Innovate and Elevate: A Guide to Growing Your BigCommerce Store with a Site Redesign
Installment 1: Thinking About Redesigning Your BigCommerce Store? Start Here.
Maintaining the status quo can be the fast track to falling behind when it comes to growing online sales. For BigCommerce merchants, this often means embracing a strategic website redesign that enhances user experience, modernizes functionality, and aligns your online presence with your evolving business goals.
In this four-part content series, our team of BigCommerce experts guides you through the essentials of a successful redesign—from planning to launch—ensuring your store is not only up-to-date but ahead of the curve. Whether you’ve already committed to a site redesign or just exploring the idea, this series will equip you with the knowledge, strategies, and best practices you need to make informed decisions and drive meaningful results.
Introduction
In the world of ecommerce, change is more than inevitable—it’s accelerating. Global ecommerce sales are projected to grow by 50% over the next three years, and by 2026, more than 24% of retail purchases will be made online.
BigCommerce offers its merchants a distinct advantage in navigating rapid growth, as today’s most modern scalable ecommerce platform with in-demand built-in features. But the BigCommerce stores that thrive long-term are those that look beyond out-of-the-box, embrace change, and regularly modernize their stores through strategic redesigns.
If you’re a BigCommerce merchant getting ready to rebuild your online store, or just eager to learn more about the process, you’re in the right place.
In this blog series, we’ll cover the roadmap for a successful site transformation, exploring key strategies and best practices for enhancing user experience, improving site structure, and implementing more robust functionality. These insights are designed to help BigCommerce merchants adapt and thrive in today’s rapidly evolving ecommerce landscape.
Let’s get started!
What Does a “Redesign” Really Mean, And When Do You Need One?
Before we dive into more about the redesign process, let’s first define the term “redesign.” The terms “redesign” and “refresh” are commonly used interchangeably—but they don’t mean the same thing.
A site “refresh” refers to changes that only touch the aesthetic look and feel of the site—such as a new color palette, typography, or minor UX tweaks. Think of it as painting walls or replacing window dressings in a home. In contrast, a redesign can involve overhauling the layout, design, functionality, and content—akin to rebuilding a house entirely.
So how do you know it’s time to undergo a full-fledged redesign? There are many signs to look for. Below are some of the most common indicators it’s time for a change.
Signs Your BigCommerce Store Needs a Redesign
- Poor or declining conversion rates
- High bounce rates
- Not mobile responsive
- Outdated website theme (e.g. Blueprint)
- Confusing navigation
- Slow page load speed
- Company brand has evolved
- Competitors have “leveled up”
- Outdated technology
- Integration issues (e.g. ERP, CRM, apps)
Identifying with these signs? It’s the perfect cue to initiate your redesign plan.
Creating Your BigCommerce Site Redesign Plan
Embarking on a website redesign without a well-crafted plan is like setting sail without a compass—you may move, but not in the direction you intend. Creating a detailed redesign plan is essential to aligning your project goals with actionable steps that deliver a successful outcome.
A structured plan helps you:
- Define clear objectives
- Allocate resources efficiently
- Mitigate roadblocks
- Stay on budget
- Ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page
When you partner with an experienced BigCommerce design agency like IntuitSolutions, you’re not simply enlisting a service; you’re gaining a dedicated advocate. Our project managers champion your redesign journey, steering the project and ensuring every detail aligns with your vision, timeframe, and budget.
From the outset of the project, we address variables that keep the project on track, such as:
- What is the project timeline?
- What are the key project milestones?
- What is the meeting cadence?
- Which stakeholders are responsible for approving project deliverables?
Get a Complimentary Site Consultation
Let our BigCommerce experts guide you on the site enhancements that will move the needle for your online business.
Plan Ahead for Best Results
No matter the size of the project, the planning process should begin well ahead of the target launch date to maximize results and minimize delays along the way.
A typical Custom Design and Responsive Development project takes around 12-16 weeks from the start to the final launch of your new site. Some projects may move more quickly, and more complex projects may require six months or longer to complete.
A number of factors will contribute to this time range, including:
- Project scope and complexity
- External partners & third-party vendors
- Internal feedback process
- Skillset of design/development agency
Organize Work in a Phased Approach
With pent-up enthusiasm to transform your online store, there might be a temptation to implement a myriad of changes simultaneously. However, it’s vital to maintain a manageable pace of change to ensure your organization doesn’t take on more than it can handle.
A thoughtfully-planned, phased approach lets you:
- Break down the project into manageable segments
- Prioritize changes based on impact and necessity
- Roll out updates in incremental stages to gauge user feedback and make adjustments
This approach allows for ongoing evaluation, making it easier to course-correct if necessary, without overwhelming your internal resources.
The Scoping Process: Identifying and Prioritizing Website Improvements
The possibilities are endless when redesigning your ecommerce store, so how do you know where to put your focus—and your budget?
When our BigCommerce experts sit down with clients to discuss their redesign plan, we emphasize the importance of making strategic enhancements, those that will ultimately move the needle for their business. But first, we begin our planning with their full wish list—every potential improvement they’d love to see, as if time and resources were unlimited.
Crafting Your Site Wishlist
Building a site wishlist isn’t merely about daydreaming; it’s a strategic exercise. It is a space to explore, ideate, and later refine. This exercise enables your business to consider all potential enhancements that might otherwise be overlooked.
Your business can create a redesign “wishlist” by asking questions like:
- What features/functionality do our competitors have that we want?
- What have customers mentioned they wish our site had?
- Which industry shifts will influence future site modifications?
Assessing Your Current Site Performance
To get a clearer picture of your current store, we objectively assess your site’s performance, looking at factors like:
- Page load speed
- Page structure
- User experience
- Resource optimization
- Web accessibility
- Technical SEO health
After carefully evaluating these critical elements, you’ll gain invaluable insights into what’s working well and what requires immediate action. This comprehensive assessment not only serves as a jumping off point for your redesign but also acts as a roadmap, guiding you towards making data-driven decisions that will optimize your BigCommerce store for long-term success.
Key Takeaways: Planning a Successful BigCommerce Redesign
Embracing a BigCommerce redesign is more than just a task to check off your lists—it’s a pivotal investment in the health and longevity of your business. While BigCommerce merchants have a leg up with a powerful platform, proactive redesign separates ordinary stores from extraordinary ones. A thriving, profitable transformation is attainable with the right vision, tools, and dedicated partner by your side.
We have seen it all as BigCommerce web design and development experts with 15+ years of platform-specific experience. We’ll help you make sense of everything possible and formulate a plan that delivers real results for your business.
Up Next
Our next installment uncovers the essentials of managing data and content during a BigCommerce website revamp. We’ll take a look at the typical redesign journey to examine the content changes to expect, identify stakeholder responsibilities, and guide you on where to start.
