Sales & Conversion
Personas
Ecommerce
Time to ROI
Short-term (< 3 months)
Six months ago, I had a client call me in a panic. They'd been running numbers on Shopify vs BigCommerce transaction fees for three weeks, comparing every decimal point, building spreadsheets that would make an accountant weep with joy. Their conclusion? BigCommerce would save them $47 per month in transaction fees.
Meanwhile, their current WooCommerce store was hemorrhaging $2,000 monthly in lost sales due to checkout abandonment issues. They were optimizing for pennies while dollars flew out the window.
After migrating dozens of ecommerce stores over 7 years, I've learned that transaction fees are the wrong lens for platform decisions. Yes, Shopify charges 2.9% + 30¢ while BigCommerce has no transaction fees on higher plans. But here's what the fee comparison charts don't tell you: the platform that costs more upfront often makes you more money overall.
In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why focusing on transaction fees leads to poor platform choices
The hidden costs that matter more than processing fees
My framework for evaluating total cost of ownership
Real migration case studies with actual revenue impact
When BigCommerce actually makes financial sense
Stop counting pennies and start building revenue engines. Here's what I learned from moving stores worth millions in annual revenue.
Platform Reality
Why everyone obsesses over the wrong metrics
Every ecommerce platform comparison starts the same way: a spreadsheet comparing transaction fees. Shopify charges 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction on their basic plan, while BigCommerce eliminates transaction fees entirely on their Standard plan and above. On paper, BigCommerce wins every time.
The industry pushes this narrative because it's simple math. Processing 1,000 transactions worth $50 each monthly? Shopify costs you $1,750 in fees while BigCommerce charges zero. Case closed, right?
Here's what every comparison guide recommends:
Calculate your monthly transaction volume - How many sales do you process?
Multiply by average order value - What's your typical sale amount?
Apply the fee structure - Shopify's 2.9% vs BigCommerce's $0
Add monthly platform costs - Factor in subscription fees
Choose the lower total - Pick the "cheaper" option
This logic exists because transaction fees are visible and predictable. They're line items on your monthly statement. Platform capabilities, conversion rates, and operational efficiency are harder to quantify.
But here's where conventional wisdom falls apart: your platform choice impacts revenue, not just costs. A platform that costs more in fees but generates 15% more sales is always the better business decision. Yet most founders optimize for the wrong variable entirely.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The wake-up call came during a Shopify migration project for a B2C fashion retailer. They'd been on BigCommerce for two years, specifically choosing it to avoid transaction fees. "We're saving hundreds monthly," the founder insisted.
But their numbers told a different story. Cart abandonment rate: 71%. Checkout completion was abysmal. Mobile conversion was even worse. They were saving on transaction fees while losing thousands in potential revenue every month.
This wasn't unique. After migrating over a dozen stores from various platforms to Shopify, I started seeing a pattern: businesses often chose platforms based on fee structures rather than revenue generation capability.
The fashion client had initially picked BigCommerce because their spreadsheet showed $300 monthly savings in transaction fees. What they didn't factor was that Shopify's streamlined checkout process, mobile optimization, and abandoned cart recovery tools could dramatically impact their bottom line.
During our discovery calls, I learned they were also struggling with:
Complex theme customization requiring developer help for simple changes
Limited app ecosystem compared to Shopify's marketplace
Inconsistent mobile experience affecting 60% of their traffic
Time-consuming inventory management workflows
That's when I realized the entire industry was optimizing for the wrong metric. Transaction fees are just one line item in a much larger profitability equation.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
Instead of starting with transaction fees, I developed a Total Platform ROI framework that measures what actually impacts your bottom line. Here's the systematic approach I use with every client migration:
Step 1: Revenue Impact Analysis
Before touching fee calculations, I audit conversion metrics. The platform that converts 3.2% instead of 2.1% will generate more profit even with higher transaction fees. I track:
Checkout abandonment rates across devices
Mobile conversion performance
Page load speed impact on sales
Available conversion optimization tools
Step 2: Operational Efficiency Costs
Time is money, especially for growing businesses. I calculate the hidden costs of:
Developer hours needed for customizations
Staff training time for new platform workflows
App integration complexity and costs
Ongoing maintenance requirements
Step 3: Scalability Cost Projection
Most businesses choose platforms for their current size, not future growth. I project costs at 2x, 5x, and 10x current volume to identify potential bottlenecks.
Step 4: The Real Transaction Fee Math
Only after understanding revenue and operational impacts do I calculate actual transaction costs. But here's the twist: I include the cost of lost sales in the BigCommerce calculation.
If Shopify's superior checkout flow increases conversion by even 0.5%, that revenue boost often outweighs transaction fee savings. For a store doing $50K monthly, a 0.5% conversion improvement generates $250 extra revenue - enough to cover transaction fees and then some.
The Fashion Retailer Results
After migrating to Shopify, my fashion client saw:
Cart abandonment dropped from 71% to 61%
Mobile conversion increased 23%
Overall revenue up 18% within 90 days
Yes, they now pay transaction fees. But the revenue increase more than offset the additional costs, generating an extra $2,100 monthly profit despite the "expensive" platform choice.
Fee Structure
Shopify: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction, scales down with volume. Predictable but visible cost.
Revenue Tools
Shopify's conversion-focused features often generate more sales than BigCommerce fee savings.
Hidden Costs
BigCommerce requires more developer time and has fewer plug-and-play solutions.
Migration ROI
Platform switches based on total ROI, not fees alone, typically show 15-25% revenue improvements.
After applying this framework across multiple migrations, the results consistently challenge conventional wisdom. Platform choice impacts revenue more than costs.
The fashion retailer wasn't unique. A home goods store saw 22% revenue increase post-Shopify migration. A beauty brand improved mobile conversion by 31%. In every case, the revenue gains from better platform capabilities outweighed transaction fee increases.
But here's what surprised me most: some businesses actually should choose BigCommerce. High-volume, low-margin stores with simple checkout needs can benefit from fee-free processing. The key is making the decision based on total business impact, not just platform costs.
The timeline is also predictable. Revenue improvements typically appear within 60-90 days of migration, while operational efficiency gains compound over time. Businesses that make platform decisions based on total ROI rather than transaction fees consistently outperform those optimizing for lowest fees.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Seven years of platform migrations taught me that fee-focused decision making is backwards thinking. Here are the key insights:
Revenue impact trumps cost savings - A platform that converts better will always generate more profit, even with higher fees
Operational efficiency has hidden costs - Time spent on platform limitations costs more than transaction fees
Mobile experience drives modern ecommerce - Platform choice significantly impacts mobile conversion rates
Scalability planning prevents costly migrations - Choose platforms for future growth, not current size
BigCommerce works for specific use cases - High-volume, simple checkout stores can benefit from fee-free processing
Conversion tools matter more than costs - Platform capabilities directly impact sales performance
Total ROI framework prevents costly mistakes - Comprehensive analysis leads to better business outcomes
The biggest mistake is optimizing for the wrong variable. Focus on revenue generation, not fee minimization.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS companies considering ecommerce integration:
Prioritize platform APIs and integration capabilities over transaction fees
Consider Shopify Plus for enterprise-level customization needs
Factor in development time for custom checkout flows
For your Ecommerce store
For ecommerce stores evaluating platforms:
Test checkout conversion rates during platform trials
Calculate total cost including apps, themes, and development
Choose BigCommerce for high-volume, simple product catalogs