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brand BigCommerce
tagline Ecommerce for a new era. Enterprise power, simplified.
category E-Commerce & Fintech
website https://www.bigcommerce.com

Information Architecture — BigCommerce

Overview

BigCommerce is an enterprise-grade SaaS e-commerce platform offering hosted storefronts, headless commerce via API, multi-storefront capabilities, and an extensive app marketplace. The IA serves three audiences: merchants evaluating the platform, developers building integrations, and partners/agencies reselling or implementing BigCommerce. Unlike self-hosted WooCommerce, BigCommerce is fully managed — hosting, security, and updates are handled by the platform.

Site Map

bigcommerce.com
├── Home
├── Product
│   ├── Platform overview
│   ├── Storefront
│   │   ├── Stencil (theme engine)
│   │   ├── Page Builder
│   │   └── Headless commerce
│   ├── Multi-Storefront
│   ├── B2B Edition
│   ├── Omnichannel (Amazon, eBay, social, POS)
│   ├── Payments
│   ├── Shipping
│   ├── International & multi-currency
│   ├── SEO
│   └── Security & reliability
├── Solutions
│   ├── By industry (Fashion, Food, B2B, etc.)
│   ├── By business size (SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise)
│   ├── Headless commerce
│   ├── Multi-storefront
│   └── B2B
├── Pricing
│   ├── Standard / Plus / Pro / Enterprise
│   └── Feature comparison
├── Apps & Integrations
│   ├── App marketplace
│   ├── Browse by category
│   ├── Featured apps
│   ├── Free apps
│   └── App detail page
├── Developers
│   ├── API documentation
│   ├── SDKs & tools
│   ├── Stencil theme docs
│   ├── Headless / Storefront API
│   ├── BigDesign (component library)
│   └── Developer community
├── Partners
│   ├── Partner program
│   ├── Agency directory
│   ├── Technology partners
│   └── Become a partner
├── Resources
│   ├── Blog
│   ├── Case studies
│   ├── Webinars
│   ├── Guides & reports
│   ├── University (learning center)
│   └── Community forum
├── Support
│   ├── Help center
│   ├── Knowledge base
│   ├── System status
│   └── Contact
├── About
│   ├── Company
│   ├── Careers
│   ├── Press
│   └── Trust & security
├── Legal
│   ├── Terms
│   ├── Privacy
│   └── SLA
└── Auth
    ├── Log in
    └── Start free trial

Navigation Model

Level Type Details
Global Top nav Logo, Products, Solutions, Pricing, Apps, Resources, Request Demo, Start Trial
Products Mega-menu Platform features organized by capability area
Solutions Mega-menu By industry, by size, by use case
Developer Separate docs site Left sidebar with API reference, guides, tutorials
Control Panel Left sidebar Orders, Products, Customers, Marketing, Analytics, Channel Manager, Apps, Settings
Footer Multi-column Product, Solutions, Partners, Resources, Company, Legal

Key pattern: The marketing site is comparison-oriented (vs. Shopify, vs. WooCommerce), with ROI calculators and migration guides. The developer docs are a separate subdomain with their own IA.

Content Model

Entity Key Attributes Relationships
Product (Platform Feature) name, description, benefits, screenshots, related features belongs to parent entity
App (Marketplace) name, developer, description, price, rating, reviews, category, compatibility belongs to parent entity
Case Study merchant, industry, challenge, solution, results, quote, URL belongs to parent entity
Plan name (Standard/Plus/Pro/Enterprise), price, features, limits belongs to parent entity
Blog Post title, author, date, category, body, CTA belongs to User, has many Comments
API Endpoint resource, methods, parameters, examples, versioning belongs to parent entity

Merchant Store Content Model

Entity Key Attributes Relationships
Product name, SKU, price, variants (size/color), images, description, categories, brand, custom fields, inventory belongs to parent entity
Category name, description, image, parent, sort order has many Items
Order number, customer, items, total, status, payment, shipping, channel belongs to User, has many Items
Customer name, email, addresses, groups, order history, account belongs to parent entity
Storefront name, domain, channel, locale, currency belongs to parent entity

User Flows

Merchant — Evaluate & sign up

Land on home → explore Product features or Solutions by industry → View pricing → compare plans → start free trial → Onboarding wizard → store name, industry, products → Add products, configure payments, choose theme → Customize with Page Builder → launch store

Merchant — Multi-storefront

Create primary store → go to Channel Manager → Add new storefront → assign domain, locale, currency → Share product catalog or create storefront-specific products → Unique themes per storefront → launch multiple brands from one dashboard

Developer — Headless build

Visit developer docs → Storefront API / GraphQL reference → Choose frontend framework (Next.js, Gatsby, etc.) → Use BigCommerce as backend (products, cart, checkout API) → Build custom frontend → connect via API keys → Deploy independently → BigCommerce handles commerce logic

Partner — Agency implementation

Join Partner Program → access resources, training → Client engagement → migrate or build store on BigCommerce → Use Stencil CLI for theme development, API for custom integrations → Launch client store → ongoing management via Control Panel

Manage Notifications

Settings → Notifications → Toggle email/push/in-app per category → Set frequency (instant/daily digest/weekly) → Save preferences

URL / Route Structure

# Marketing site
/                               → Home
/product/                       → Platform overview
/product/{feature}/             → Feature detail
/solutions/{industry}/          → Industry solution
/essentials/pricing/            → Pricing & plans
/apps/                          → App marketplace
/apps/{category}/               → App category
/apps/{app-slug}/               → App detail
/partners/                      → Partner program
/resources/blog/                → Blog
/resources/blog/{slug}/         → Blog post
/case-studies/{slug}/           → Case study
/support/                       → Help center

# Developer docs (developer.bigcommerce.com)
/docs/                          → Docs home
/docs/rest-management/          → REST API reference
/docs/storefront/               → Storefront API
/docs/stencil-docs/             → Theme development

# Merchant store (customizable)
/                               → Storefront home
/categories/{slug}/             → Category page
/products/{slug}/               → Product page
/cart.php                       → Cart
/checkout/                      → Checkout
/account.php                    → Customer account
/about/                        → Company info
/careers/                       → Careers page
/trust/                         → Trust & security
/resources/webinars/            → Webinars
/resources/guides/              → Guides & reports
/community/                     → Community forum
/university/                    → BigCommerce University
/status/                        → System status page

Search & Filter

Feature Behavior
App marketplace search Keyword, category, free/paid, rating, developer
Help center search Full-text knowledge base search
Blog search By category (Marketing, Technology, Operations, Design)
Developer docs search API endpoint search, guide keyword search
Merchant store (built-in) Product search, category facets, price/brand/attribute filters, sort options
  • Autocomplete: Type-ahead suggestions with recent searches and popular results
  • Advanced search: Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), field-specific filters, date ranges
  • Recent searches: Quick access to previous search queries

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoint Adaptation
Desktop (≥1024px) Full mega-menu, comparison tables, multi-column app grid
Tablet (768–1023px) Condensed nav, 2-column grid, scrollable comparison
Mobile (<768px) Hamburger menu, single-column, accordion features, mobile CTA bar
Control Panel Responsive admin — works on tablet, limited on phone
Merchant storefronts Responsive themes (Cornerstone default is fully responsive)

Platform-Specific Patterns

  • Touch targets: minimum 44x44pt on mobile for accessibility
  • Swipe gestures: swipe to delete, archive, or perform quick actions
  • Pull-to-refresh: standard refresh pattern on feeds and lists
  • Keyboard shortcuts: comprehensive shortcuts on desktop for power users
  • Dark mode: system-preference detection with manual override
  • Offline support: cached data available without network connectivity
  • Progressive loading: skeleton screens while content loads

Access Control

Role Access
Visitor Marketing site, pricing, app marketplace, docs
Trial User Full Control Panel access, limited to trial period
Store Owner Full admin — products, orders, settings, apps, users
Store Admin Configurable permissions — may exclude billing or user management
Staff (limited) Assigned sections only (e.g., orders only, products only)
Customer (storefront) Browse, purchase, account, order history, wishlists
Developer API keys, webhook management, theme development
Partner / Agency Multi-store management, partner dashboard, referral tracking
Internal (BigCommerce) Merchant support, platform operations, partner management