Introduction: Your Role in Redesigning Your BigCommerce Store
You’ve recognized the telltale signs it’s time to redesign your BigCommerce store and decided to forge ahead. As you embark on this transformational journey for your online business, it’s only natural to seek clarity in expectations for the redesign process. What can you expect from your design agency, and what role do you play as a client and business stakeholder?
In this post, we summarize the responsibilities for you (the client) and the design/development agency, ensuring you’re well-prepared for what lies ahead and achieve the results you envision.
Choosing the Right Design and Development Agency
Before we dive into the responsibilities of the client and agency, it’s crucial to highlight the importance of working with a qualified design and development partner.
For BigCommerce merchants, the redesign process becomes markedly more successful when you choose to collaborate with a BigCommerce Elite Agency, like IntuitSolutions. Seasoned BigCommerce professionals boast an intimate understanding of the platform and have the knowledge and experience to make the entire process smoother and more resource-effective.
Client vs. Agency Responsibilities During a BigCommerce Redesign
Transparent expectations form a solid foundation for the entire redesign process. While roles and responsibilities may adapt to project specifics, here are some common ones to anticipate.
Agency Roles
- Project Management: Your agency partner will take the lead in setting a timeline, identifying milestones, and establishing a regular communication cadence with your team. The agency is responsible for keeping you informed on project updates or delays along the way.
- Design Conceptualization and Execution: Your design and development partner is responsible for translating your vision and requirements into tangible designs. They conceptualize your website’s layout, structure, and aesthetics, presenting you with wireframes, mockups, and final design drafts for your approval.
- Front and Backend Development: The development stage is where expert coding and technical implementation transform design concepts into reality. Your agency handles the entire development process, turning design mockups into a functional, interactive, and visually captivating online store.
- Launch Support: Once your newly designed store is ready to go live. Your agency partner will perform the steps necessary to ensure a successful launch. This will fall into two categories of launch support:
- Development – Configuring the domain with BigCommerce DNS settings and domain registrar, installing the SSL certificate, and submitting the sitemap to search engines.
- Testing – Checking browser/OS/device compatibility, performing UX testing, creating test orders, and resolving any bugs along the way.
Get a Complimentary Design Consultation
Speak with a BigCommerce expert to learn more about the design changes that will make the biggest impact for your online business.
Client Roles
- Providing brand guidelines: Your brand guidelines are the compass that ensures your online presence stays consistent with your company’s brand identity. As the client, you’re responsible for providing your design agency with logos, color schemes, typography, and other essential branding elements.
- Offering feedback at various stages: The redesign process thrives on open dialogue and collaboration. Your input is invaluable during the planning, design, development, and testing phases. It’s essential to provide timely, constructive feedback to guide the agency in aligning the project with your vision and objectives.
- Managing Internal Stakeholder Alignment: Clients are responsible for appointing a project liaison to streamline communication between the business and the agency. This designated point person ensures internal stakeholders are well-informed and aligned with the redesign’s objectives, timelines, and progress, promptly communicating feedback to the agency.
- Content Changes: Your site’s data and content—including product details, order information, or informational pages–are not required to undergo changes during a site redesign. However, the client is responsible for any content updates if changes are desired.
- Configuring third-party applications (if required): Unless agreed upon during the scoping process, clients are responsible for integrating third-party applications for their online store. This encompasses the end-to-end process, including setup, configuration, and testing.
Client vs. Agency Responsibilities During a BigCommerce Redesign
Redesigning your BigCommerce store marks a significant leap forward. But similar to physical storefronts, online stores require ongoing attention to consistently attract visitors, keep them engaged, and secure the long-term profitability of your business.
With countless opportunities to optimize and improve, deciding where to start can be difficult. That’s why we created our site optimization and support retainer plans. Our BigCommerce experts regularly review your site and recommend and execute the most impactful changes to:
- Rank higher in search
- Improve customer experience
- Maximize online sales
- Drive repeat business
Best of all, retainer plans are entirely flexible based on your budget and business goals.
All BigCommerce merchants can benefit tremendously from a site optimization and support plan, before, during, or after a site redesign. Get started with a complimentary site audit to see what’s impacting your site performance—and what you can do about it.
The Final Word: Well-Defined Expectations Lead to Successful Outcomes
Get a Complimentary Design Consultation
Speak with a BigCommerce expert to learn more about the design changes that will make the biggest impact for your online business.
