BigCommerce Fulfillment Services Guide For eCommerce + Integration Steps
If you run an online store on BigCommerce, then you know that order fulfillment is at the heart of your operations.
But as you get more customers, you might suddenly find it hard to continue fulfilling orders in house.
This is where third party logistics (3PL) comes in.
But what does 3PL really mean for your business, and how can it help streamline your BigCommerce fulfillment process for your online shop?
We answer these burning questions and more in our 3PL super guide, so you can decide if hiring a 3PL is the right move for your business.
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What Is BigCommerce?
BigCommerce is an eCommerce platform designed to help vendors create and manage online stores without needing advanced technical skills.
Known for its flexibility, BigCommerce allows merchants to sell products, manage orders, and grow their business with ease. The platform is popular among vendors who need a reliable solution for high-volume sales. It also supports a wide range of industries, from retail to B2B.
Like other leading eCommerce platforms, BigCommerce offers tools for setting up storefronts, handling payments, and optimizing the shopping experience. It also supports integrations with third parties, including 3PLs like Speed Commerce. These BigCommerce integrations allow stores to automate their fulfillment processes to meet customer expectations for fast deliveries.
Speed Commerce: Your BigCommerce Fulfillment Partner
REQUEST A QUOTEHow Does BigCommerce Work?
So, how exactly does BigCommerce work? In simple terms, BigCommerce is structured to simplify the eCommerce process for vendors. Here’s a step-by-step guide to how the platform supports this process:
- Storefront Setup. Merchants create and customize an online storefront. This step includes choosing from design themes and setting up product listings, descriptions, and pricing. The storefront can be accessed by logging into the admin.
- Order Placement. When a customer places an order, BigCommerce collects the order details, including product selection, payment, and shipping preferences.
- Order Management. BigCommerce automatically tracks and organizes incoming orders to help merchants manage inventory, view order statuses, and prepare for fulfillment with ease.
- Payment Processing. The platform integrates with popular payment gateways to enable quick and secure transactions that are instantly logged in the order system.
- Order Fulfillment. Once payment is confirmed, the merchant can either fulfill the order manually or use a third party provider like Speed Commerce for fulfillment. With 3PL support, order details are automatically passed directly to the fulfillment partner.
- Shipping and Tracking. The order is packaged and shipped, and tracking information is shared with the customer to give them real-time updates.
Understanding the Power of BigCommerce and Its Enterprise eCommerce Capabilities
BigCommerce is just one of many eCommerce platforms on the market, so what makes it stand out?
Built to support sellers across industries, from small startups to large enterprises, BigCommerce offers advanced tools and customizations that make it a top choice for growing businesses.
Its user-friendly setup and features help merchants streamline their entire sales process. This enables them to easily handle high-order volumes and even reach customers worldwide.
Compared to other leading eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Amazon, and eBay, BigCommerce provides unique flexibility with its open API structure. This means it allows sellers to integrate with third-party tools and build a tailored online store.
With enterprise-level capabilities like advanced SEO, multi-channel selling, and built-in analytics, BigCommerce offers an all-around suite for optimizing and scaling operations.
Take Your BigCommerce Store to the Next Level
GET IN TOUCHWhat Is BigCommerce Fulfillment?
BigCommerce fulfillment refers to the process of managing and delivering orders placed through BigCommerce stores.
When a customer places an order, the merchant handles the steps required to package, ship, and deliver the product. This process is important for meeting customer expectations on speed, accuracy, and reliability.
For many BigCommerce businesses, fulfillment can be made easier through partnerships with third party logistics companies that offer specialized BigCommerce 3PL & fulfillment services. By integrating with a 3PL for BigCommerce omnichannel fulfillment, merchants can also better manage multi-channel orders and reach customers across various sales platforms.
BigCommerce Integration Overview: How Our BigCommerce Fulfillment Process Works
As a reliable BigCommerce fulfillment company, Speed Commerce simplifies the fulfillment process. Here’s how our integration with BigCommerce works:
1. Sync
Connect your BigCommerce store to Speed Commerce. Import your products, then send us your inventory.
2. Store
We store your inventory in the fulfillment center of your choice.
3. Ship
When a customer places an order, we ship it as soon as possible from the nearest fulfillment center.
Using a Fulfillment Center to Coordinate BigCommerce Inventory and Ship to Customers
BigCommerce merchants have a couple of options for managing inventory with an outsourced fulfillment center. You can either receive and review items before sending them to the fulfillment center or have them shipped directly to the BigCommerce fulfillment warehouse of your choice from the manufacturer. Choosing the best method depends on the needs of your BigCommerce store and your business goals.
A BigCommerce fulfillment center (i.e., a fulfillment center for BigCommerce stores) gives merchants the ability to scale as they grow. If you plan to expand your product range, fulfillment through a 3PL allows new lines to reach the market quickly. And since 3PLs work with major carriers, they can secure better shipping rates than an individual store. You can then transfer these savings onto customers in the form of free shipping.
Outsourcing fulfillment also supports a smoother returns process.
For industries like fashion, where return rates can be high, 3PLs handle the return shipments to their warehouses, further reducing the burden on your operations. BigCommerce merchants can simply issue refunds when necessary, while the 3PL manages return processing.
How Do 3PLs Offer BigCommerce Fulfillment?
A quality 3PL provider integrates with various platforms, including shopping carts and online marketplaces, to simplify logistics for merchants. Such integrations allow BigCommerce merchants to manage their orders, inventory, and shipping all in one place. Instead of handling the details of both the 3PL and the eCommerce platform, merchants simply sync their store and streamline everything with a few clicks.
Through integration, a 3PL provider can automatically pull in orders, track inventory levels, and manage shipping updates directly from the platform. This ensures that each step, from order placement to delivery, is coordinated smoothly and with little to no manual intervention.
At Speed Commerce, we offer full integration with BigCommerce. Once your store is synced with us, you can simply send us your inventory and relax, knowing that your logistics are in good hands. We handle the backend work so you can focus on growing your business.
Put BigCommerce to Work for Your Business
REQUEST A QUOTEBenefits of Working With a BigCommerce 3PL
Working with a BigCommerce 3PL can make a big difference for merchants. From faster shipping to cost savings, a reliable 3PL offers advantages that help improve customer satisfaction. These include:
1. Streamlined Fulfillment Process
A BigCommerce 3PL manages your fulfillment operations, from storing inventory to packing and shipping orders.
With a 3PL’s direct integration with BigCommerce, all orders are synced automatically, meaning merchants can focus on growing their business rather than handling logistics.
This seamless coordination allows for faster and more accurate order processing. Translation? Fewer errors and less delays.
2. Lower Shipping Costs
Since 3PLs work with high shipping volumes, they often have established relationships with carriers that allow them to secure discounted rates. These savings can be passed on to BigCommerce merchants, helping reduce shipping costs and potentially enabling features like free shipping.
3. Scalable Storage Solutions
As your business grows, a 3PL offers the flexibility to scale your storage needs.
Whether you’re launching a new product line or experiencing seasonal demand, a 3PL’s warehouse network can accommodate increased inventory without the need for additional investments in storage space.
This scalability is particularly useful for BigCommerce merchants looking to expand their product range.
4. Improved Customer Experience
Working with a 3PL enables faster order processing and reliable shipping—two factors that greatly impact customer satisfaction.
With accurate order tracking and timely delivery, your customers receive a smooth shopping experience that encourages repeat business.
Plus, a 3PL can handle returns efficiently, further enhancing the customer experience.
5. Better Inventory Management
With a 3PL’s inventory or warehouse management system integrated into your BigCommerce store, tracking stock levels becomes easier. Real-time updates mean that your product availability on BigCommerce accurately reflects your inventory. This level of control helps merchants manage inventory better and stay ahead of customer demand.
BigCommerce Fulfillment Services
BigCommerce merchants working with a 3PL gain access to a range of 3PL services designed to simplify their operations and enhance the customer experience. Here are some BigCommerce fulfillment services that 3PLs typically offer:
Inventory Management
With a 3PL, your inventory is tracked, managed, and updated directly within the platform, helping to avoid stockouts or overselling.
Warehousing
3PLs provide secure storage for your products in strategically located fulfillment centers, enabling faster delivery times and optimizing storage space as your business grows.
With a 3PL, BigCommerce merchants can choose fulfillment centers that best serve their customer base for more efficient distribution.
Picking and Packing
When an order is placed on your BigCommerce store, the 3PL team carefully selects the items and packages them for shipment. This includes any custom packaging or branding requirements you might have.
Custom Packaging
Many 3PLs offer custom packaging options that align with your brand’s identity.
From branded boxes to eco-friendly materials, custom packaging enhances the unboxing experience for customers and makes your brand memorable.
Kitting and Assembly
If your products require assembly or come as bundled items, 3PLs can handle kitting and assembly for you.
This is ideal for BigCommerce merchants selling subscription boxes, gift sets, or products with multiple components.
Challenges in BigCommerce Fulfillment
Fulfillment for BigCommerce merchants is not without its challenges, especially for those managing it in-house. Here are some common hurdles BigCommerce sellers encounter in the fulfillment process:
Inventory Management
Managing inventory in-house requires careful tracking and updates to ensure stock levels are accurate. Without a good system in place, overselling or stockouts can happen.
These can lead to customer frustration and missed sales opportunities.
Shipping Costs
Shipping at competitive rates is challenging for merchants who don’t have the high-volume discounts that 3PLs often secure.
This can lead to higher shipping costs for customers, which can impact sales, especially if competing brands offer lower rates or free shipping.
Order Processing Speed
Processing orders quickly is extremely important to customer satisfaction, but in-house fulfillment can lead to delays during peak seasons or as order volumes increase.
Without sufficient staff or resources, meeting customer expectations for fast delivery becomes difficult.
Returns Management
Handling returns efficiently is another challenge for BigCommerce merchants, especially in industries with high return rates. Processing returns requires additional time, space, and resources, which can strain a small in-house fulfillment team.
Scaling Fulfillment Operations
As a business grows, in-house fulfillment operations may struggle to keep up with the demand. Scaling requires more storage space, staffing, and infrastructure—investments that can be expensive and time-consuming.
Things to Consider When Choosing a BigCommerce 3PL
Here are some factors to consider before choosing a 3PL partner for your BigCommerce store:
Integration with BigCommerce
As a BigCommerce merchant, the number one thing you should consider when choosing a 3PL is whether they integrate with your chosen platform. A 3PL with BigCommerce integration will be able to sync your inventory, orders, and tracking data in real time, so you don’t have to manage these manually.
Warehouse Network
Look for a 3PL with fulfillment centers located close to your primary customer base. A nationwide network can speed up delivery times, reduce shipping costs, and enhance customer satisfaction.
Reputation and Expertise
Look into the 3PL’s experience with eCommerce fulfillment, especially with BigCommerce and other similar platforms. Reading reviews and case studies can give you insight into their reliability, response times, and service quality.
Scalability
As your business grows, your fulfillment needs will too. Choose a 3PL that can scale with you. They should be able to offer storage flexibility and the ability to handle higher order volumes. A scalable partner can support your growth without disrupting operations.
Returns Management
Returns are an important part of eCommerce, and a smooth returns process can improve customer loyalty. Make sure the 3PL offers efficient returns handling, including restocking and prompt updates, to improve this part of the customer experience.
Work With a BigCommerce 3PL
contact usLatest BigCommerce Fulfillment News 2025
July
- BigCommerce Parent Company Unites Under “Commerce” to Revolutionize Online Retail. The company has unified its platforms, namely BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift, to provide businesses with an AI-powered commerce ecosystem. This rebrand signals a strategic shift toward “agentic commerce”, where AI helps consumers make informed purchasing decisions.
Reference: “Introducing Commerce, the New Parent Brand of BigCommerce, Feedonomics and Makeswift, Powering an AI-Driven Future” (https://investors.bigcommerce.com/news-releases/news-release-details/introducing-commerce-new-parent-brand-bigcommerce-feedonomics)
October 2024
- Nuvei Partners With BigCommerce. In October, Canadian fintech company Nuvei partnered with BigCommerce to provide its omnichannel payment solutions across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. This partnership enables BigCommerce customers to access comprehensive transaction processing capabilities, including payment acceptance, refund management, and alternative payment methods, along with centralized payment management and integration support.
Reference: “Nuvei partners with BigCommerce” (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nuvei-partners-with-bigcommerce-302283070.html)
August 2024
- BigCommerce CEO Highlights B2B and Composable Technology as Key Growth Areas at 2024 BigSummit. The open SaaS ecommerce platform is seeing increasing demand from B2B sectors, especially for new digital projects and platform upgrades, with its flexible, API-driven structure appealing to manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers. The company also introduced new international tools, including localized checkout and payment options, to support global expansion.
Reference: “BigCommerce: B2B and composable technology are top growth markets” (https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2024/08/30/bigcommerce-b2b-and-composable-technology-are-top-growth-markets/)
Frequently Asked Questions About BigCommerce Fulfillment
Q: Does BigCommerce integrate with QuickBooks?
A: Yes, BigCommerce integrates with QuickBooks. They automatically sync the merchant’s Orders, Products, Customers, Taxes, Discounts, Refunds and Shipping Charges from their BigCommerce store to QuickBooks Online. Once the merchant is set up, they can schedule their syncs to run automatically (as frequent as every hour).
Q: Can Drupal and BigCommerce be integrated for eCommerce websites?
A: Yes, Drupal and BigCommerce can be integrated for eCommerce websites. This setup allows online stores to use Drupal for website content management while utilizing BigCommerce’s eCommerce functionality for product listings, orders, and payments.
Q: Why outsource BigCommerce shipping and fulfillment to Speed Commerce?
A: Speed Commerce simplifies logistics for BigCommerce merchants by offering reliable, integrated BigCommerce fulfilment services. With our order fulfillment integration for BigCommerce, merchants can automate order processing, inventory management, and shipping, allowing them to focus on growing their business. A leading BigCommerce order fulfillment provider, our nationwide warehouse network also ensures fast, cost-effective delivery to customers across the country.
Q: What are the services offered for Drupal, BigCommerce integration?
A: Services for integrating Drupal and BigCommerce include seamless synchronization of product catalogs, customer accounts, and checkout processes. Speed Commerce’s fulfillment services also complement this integration by providing efficient inventory management, order fulfillment, and shipping options, making it easier to handle logistics as you grow.
Q: What are the top Drupal, BigCommerce integrators?
A: Speed Commerce is a leading integrator for Drupal and BigCommerce fulfillment, providing end-to-end logistics support tailored to these platforms. Other integration options include Acro Media and Commerce Guys, which offer solutions for syncing Drupal content management with BigCommerce eCommerce.
Q: Does BigCommerce offer free shipping?
A: Working with Speed Commerce can help you offer cheaper shipping on your BigCommerce store at a price that won’t hurt your margins. Speed Commerce’s sizable network of fulfillment centers across the country allows you to easily split inventory across multiple locations near your customers. This can help you reduce transit times and speed up deliveries for happier customers. You can also require a purchase threshold for cheaper or even free shipping.
Q: Does BigCommerce calculate shipping costs?
A: BigCommerce vendors can enable real-time shipping quotes that charge customers the exact shipping fees, including a handling fee if you choose to add one to protect your margins. Real-time quotes take into account several factors, including package size, package weight, origin and destination addresses, tracking information, and insurance. You can also offer customers pre-calculated shipping options, such as flat-rate shipping or free shipping.
Q: How do returns work with BigCommerce?
A: When you partner with Speed Commerce, we help automate the returns process for your BigCommerce shop in a fast and cost-effective way. For instance, you can have returned items sent back to their respective spots in the warehouse, have them shipped to you, or have Speed Commerce recycle any defective or damaged items.
Q: Does Speed Commerce work with BigCommerce’s Amazon integration?
A: Yes, Speed Commerce works with BigCommerce’s Amazon fulfillment integration. We can ship to your Amazon customers through our BigCommerce integration.
Q: Does Speed Commerce integrate with BigCommerce?
A: Yes, Speed Commerce easily integrates with your BigCommerce store. As soon as an order is placed, we will get it ready for shipment, and soon your package will be off to your customer.
Speed Commerce’s Order Fulfillment Integration for BigCommerce
Automate BigCommerce order fulfillment for your store with Speed Commerce. As a trusted BigCommerce and Los Angeles 3PL fulfillment provider, Speed Commerce offers a complete suite of services to simplify your logistics, from inventory management to fast, reliable shipping. Our BigCommerce integration syncs orders and inventory with ease so you can focus on growing your business.
Ready to take your BigCommerce store to the next level?
Get in touch with our fulfillment experts today and see how Speed Commerce can supercharge your business with streamlined BigCommerce order fulfillment solutions.
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Request a QuoteMore BigCommerce Fulfillment Resources From Speed Commerce
BigCommerce Fulfillment
The process of managing and delivering orders placed through BigCommerce stores.
Magento Fulfillment
The process of managing and delivering orders placed through Magento stores.
Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Outsourcing logistics and supply chain management activities to a provider.
Commerce Cloud
A cloud-based eCommerce platform that helps businesses manage online sales, product catalogs, and customer experiences.
