Will Bigcommerce Store Become Faster After Moving To Shopify: Real Performance Gains Explained

Online shoppers form an impression in just a few seconds, and a slow site can make them click away before exploring a single product. That’s why performance is often the hidden driver of revenue growth. 

Whether Bigcommerce Store becomes faster after moving to Shopify isn’t just a technical question; it’s a critical factor shaping sales, rankings, and customer trust.

In this article, we will: 

• Uncover real-world speed improvements proven by successful migrations
• Learn how to maintain Shopify performance gains long after the switch
• Track and monitor store speed with reliable testing protocols

Store Performance After Platform Switch: Documented Speed Improvements from Real Migrations

Most businesses experience dramatic speed improvements when moving from BigCommerce to Shopify, with documented cases showing 40-60% faster loading times across different industries. These performance gains are backed by real-world data from hundreds of successful platform transitions.

Let's examine the specific speed improvements you can expect when making this strategic move.

Concrete Speed Improvements You Can Expect

When you migrate from BigCommerce to Shopify, the performance gains are both immediate and measurable. The data consistently shows significant improvements across all major speed metrics that matter for e-commerce success.

• Page Load Time: Reduction from 2.2-2.6 seconds (BigCommerce) to 1.3 seconds (Shopify)
• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Improvements of 30-50% on average
• First Contentful Paint (FCP): Reductions of 25-40%
• Time to Interactive (TTI): Improvements of 35-55%

Key Insight: These improvements translate directly to better conversion rates. For every 1-second reduction in page load time, conversion rates typically increase by 7-20%, meaning your migration investment pays for itself through increased sales.

Real Performance Data from Actual Migrations

Multiple businesses across different industries have documented substantial speed improvements after switching platforms. These aren't isolated success stories; they represent consistent patterns of performance enhancement that most stores experience.

• Rollie Nation: 62% reduction in page load times post-migration
• Dermelect: Significant page speed optimizations and Core Web Vitals improvements
• Industry Average: Multiple case studies showing consistent 40-60% speed improvements

Performance Insight: The consistency of these improvements across different business types, from footwear to beauty brands, demonstrates that speed gains result from platform-level advantages rather than industry-specific optimizations, making similar results achievable for your store.

Why BigCommerce Stores Get Faster on Shopify

The speed improvements aren't accidental; they stem from fundamental technical advantages that Shopify's platform architecture provides. These infrastructure differences create a performance foundation that's simply superior to what BigCommerce offers.

• Global CDN Infrastructure: Shopify's worldwide server network vs BigCommerce's limited hosting
• Server Response Times: TTFB improvements of 200-400ms
• Theme Architecture: Optimized code structure and cleaner frameworks
• Built-in Features: Performance optimization tools are not available in BigCommerce
• Automatic Optimization: Image compression and lazy loading implementation

Key Insight: Shopify's infrastructure is specifically designed for high-traffic e-commerce, whereas BigCommerce's hosting often struggles to handle peak loads. This difference becomes especially noticeable during sales events or holiday shopping periods.

Core Web Vitals Improvements You'll See

Google's Core Web Vitals become significantly better after migration, directly impacting your search engine rankings and user experience. These improvements often happen automatically due to Shopify's optimized platform architecture.

• LCP Scores: Better performance due to faster content rendering
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Improved from optimized JavaScript execution
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Lower scores from stable theme frameworks

SEO Benefit: Improved Core Web Vitals can boost your Google search rankings by 5-15 positions on average, driving more organic traffic to your store without additional marketing spend.

When Speed Improvements Are Guaranteed vs Uncertain

While the vast majority of migrations result in speed improvements, success depends on proper execution and avoiding common pitfalls. Understanding these factors helps ensure you achieve the maximum performance benefits from your migration.

• Guaranteed Improvements: Proper migration with performance-optimized themes
• Potential Issues: Over-reliance on third-party apps or poor implementation
• Success Rate: 85% of properly executed migrations show significant speed gains

Migration Warning: Installing more than 10-15 apps on your new Shopify store can negate many of the platform's speed advantages. Focus on essential functionality and choose apps known for performance optimization rather than feature-heavy alternatives.

With proper migration planning, your BigCommerce store will join the 85% of businesses experiencing significant speed improvements on Shopify.

Speed Success Blueprint: How to Lock In Shopify Performance During and After Migration

Achieving faster speeds after migration is only half the story; the real challenge is keeping those gains intact over time. A disciplined approach ensures that your Shopify store doesn’t just launch fast but stays consistently optimized as you scale. 

This performance playbook gives you the exact levers to pull so your store doesn’t fall into the common traps of bloated code, slow apps, or heavy media.

Theme Selection Criteria: Build on a Speed-First Foundation

Your theme is the backbone of performance. A heavy, unoptimized theme can cancel out all the benefits of Shopify’s infrastructure.

• Start lightweight: Choose a theme known for clean code and minimal bloat, not one overloaded with flashy animations.
• Mobile-first focus: Ensure the theme renders quickly across all devices, especially smartphones, where most ecommerce traffic originates.
• Core Web Vitals readiness: Look for themes that already deliver strong LCP, FCP, and CLS scores out of the box.
• Avoid duplication: Instead of stuffing features into the theme, rely on Shopify’s app ecosystem for modular flexibility.

Think of your theme as your performance foundation; get this wrong, and every other optimization becomes a patch job.

App Performance Budget: Cap, Test, and Trim Ruthlessly

Apps are powerful, but they can quickly turn a fast store into a sluggish one. Each app adds code, scripts, and network calls that slow down rendering.

• Set a hard cap: Define a maximum number of active apps based on your store size (e.g., 10–12 for small to midsize stores).
• Test before & after: Measure speed scores immediately before and after installing an app to understand its true impact.
• Eliminate redundancy: If two apps overlap in functionality, keep the faster one and remove the rest.
• Favor lightweight integrations: Choose apps that leverage Shopify APIs cleanly rather than injecting heavy JavaScript.

In short, treat apps like expenses; everyone must justify their cost in speed.

Third-Party Scripts Governance: Control What You Load

Third-party scripts (analytics, chat widgets, A/B testing, consent tools) often load in the background and can silently degrade performance. Without governance, they can account for 30–50% of total load time.

• Load asynchronously or defer: Always configure scripts to load after critical page elements.
• Set clear rules: Create a governance policy; only allow scripts that serve a measurable business purpose.
• Audit regularly: Run a quarterly script audit to identify unused or outdated tools.
• Use tag managers smartly: Platforms like Google Tag Manager should be streamlined, not overloaded.

By treating scripts like a controlled entry point, you reduce invisible drag on your store’s performance.

Media Pipeline: Optimize Every Asset Before It Hits the Browser

Unoptimized media, especially images and videos, is the number one culprit behind slow ecommerce sites. Shopify helps with automatic compression, but you still need a strong media pipeline.

• Compress before upload: Use tools like TinyPNG or ImageOptim to cut file sizes by 30–70% before pushing them to Shopify.
• Modern formats: Favor WebP or AVIF over legacy JPEG/PNG to reduce size without losing quality.
• Lazy loading: Configure images and videos to load only when in view, preventing unnecessary upfront delays.
• Video hosting rules: Host long-form videos on YouTube, Vimeo, or Wistia instead of directly embedding heavy MP4s.
• CDN leverage: Ensure assets are served through Shopify’s global CDN for faster delivery worldwide.

A clean media pipeline guarantees that your visual storytelling doesn’t come at the expense of speed.

Speed optimization isn’t about one big fix; it’s about discipline across multiple layers: the theme, apps, scripts, and media. When you approach performance holistically, you not only lock in the gains from your Shopify migration but also create a resilient, conversion-friendly storefront that continues to delight customers as your brand grows.

Migration Speed Tracking: Essential Testing and Monitoring Protocol for Maximum Performance

Want to prove your migration was worth it? Smart testing protocols ensure you capture every second of speed improvement and convert those gains into measurable business results. Here's how to track your performance transformation from start to finish.

Before/During/After Migration Speed Testing Protocols

Think of this as your migration report card; you need baseline scores to celebrate your wins. Testing at each phase reveals the dramatic improvements that justify your platform switch.

• Baseline Testing: Capture your BigCommerce performance using Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix
• Migration Monitoring: Weekly checks during transition to catch any temporary hiccups
• Victory Lap: Test 48-72 hours post-launch to document your speed transformation

Pro Tip: Screenshot your before/after Core Web Vitals scores; you'll want to show off those 30-50% improvements to stakeholders and use them in future marketing materials.

Tools for Continuous Performance Monitoring

Set it and forget it monitoring keeps your speed gains protected long after migration. The right tools work behind the scenes so you don't have to constantly worry about performance drops.

• Google PageSpeed Insights: Free Core Web Vitals tracking with monthly reports
• Shopify Analytics: Built-in real user monitoring from your actual customers
• GTmetrix Pro: Automated scanning with performance history and trend analysis

Smart Strategy: Use Shopify's native analytics for daily monitoring and PageSpeed Insights for deep-dive monthly audits. This combo gives you both real-time awareness and detailed optimization guidance.

Setting Up Automated Speed Alerts

Never get caught off-guard by performance issues again. Smart alerts act like your personal speed watchdog, barking when things slow down.

• Threshold Alerts: Notifications when load times exceed 3 seconds
• Core Web Vitals Warnings: Alerts for scores dropping below "Good" ratings
• Weekly Summaries: Automated performance reports delivered to your inbox

Alert Hack: Set up alerts for business hours only to avoid midnight panic attacks over temporary server blips. Focus on sustained performance issues that actually affect customers.

A/B Testing Speed Improvements Impact on Conversions

This is where speed improvements translate into cold, hard cash. Testing reveals exactly how much revenue your faster site generates.

• Conversion Impact: Test how speed changes affect purchase rates
• Mobile Focus: Track mobile vs desktop performance differences
• Revenue Correlation: Measure average order value changes with speed improvements

Money Insight: Most stores see 2-5% conversion increases for every half-second of speed improvement. Track this metric to calculate your migration's ROI and justify future performance investments.

Proper testing transforms your migration from a technical project into a documented business success story with measurable results.

Treat Every Millisecond As Revenue Waiting To Be Unlocked

The shift from BigCommerce to Shopify isn’t just a platform change; it’s a measurable speed upgrade that drives sales, rankings, and customer trust. Real migrations show 40–60% faster performance, stronger Core Web Vitals, and smoother user journeys that directly improve conversions. 

The takeaway is simple: speed equals revenue. Every millisecond saved compounds into higher growth. If you’re ready to unlock that advantage, partner with Velt2’s BigCommerce to Shopify migration service and secure performance gains that last.