerce is a managed SaaS platform — no server admin, no WordPress maintenance, no security patches to apply. WooCommerce is open-source software you install on your own hosting — full code ownership, zero platform fees of any kind, and WordPress CMS alongside your store. Choose BigCommerce if you want a managed platform with enterprise features and zero transaction fees, without the WordPress maintenance overhead. Choose WooCommerce if you want full code ownership, no vendor dependency, and a content-rich site (blog, landing pages, resources) alongside your store.
BigCommerce vs Magento — which is better for enterprise?
BigCommerce wins when you want enterprise-level features in a managed SaaS platform — lower development cost, no server infrastructure to manage, and faster delivery. Magento wins when you need deeply custom B2B workflows (complex quote logic, ERP-first architecture), a 100,000+ SKU catalogue with complex attribute sets, or full code ownership over every aspect of the platform. For most growing enterprise brands, BigCommerce offers the better price-performance ratio. For complex wholesale operations at true enterprise scale, Magento is often more appropriate.
What is BigCommerce Stencil?
BigCommerce Stencil is the current theme framework for BigCommerce — replacing the legacy Blueprint framework. Stencil uses Handlebars.js templating, SCSS for styles, and a structured file system for page templates, partials, and widgets. It supports responsive design, front matter configuration per page template, and local development with hot reloading. WebAnts builds all BigCommerce themes on Stencil — bespoke from scratch, not a modified marketplace template.
What is BigCommerce B2B Edition?
BigCommerce B2B Edition is an add-on for BigCommerce Enterprise providing native wholesale and corporate account features: company accounts with buyer roles and permissions, customer-group pricing (different prices per company), quote request workflows, purchase order approval chains, net payment terms (Net 30, Net 60), credit limits, invoice management, and quick order forms for repeat B2B buyers. It covers most standard B2B wholesale requirements without custom development.
Can BigCommerce handle multi-storefront?
Yes. BigCommerce Multi-Storefront (available on Enterprise plans) allows you to run multiple storefronts — different brands, regions, or currencies — from a single BigCommerce account. Each storefront has its own domain, theme, and checkout, but shares one admin panel for catalogue, inventory, and order management. You can use shared or separate catalogues per storefront. This is used by multi-brand retailers, franchise networks, and international businesses.
Is BigCommerce headless-ready?
Yes. BigCommerce is one of the most headless-friendly SaaS ecommerce platforms. It provides a GraphQL Storefront API, a REST Management API, and Catalyst — an open-source Next.js reference storefront built by BigCommerce specifically for headless builds. We build headless BigCommerce stores on Next.js using Catalyst or a custom architecture — giving you sub-second page loads and full design freedom while keeping BigCommerce for catalogue management and checkout.
What is BigCommerce Catalyst?
BigCommerce Catalyst is an open-source Next.js-based storefront framework built by BigCommerce for headless builds. It provides a production-ready starting point for decoupled BigCommerce frontends — built on React Server Components, Tailwind CSS, and the BigCommerce GraphQL Storefront API. It includes cart, checkout, account, and product page components out of the box. WebAnts uses Catalyst as the foundation for headless BigCommerce projects, customising and extending it to match your brand.
What is BigCommerce Open SaaS?
BigCommerce describes itself as an Open SaaS platform — meaning it combines the operational benefits of SaaS (managed hosting, automatic updates, security) with the architectural openness of open-source software (full API access, headless capability, no checkout lock-in). Unlike closed SaaS platforms that restrict customisation, BigCommerce allows you to use any payment gateway, build any frontend, and customise checkout without platform restrictions. Your data and your customers always remain portable.
What apps do you integrate with BigCommerce?
We regularly integrate BigCommerce with: Klaviyo (email and SMS automation), Yotpo (reviews and loyalty), Gorgias (customer support helpdesk), Searchanise (search and merchandising), Nosto (personalisation), ShipStation (order fulfilment), QuickBooks or Xero (accounting), Salesforce or HubSpot (CRM), and custom ERP systems via the BigCommerce API. Every integration is configured, tested with real data, and documented before project close.
Can BigCommerce handle a large product catalogue?
Yes. BigCommerce handles large product catalogues efficiently — there is no hard SKU limit on higher-tier plans. For catalogues over 1,000 SKUs, we configure Searchanise or BigCommerce's native search with custom faceted filtering. For catalogues over 10,000 SKUs in a headless architecture, we implement incremental static regeneration (ISR) in Next.js so category and product pages are pre-generated and cached at the CDN edge for near-instant load times.
Is BigCommerce good for SEO?
Yes. BigCommerce supports custom meta per product, category, and page, generates XML sitemaps automatically, handles canonical tags, supports 301 redirects via the built-in URL redirect manager, and loads on Fastly CDN for fast page speeds. We configure Product schema, BreadcrumbList schema, and Open Graph tags as standard on every build. BigCommerce stores built by WebAnts typically rank from launch — no retrofitted SEO fix required.
Can you migrate from Shopify to BigCommerce?
Yes. Shopify-to-BigCommerce is the most common migration we handle. We export all products (with images, variants, and custom fields mapped to BigCommerce custom fields), customer records, and order history from Shopify. We import to BigCommerce via the API, rebuild the theme in Stencil, configure 301 redirects for every Shopify URL, reconnect payment gateways, and handle DNS cutover during a low-traffic window. Google rankings are preserved through the redirect process.
How long does BigCommerce development take?
A custom BigCommerce Stencil store takes 2–4 weeks. A full store with B2B Edition, Klaviyo, and Yotpo takes 4–6 weeks. Multi-storefront or headless builds take 6–10 weeks. Enterprise B2B composable commerce builds take 10–18 weeks. WebAnts delivers roughly 1.8× faster than the industry average — every project has a fixed delivery date in the proposal and weekly staging updates so you can see progress throughout.
What payment gateways work with BigCommerce?
BigCommerce supports 65+ payment gateways — including Stripe, Braintree, PayPal, Square, Worldpay, Barclaycard, Klarna (Buy Now Pay Later), and Clearpay. Unlike Shopify, BigCommerce charges zero transaction fees regardless of which gateway you use. We configure, test, and document every payment gateway integration as part of every BigCommerce build — including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and BNPL options.
Do you offer BigCommerce maintenance retainers?
Yes. Post-launch BigCommerce maintenance covers Stencil theme updates, BigCommerce platform upgrades, app updates and monitoring, performance monitoring, product imports, new page builds, and custom development tasks. Monthly retainers start from £350/month — or a block of hours you draw down as needed. BigCommerce is a managed platform, so maintenance is less intensive than WooCommerce or Magento — but retainers are still recommended for business-critical stores.
Is BigCommerce good for B2B wholesale?
Yes. BigCommerce B2B Edition is purpose-built for wholesale and corporate account management — company accounts, buyer roles, customer-group pricing, quote workflows, purchase orders, net terms, and credit limits. For most standard B2B wholesale requirements, BigCommerce B2B Edition covers everything without custom development. For complex B2B workflows (ERP-first ordering, complex pricing engines, custom quoting logic), WebAnts can extend BigCommerce with custom app development or evaluate whether Magento is a better fit.
(Related services)
Enterprise ecommerce. Zero transaction fees. →
Free discovery call. Flat quote. 3–7 week delivery. No prepayment.
About WebAnts — BigCommerce Development Agency in London
WebAnts is a London web design and development agency specialising in BigCommerce website development. 4.9★ rated on Google, 5.0 on Clutch, 5.0 on Upwork. Named Top Web Design Agency 2025 by DesignRush. Based in London, serving clients across the UK and 14 countries.
What is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is an Open SaaS ecommerce platform combining managed hosting with open API access — zero transaction fees on any plan, enterprise features out of the box, native B2B Edition for wholesale, and a headless-ready GraphQL Storefront API. It is used by brands from SMEs to enterprise and powers thousands of online stores globally.
What BigCommerce services does WebAnts offer?
WebAnts offers 12 BigCommerce services: custom Stencil theme development, BigCommerce B2B Edition setup, multi-storefront configuration, headless BigCommerce with Next.js and Catalyst, product catalogue setup, payment and shipping configuration, SEO and Core Web Vitals, Shopify to BigCommerce migration, WooCommerce to BigCommerce migration, app integrations (Klaviyo, Yotpo, Gorgias), speed optimisation, and monthly maintenance retainers from £350/month.
How much does BigCommerce development cost in London?
A custom BigCommerce store from WebAnts starts from £4,000–£8,000 for a Stencil theme build with up to 500 products (2–4 weeks). A full store with B2B Edition, Klaviyo, and Yotpo costs £8,000–£16,000 (4–6 weeks). Multi-storefront or headless builds run £16,000–£28,000. Enterprise B2B composable commerce builds start from £28,000. Flat written quote after a free 30-minute discovery call — no hourly estimates, no deposit.
BigCommerce vs Shopify — which is better?
BigCommerce wins if you are paying Shopify transaction fees and want to use any payment gateway without a surcharge, or if you need more native enterprise features on standard plans without paying for Shopify Plus. Shopify wins if you want the largest app ecosystem and Shopify Payments suits your business. WebAnts builds on both — we recommend based on your transaction volume and feature requirements.
What makes WebAnts different from other BigCommerce agencies?
No offshoring. No prepayment. Milestone payments so you own every deliverable as it lands. Direct access to the developer building your store — not an account manager. Flat written quotes after a free 30-minute discovery call — no hourly estimates, no surprises.
Dream Algorithm Ltd, trading as WebAnts · London, UK+44 20 3983 9795hello@webants.io