Which Big Brands Have Moved From Bigcommerce To Shopify: Proven Success Stories You Can’t Ignore

From mounting API limits to checkout flows that just couldn’t keep pace, ambitious brands on BigCommerce found themselves hitting a wall at the very moment growth demanded more. What started as a promise of flexibility soon turned into a maze of costly development, missed opportunities, and frustrated teams.

In this breakdown, you’ll discover which big brands have moved from BigCommerce to Shopify, and the very real challenges that pushed them to leap. 

6 Major Brands That Escaped BigCommerce's Grip and Found Shopify Success

These 6 verified success stories reveal how major brands broke free from BigCommerce's limitations and achieved remarkable growth through strategic platform migration to Shopify.

1. Busy Bee Tools (Industrial Tool Retailer - 7-Month Strategic Migration)

Busy Bee Tools' transformation showcases how industrial retailers can overcome operational silos and achieve unprecedented efficiency through platform migration.

The BigCommerce Operational Crisis:

• Disconnected ERP systems create dangerous operational silos between online and in-store operations
• 24-36 hour order fulfillment times make them uncompetitive against big-box retailers
• Frequent website downtime despite paying for premium hosting solutions
• Complex inventory management requiring extensive manual entry and constant staff frustration
• Poor integration capabilities with the existing tech stack, forcing workarounds and inefficiencies

The Shopify Plus Industrial Revolution:

• 20% increase in conversion rate through faster page loads and a reliable checkout experience
• Order fulfillment slashed from 36 hours to just 4 hours - customers now receive tracking at 2 PM for 10 AM orders
• 200% faster order processing powered by seamless ERP integration
• 15% increase in Black Friday Cyber Monday sales supported by 99.9% platform uptime
• Seamless ERP integration with Microsoft Business Central, creating unified customer experiences
• Buy online, pick up in-store orders ready within 2 hours - exceeding big-box retailer speeds

CEO Hanif's reflection: "We went from a 24 to 36-hour order fulfillment time to, in some cases, just four hours. A customer can place an order at 10 a.m. and have a tracking notification by 2 p.m. That speed is what allows you to scale."

2. 4ocean (Environmental Nonprofit with Ecommerce - The Boomerang Migration)

4ocean's unique story demonstrates the costly mistake of leaving Shopify and the dramatic recovery that followed their return.

The BigCommerce Migration Disaster:

• Started on Shopify, migrated to BigCommerce, thinking it would be better for their growing scale
• Lost 80% of organic traffic during the disastrous BigCommerce migration process
• Simple tasks like updating product SKUs required custom development - basic functionality became expensive
• Basic functionality like product image swiping needed developer work - table-stakes features required coding
• Tens of thousands in unnecessary development costs for features that were native on Shopify

The Return to Shopify Mission Success:

• Swift, painless migration back to Shopify - dramatically easier than the original BigCommerce move
• Team refocused on ocean cleanup mission instead of platform maintenance headaches
• Launched innovative trash tracker technology - showing real-time cleanup impact to customers
• Marketing team operates independently without constant IT involvement for basic changes
• Eliminated custom development for basic ecommerce features that should work out-of-the-box

Co-founder Alex Schulze's honest reflection: "We ended up migrating off of Shopify, and our business plummeted. Nothing felt right from the get-go. The migration process was a nightmare. Not only did it take an incredible amount of time and money, but we lost a ton of organic traffic, about 80%."

3. BPI Sports ($100M+ Nutritional Supplement Powerhouse)

BPI Sports' migration reveals how wholesale giants can unlock D2C potential by escaping platform complexity and development dependency.

The BigCommerce Development Nightmare:

• $6,000+ monthly development costs just to keep the platform functioning properly
• Endless technical headaches requiring constant developer fixes and emergency patches
• Messy, incomprehensible code and customer data make analysis and optimization impossible
• Error codes frustrating customers during crucial purchase moments, damaging brand reputation
• Small feature improvements taking forever - simple changes have become major development projects

The Shopify Plus Revenue Revolution:

• $4,000 monthly savings in development costs - immediate ROI from reduced platform overhead
• On pace to triple annual D2C online sales - unlocking direct-to-consumer potential
• Team can now make changes without external help - empowering internal staff and reducing delays
• Proper theme and feature testing capabilities are finally enabling data-driven optimization
• Eliminated staff frustration with backend complexity that was hindering productivity

Director of Technology Oliver Haroun's honest assessment: "You pull your hair. You hear your team just complaining 24/7 anytime you mention, 'Hey, can you do this?' That's kind of the way discussions went, where we really didn't want to improve or do anything to the site because it was such an endeavor to do anything simple."

4. Dermelect (Premium Skincare Brand - 3-Year Platform Evolution)

Dermelect's migration demonstrates how beauty brands can reclaim control over their growing digital presence and customer experience.

The BigCommerce Management Crisis:

• Platform becoming unmanageable after 3 years - complexity outpacing business growth
• Poor SEO performance is affecting organic growth and customer acquisition
• Limited integration with the external tech stack restricts marketing automation and analytics
• Complex customer rewards program management requires workarounds and manual processes

The Shopify Beauty Brand Enhancement:

• Seamless customer and subscription data migration - zero data loss during transition
• Retained SEO authority during transition through proper redirect implementation
• Improved page speed and load time optimization, enhancing user experience and conversion rates
• Modern design refresh, enhancing user experience and brand perception
• Better integration capabilities, positioning the brand for future growth and innovation

Director of Business Development Shawn Behnham's endorsement: "I love the team! It's not often that people overdeliver, but my dev team and CodeClouds has."

5. Inspired Nutrition (Immune Support Supplements - 3-Month Conversion Boost)

Inspired Nutrition's rapid transformation showcases how health supplement brands can streamline operations and boost conversions through strategic platform migration.

The BigCommerce Resource Drain:

• Increased demand on time and resources as platform complexity grew with the business
• Platform complexity hindering business operations - simple tasks are becoming complicated procedures
• Limited functionality for growing business needs - the platform couldn't keep pace with expansion

The Shopify Efficiency Revolution:

• Complete website revamp, enhancing user experience - modern, conversion-optimized design
• Improved functionality boosting conversions within 3 months - immediate ROI from platform switch
• Streamlined operations, reducing resource overhead - team can focus on growth instead of maintenance

6. Filtrous (B2B Industrial Solutions - 27% Conversion Rate Surge)

Filtrous exemplifies how B2B industrial companies can leverage Shopify's enhanced B2B capabilities to drive significant conversion improvements.

The BigCommerce B2B Scalability Crisis:

• Platform limitations restricting B2B functionality - enterprise features falling short of requirements
• Complex customization requirements for industrial client needs and workflows
• Scalability challenges for growing operations - the platform couldn't handle increased transaction volumes

The Shopify B2B Enterprise Success:

• 27% increase in organic conversion rates - immediate performance improvement post-migration
• Enhanced B2B functionality and features leveraging Shopify's improved B2B platform
• Streamlined operations for enterprise clients - simplified purchasing and account management

These six brands didn't just change platforms; they escaped operational complexity and unlocked growth potential. 

Has Your BigCommerce Setup Hit the Growth Wall? Here's How to Tell If Shopify Is Your Next Move

BigCommerce promised enterprise features without enterprise complexity. But as these verified case studies reveal, many growing brands discover that BigCommerce's "out-of-the-box" capabilities aren't as comprehensive as advertised, leading to expensive workarounds and development dependencies that rival traditional platforms.

If you're questioning whether your BigCommerce store can support your next growth phase, this strategic evaluation framework will provide the clarity you need to make an informed platform decision.

The BigCommerce Reality Check: 8 Critical Questions Every Growing Brand Must Ask

BigCommerce markets itself as the "developer-friendly" alternative to Shopify, but many merchants discover that "developer-friendly" often means "developer-required." These essential questions will reveal whether your BigCommerce setup is accelerating or anchoring your growth trajectory.

API Limits & Platform Scalability Assessment

1. Are we bumping up against BigCommerce's API call limits?

• Track your monthly API usage patterns and overage fees
• Document instances where API limits affected business operations or integrations
• Warning threshold: If you're paying API overage fees regularly, your growth is literally being taxed by the platform
• Reality check: Many high-volume merchants find BigCommerce's API limitations restrict their ability to scale operations

2. How often do platform limitations force expensive custom development?

• Count incidents where basic functionality required developer intervention
• Calculate the costs of workarounds for features that should be native
• Red flag: If you're coding around platform limitations regularly, you're fighting your foundation
• Benchmark comparison: Features requiring custom development on BigCommerce are often native on Shopify

Transaction Volume & Revenue Threshold Analysis

3. Are we approaching BigCommerce's pricing tier breakpoints?

• Review your annual GMV growth trajectory against BigCommerce's pricing thresholds
• Calculate the true cost impact of moving to higher pricing tiers
• Critical insight: BigCommerce's revenue-based pricing can create sudden, dramatic cost increases
• Strategic consideration: Will platform costs scale proportionally with your success, or penalize it?

4. How predictable are our platform costs with traffic and sales fluctuations?

• Analyze cost variations during peak sales periods vs. normal operations
• Factor in API overage fees, transaction-based pricing, and feature limitations
• Stability metric: Unpredictable platform costs make financial planning and forecasting difficult
• Shopify advantage: More transparent, predictable monthly pricing regardless of traffic spikes

Feature Gaps & Customization Requirements

5. What percentage of our desired functionality requires third-party apps or custom development?

• Audit your current tech stack and identify BigCommerce vs. third-party solutions
• Calculate the ongoing costs of maintaining custom integrations and workarounds
• Efficiency threshold: If more than 30% of your core functionality is custom-built, platform migration may be more efficient
• App ecosystem comparison: Shopify's 8,000+ apps vs. BigCommerce's smaller ecosystem affects long-term flexibility

6. How satisfied are we with BigCommerce's checkout conversion performance?

• Compare your conversion rates against industry benchmarks
• Test checkout flow usability across different devices and customer segments
• Performance gap: Studies show Shopify's checkout converts 12% higher than BigCommerce on average
• Revenue impact: Even small conversion improvements can justify platform migration costs

Team Productivity & Resource Allocation

7. Is our team spending more time managing platform limitations than driving growth?

• Track hours spent on BigCommerce workarounds vs. strategic business initiatives
• Document team frustration levels with platform complexity and limitations
• Productivity metric: High-performing teams should spend 70% of their time on growth, 30% on maintenance
• Talent consideration: Shopify's larger ecosystem means easier access to qualified developers and agencies

8. How confident are we in BigCommerce's roadmap alignment with our business vision?

• Evaluate BigCommerce's feature development pace against your growing needs
• Assess platform investment in areas critical to your business (B2B, international, mobile, etc.)
• Strategic alignment: Is BigCommerce innovating in directions that support your 2-3 year goals?
• Market momentum: Consider which platform ecosystem is attracting more investment and innovation

BigCommerce Migration Readiness Assessment

Rate each factor from 1-5 (1 = Major Concern, 5 = Fully Satisfied) to calculate your platform satisfaction score.

Platform Performance Factors (40% Weight)

Platform Subtotal: ___/55

Business Operations Factors (35% Weight)

Business Subtotal: ___/45

Strategic Growth Factors (25% Weight)

Strategic Subtotal: ___/20

Your BigCommerce Satisfaction Score

Total Score: ___/120

Migration Recommendation Guide:

• 90-120: Stay and optimize - BigCommerce is serving your needs well
• 70-89: Monitor closely - Address specific pain points before they become critical
• 50-69: Consider migration - Platform limitations are affecting growth potential
• Below 50: Migration recommended - BigCommerce constraints are holding back your business

BigCommerce vs. Shopify: The Strategic Business Comparison

Understanding the fundamental differences helps inform your platform decision:

Use this framework to make a data-driven decision based on business impact, not platform preferences. Your choice should enable growth, not constrain it.

From API Roadblocks To Unlimited Integrations

The stories of Busy Bee Tools, 4ocean, BPI Sports, Dermelect, Inspired Nutrition, and Filtrous prove that BigCommerce’s limits can stall growth when you need speed and scale the most. Each of these brands found renewed momentum by moving to Shopify, cutting costs, improving performance, and unlocking agility. 

If your business is facing the same hurdles, it may be time to consider a BigCommerce to Shopify migration service. At Velt2, we specialize in seamless replatforming that safeguards data, protects SEO, and sets you up for scalable success. Don’t let platform constraints hold you back; make the switch and grow with confidence.