Hubbry Logo
BigCommerceBigCommerceMain
Open search
BigCommerce
Community hub
BigCommerce
logo
7 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce
from Wikipedia

BigCommerce Inc. is a NASDAQ-listed ecommerce platform that provides software as a service services to retailers.[2][3][4] The company's platform includes online store creation, search engine optimization, hosting, and marketing and security from small to Enterprise sized businesses.[5][6]

Key Information

History

[edit]

BigCommerce was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2009 by Australians Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper, who met in an online chatroom in 2003.[7] One year after meeting, Machaalani and Harper launched their first company, Interspire, which evolved into BigCommerce.[7] The company opened its first United States office in Austin, Texas in 2009.[8]

The company raised $15 million in Series A funding from General Catalyst in July 2011.[9]

In 2014, the company expanded its presence on the West Coast, opening a San Francisco office and hiring personnel from PayPal and Amazon.[6] In 2015, BigCommerce acquired Zing, a checkout and inventory software startup.[10]

Brent Bellm, the former HomeAway COO who led HomeAway through its IPO, replaced Machaalani and Harper as CEO in 2015.[11]

BigCommerce partnered with Amazon in 2016 to provide its retailers with the capability to sync inventory across both channels.[12]

In 2019, the company opened its ecommerce platforms to legally-operating U.S.-based CBD and hemp merchants.[13]

In July 2020, BigCommerce filed for IPO.[2][14] The company went public on August 5, 2020.[15]

In October 2024, Travis Hess replaced Brent Bellm as BigCommerce CEO.[16]

In 2025, the company launched its new parent brand, Commerce. The rebranded entity includes BigCommerce, Feedonomics and Makeswift, and operates under Commerce.com.[17]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
BigCommerce is an open SaaS e-commerce platform that enables businesses to build, manage, and scale online stores for both B2C and B2B , offering features like customizable storefronts, multi-channel selling, and integrations with over 1,000 apps and partners. Founded in 2009 in Sydney, Australia, by Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper, the company initially targeted small businesses with an all-in-one solution before expanding to serve mid-market and enterprise clients globally. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in San Francisco, Sydney, London, and Kyiv, BigCommerce went public on (ticker: CMRC) in 2020 and powers merchants across 150+ countries, generating $332.9 million in revenue for 2024. Notable clients include brands like , Skullcandy, , and , which leverage its scalable architecture for high-volume sales and advanced features such as AI-driven personalization, B2B quoting, and integrations. In 2025, BigCommerce operates under the parent brand , alongside acquisitions Feedonomics and Makeswift, focusing on an AI-powered for composable commerce; it was recognized as a Challenger in the for Digital Commerce and earned a Top Rated award from TrustRadius based on over 450 reviews. The platform emphasizes security with PCI DSS Level 1 compliance, 99.99% uptime, and no transaction fees, making it suitable for growing brands seeking flexibility without heavy coding.

History

Founding and Early Development

BigCommerce was founded in 2009 in Sydney, Australia, by Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper, who identified a gap in the market for affordable, user-friendly solutions tailored to small businesses and entrepreneurs. The duo, who had previously collaborated on software ventures, aimed to democratize online selling by offering a SaaS platform that eliminated the need for expensive custom development or complex setups. This vision stemmed from their observation that many small merchants struggled with existing tools that were either too rudimentary or overly enterprise-focused, prompting them to build an accessible alternative. The company launched its initial SaaS e-commerce platform in September 2009, providing merchants with tools for store creation, inventory management, and payment processing in a cloud-based environment. Early development focused on rapid iteration to support growing online retail demands, with the platform quickly gaining traction among small businesses seeking scalable solutions without upfront infrastructure costs. By 2010, BigCommerce had reached a milestone of 10,000 customers, validating its approach amid the rising popularity of e-commerce. However, the startup operated on a bootstrapped basis, relying on revenues from early adopters and reinvested profits to fund and efforts, which presented challenges in scaling operations without external capital. To better access the larger U.S. market and talent pool, BigCommerce relocated its headquarters to , in 2011, marking a pivotal shift from its Australian roots. This move involved overcoming logistical hurdles, including team expansion and cross-continental coordination, while maintaining growth in a competitive landscape. The relocation positioned the company for broader international reach, setting the stage for accelerated development. Later that year, BigCommerce secured its first major funding round—a $15 million Series A led by General Catalyst Partners—which enabled hiring, product enhancements, and marketing initiatives to fuel early expansion.

Growth, Funding, and IPO

BigCommerce experienced significant growth through a series of funding rounds that enabled scaling its operations and platform capabilities. Following the Series A, the company raised $20 million in a Series B round in September 2012 led by General Catalyst, and $40 million in a Series C round in July 2013 led by Revolution Growth. In November 2014, the company secured $50 million in Series D funding led by SoftBank Capital, with participation from Telstra Ventures and American Express Ventures, bringing its total funding to approximately $125 million at the time. This was followed by a $30 million Series E round in May 2016 led by , and a $64 million Series F round in April 2018 led by , with additional involvement from General Catalyst and Tenaya Capital. By 2019, these investments had cumulatively exceeded $200 million, supporting accelerated product development and market expansion. The funding fueled international expansion, including the opening of a San Francisco office in 2014 to bolster West Coast presence and talent acquisition from companies like PayPal and Amazon. Offices in London and Sydney were established during this period to support global operations, contributing to a rapid increase in the user base from thousands of stores in the early 2010s to over 40,000 active stores by 2019. During 2016-2018, BigCommerce evolved its platform with an emphasis on multi-channel selling capabilities, allowing merchants to integrate sales across online marketplaces, social networks, and offline points-of-sale, alongside adopting an API-first architecture to enable scalable, open SaaS integrations for enterprise needs. In August 2020, BigCommerce went public through an on the Global Market under the BIGC, pricing 9,019,565 shares at $24 per share and raising approximately $217 million in gross proceeds. The IPO valued the company at over $1 billion on a fully diluted basis at pricing, marking a key milestone in its transition to a publicly traded entity and providing capital for further global growth.

Acquisitions, Partnerships, and Rebranding

BigCommerce has strategically expanded through acquisitions to strengthen its platform, particularly emphasizing B2B capabilities and AI innovations following its 2020 IPO. In July 2021, the company acquired Feedonomics, a product feed management provider, for up to approximately $145 million, including $80 million in cash at closing; this integration has enhanced merchants' SEO performance and enabled optimized listings across search engines and marketplaces. In February 2022, BigCommerce acquired Quote Ninja, Inc. (operating as B2B Ninja), a provider of advanced B2B quoting tools, to deepen its B2B ecommerce functionality and streamline complex quoting processes for enterprise users. Later that year, in April 2022, it acquired BundleB2B, a longtime technology partner offering B2B edition enhancements, further integrating quoting, pricing, and customer-specific experiences directly into the core platform. By early 2024, BigCommerce completed its acquisition of Makeswift, a cloud-based visual page builder founded in 2010, which supports AI-driven content tools for creating dynamic, personalized storefronts and composable commerce experiences. These moves, totaling five acquisitions by September 2025, have collectively fortified the platform's omnichannel and AI features without disrupting existing operations. Complementing its acquisitions, BigCommerce has cultivated key partnerships to broaden its ecosystem and operational reach. In the , an early collaboration with integrated comprehensive payment services, including credit card processing and invoicing, simplifying transactions for small-to-midsize retailers on the platform. More recently, in March 2025, BigCommerce partnered with Pipe17, an AI-powered order operations platform, to extend connectivity for fulfillment, inventory syncing, and multi-channel order management, benefiting merchants using BigCommerce and Feedonomics. Ongoing collaborations with Google Cloud, deepened in July 2025, leverage AI for improved product discoverability, agentic search, and conversion optimization across channels. Similarly, integrations with enable seamless CRM data synchronization for orders, customers, and inventory, supporting ecosystem expansion in enterprise B2B environments. Post-2020, BigCommerce shifted strategically toward B2B expansion and AI integration, evident in its acquisition focus and partnerships that prioritize scalable, intelligent commerce tools. This evolution culminated in a major announced on July 31, 2025, when BigCommerce Holdings, Inc. became Commerce.com, Inc., unifying its portfolio—including BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift—under a single parent brand to encompass broader digital ambitions. Effective August 1, 2025, the company's ticker changed from BIGC to CMRC, signaling a commitment to AI-driven innovation while maintaining operational continuity for its core products.

Products and Services

Core Platform Features

BigCommerce operates as a cloud-based SaaS platform hosted on , utilizing CDN for enhanced global performance and reliability. At its core, the platform employs an open API-first architecture, exposing over 90% of its data through APIs that support more than 400 calls per second, enabling robust integrations and custom development. This API-driven approach underpins its model, which decouples the frontend presentation from the backend, allowing merchants to build custom storefronts using frameworks like , React, or even since the platform's emphasis on headless capabilities began gaining prominence around 2016. The headless architecture facilitates greater flexibility for B2C merchants, supporting progressive web apps (PWAs) and optimized experiences across devices without compromising backend functionality. For B2C operations, BigCommerce provides multi-storefront management, enabling merchants to oversee multiple unique online stores from a single centralized , including shared and product catalogs. syncing is handled seamlessly through the platform's Catalog API and control panel, ensuring real-time updates across channels to prevent overselling and maintain accuracy. The platform supports over 65 payment gateways out-of-the-box, covering more than 100 currencies and including popular options like , Stripe, , and local methods, which streamline checkout for global B2C customers. Built-in SEO tools further enhance visibility, offering customizable URLs, metadata editing, management, and faceted search capabilities that allow shoppers to filter products by attributes like price, size, or brand while adhering to SEO best practices to avoid duplicate content issues. Mobile and omnichannel support are integral to the platform's design, with fully responsive themes that optimize the storefront from homepage to checkout for seamless mobile browsing and purchasing. Merchants can integrate point-of-sale (POS) systems, such as ConnectPOS or Teamwork Commerce, for unified in-store and online operations, automating inventory and order syncing across physical and digital channels. Social commerce tools enable direct selling on platforms like , , and , allowing embedded shops and shoppable posts to drive traffic and conversions from . Security features include PCI DSS 4.0 Level 1 compliance, ensuring secure payment processing, along with ISO certifications, automatic enforcement, and 99.99% uptime guarantees. For scalability, BigCommerce offers unlimited bandwidth and storage, supported by a high-availability infrastructure that auto-scales resources to handle traffic surges, making it suitable for high-volume B2C stores without performance degradation. This combination allows merchants to manage unlimited products and file storage while maintaining speed during peak periods. Pricing is structured in tiers to accommodate varying sizes: the Standard plan starts at $39 per month (or $29 per month when billed annually) for stores up to $50,000 in annual online revenue; the Plus plan at $105 per month ($79 annually) for up to $180,000; the Pro plan at $399 per month ($299 annually) for up to $400,000 with additional fees for higher volumes; and the Enterprise plan with custom for businesses exceeding $1 million. All plans include zero transaction fees, 24/7 support, and no bandwidth overages, providing cost predictability for B2C growth.

B2B and Enterprise Capabilities

BigCommerce launched its B2B Edition in June 2021, introducing a suite of specialized tools designed to enhance operations for enterprise merchants. This edition enables customer-specific pricing, allowing sellers to set tailored rates, volume discounts, and promotional structures based on individual buyer accounts or hierarchies. Additionally, quote management capabilities, powered by the acquisition of BundleB2B, facilitate configure-price-quote (CPQ) functionalities that streamline complex order configurations and negotiations directly within the platform. Role-based access controls further support secure, segmented user experiences, where buyers, approvers, and administrators receive permissions aligned with their organizational roles. In May 2024, BigCommerce open-sourced the B2B Edition Buyer Portal for greater customization. In September 2025, it launched the B2B Edition Invoice Portal to streamline invoicing for large suppliers. Enterprise features in BigCommerce B2B Edition include custom workflows for automating approval processes and order routing, advanced reporting dashboards that provide insights into sales performance, levels, and customer behavior, and AI-driven tools rolled out in 2024 and 2025. These AI enhancements enable dynamic product recommendations and targeted content delivery based on buyer history and preferences, improving engagement in high-volume environments. Multi-client support is bolstered by wholesale portals that offer account management, EDI integrations for seamless data exchange with partners, and bulk ordering interfaces that accommodate large-scale purchases via CSV uploads or quick-order pads. Enterprise merchants have adopted BigCommerce B2B Edition, such as United Aqua Group, to handle scalable, high-volume transactions, leveraging its robust infrastructure to manage complex buyer relationships and global without compromising performance. For instance, these tools support the processing of thousands of B2B orders daily, ensuring reliability for distributed teams and international operations. At BigSummit 2025, BigCommerce announced further advancements, including fulfillment intelligence features for optimized inventory and routing using rule-based logic, alongside automated quoting enhancements in the CPQ system for instant quote generation and response. These updates position the platform to address evolving enterprise needs in and transaction efficiency.

Integrations and Ecosystem

BigCommerce's app marketplace provides merchants with an extensive library of third-party applications to extend the platform's functionality, featuring over 1,300 verified apps as of 2025. These apps are organized into categories such as , , and , enabling customization for specific business needs; for instance, offers advanced email marketing automation, ShipStation streamlines shipping and fulfillment processes, and integration supports detailed performance tracking. This ecosystem allows users to enhance operations without custom development, fostering for small businesses to enterprises. The platform's and developer tools further support the ecosystem by enabling custom integrations and builds. BigCommerce provides RESTful for managing store data, including products, orders, and customers, which facilitate seamless connections to external systems. support was introduced in late 2019 and has been available since 2020, allowing efficient querying of storefront data for faster, more flexible development. Additionally, the framework serves as a Handlebars-based theme engine, empowering developers to create responsive, custom with optimized performance. Key ecosystem partnerships include official integrations with enterprise systems like for ERP functionality, syncing inventory and orders to support complex operations. CRM tools such as integrate directly to manage customer interactions and marketing campaigns within the BigCommerce environment. Marketplace connections, including Amazon and via dedicated apps like Salestio or M2E Cloud, enable multichannel selling by synchronizing listings, inventory, and fulfillment across platforms. These partnerships reduce operational silos and expand market reach for merchants. BigCommerce's partner program structures collaboration through agency and solution partner tiers, including Certified, Preferred, and Elite levels, which recognize expertise and commitment based on revenue thresholds and performance metrics. Participants benefit from revenue-sharing models, such as a 20% share on net revenue from technology integrations, incentivizing app development and service provision. This program drives customer acquisition by connecting merchants with vetted agencies and solutions providers, contributing to ecosystem growth. In 2025, BigCommerce introduced enhancements to the ecosystem, including AI-powered personalization features within apps for product recommendations and search optimization, improving merchant efficiency and customer experiences. The platform also expanded headless CMS integrations, supporting tools like and Storyblok for decoupled frontends that enable faster, more flexible content management across channels. These updates align with broader trends in AI-driven commerce and composable architectures.

Business and Operations

Financial Performance

BigCommerce's revenue has shown steady post-IPO growth, starting from $152.4 million in 2020. This increased to $219.9 million in 2021, $279.1 million in 2022, $309.4 million in 2023, and reached $332.9 million in 2024, reflecting an 8% year-over-year rise driven by expansion in subscription solutions. In 2025, the company continued modest growth amid a focus on enterprise accounts and AI integrations. First-quarter revenue totaled $82.4 million, a 3% increase from the prior year, with annual recurring revenue (ARR) at $350.8 million, also up 3%. Second-quarter subscription solutions revenue was $63.7 million, up 3%, supporting an ARR of $354.6 million, a 3% rise. By the third quarter, total revenue reached $86.0 million, up 3% year-over-year, while ARR stood at $355.7 million, increasing 2%. Despite revenue gains, BigCommerce has faced ongoing profitability challenges, reporting a net loss of $27.0 million for 2024, narrowed from prior years through cost controls but impacted by heavy investments in . Gross margins remained stable, with figures at 77% for 2024 and improving to 79% in the first half of 2025. The company's stock performance has been volatile since its 2020 IPO, priced at $21 per share and closing the first day at $72.27. It peaked above $130 per share in early 2021, yielding a exceeding $10 billion at the time. However, shares declined sharply amid market pressures, trading around $7 by late 2024 and further to approximately $4.62 as of November 2025, following a to Commerce.com, Inc., and ticker change to CMRC effective August 2025. Revenue primarily derives from subscription solutions, which accounted for about 75% of in 2024 at $247.9 million, including platform fees and recurring professional services, while the remaining 25% came from project services and partner revenues; notably, BigCommerce imposes no transaction fees on merchants.

Leadership and Corporate Structure

BigCommerce was founded in 2009 by Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper in , . Machaalani served as co-CEO alongside Harper until 2015, after which he transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman, while Harper departed to pursue other ventures. In June 2015, Brent Bellm joined as CEO, bringing experience from and to guide the company's expansion toward an IPO. Bellm led BigCommerce through its 2020 public listing on until October 2024, when he stepped down and was succeeded by Travis Hess, who had joined as President in May 2024. As of November 2025, BigCommerce's executive leadership includes CEO Travis Hess, responsible for overall strategy and growth; CFO Daniel Lentz, overseeing financial operations; CMO Michelle Suzuki, appointed in February 2025 to drive marketing initiatives; and Chief Revenue Officer Rob Walter, also joining in February 2025 to enhance revenue streams. Russell Klein served as Chief Commercial Officer until his retirement on November 1, 2025, with his responsibilities assumed by Michaela Weber. The board of directors comprises experienced leaders such as Lead Independent Director Jeff Richards from GGV Capital, Satish Malhotra from The Container Store, Sally Gilligan from Gap Inc., Don Clarke from Plex Systems, Ellen Siminoff, and newly appointed Anil Kamath, a former Adobe executive, effective July 2025. The board has historically included representatives from key investors like SoftBank Capital and Revolution Growth, including Steve Murray, who joined in 2014 and contributed to strategic funding rounds. BigCommerce supports diversity initiatives, including the BEmpowered employee resource group for women, non-binary individuals, and allies, aimed at fostering inclusivity in leadership and the workplace. The company's corporate structure has evolved significantly since its early days. Following Bellm's arrival in 2015, BigCommerce expanded its headquarters to , and grew its workforce from approximately 100 employees to over 1,300 by 2025, reflecting scaled operations across global offices in , , , and . Post-2020, amid the , the company shifted to a flexible remote-hybrid work model, supporting both in-office and distributed teams to maintain productivity and attract talent worldwide. BigCommerce's culture emphasizes and , with core values centered on empowering merchants through . This is exemplified by programs like the annual BigSummit , a event that brings together e-commerce leaders for thought leadership, networking, and showcases of platform advancements, held most recently in in April 2025.

Market Position and Competition

BigCommerce holds approximately 3.2% of the global e-commerce platform as of 2025, positioning it among the top five platforms worldwide, with a stronger 3% share in the U.S. e-commerce software market. The platform supports over 130,000 merchants globally, powering approximately 40,000 active stores, and demonstrates particular strength in the mid-market segment, serving over 2,000 businesses that require scalable solutions beyond basic small-business tools. The customer base spans small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises, including notable brands such as , , , and , which leverage the platform for both B2B and B2C operations. Approximately 75-80% of BigCommerce's derives from U.S.-based customers, reflecting a primary North American focus, though the platform is present in the (APAC) and , , and (EMEA) regions, where EMEA grew 8% in Q1 and 7% in Q2 year-over-year, while APAC declined 5% in Q1 and 4% in Q2. BigCommerce's market strengths lie in its Open SaaS model, which combines the flexibility of open-source platforms with managed SaaS reliability, allowing high levels of customization through drag-and-drop tools without requiring extensive coding. This approach contrasts with more closed systems and enables seamless integrations for advanced functionality. The platform also offers a 99.99% uptime (SLA), ensuring consistent performance for high-volume merchants. In the 2025 for Digital Commerce, BigCommerce was named a Challenger for the sixth consecutive year, highlighting its execution and vision in the digital commerce space. Key competitors include , the market leader with over 20% global share and appeal to beginners due to its user-friendly interface; , which dominates with a 20.1% share as a free, self-hosted plugin but requires more technical maintenance; and Adobe Commerce (formerly ), focused on enterprise-level deployments with robust but complex customization. BigCommerce differentiates itself through superior flexibility for developers—supporting unlimited calls and headless architectures—and by imposing no transaction fees on any plan, unlike Shopify's 0.5-2% charges on non-partner gateways. In 2025, BigCommerce is positioning itself at the forefront of emerging trends such as AI-driven commerce, where tools enable personalized experiences and agentic shopping, and , facilitating decoupled frontends for faster, deployments. The platform projects modest customer growth aligned with overall revenue expansion of 3-6.5% for the , driven by enterprise wins and AI integrations, though live store counts saw a slight 1-6% year-over-year decline amid market consolidation.

References

Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.