4ocean, a mission-driven company committed to cleaning the oceans, started with Shopify but later switched to BigCommerce, thinking it would better support their growth. However, they soon discovered that BigCommerce’s complex development requirements distracted them from their main mission. Here’s how switching back to Shopify helped them save time, and money and, most importantly, focus on their cause.

The Problem:

• BigCommerce Challenges: The platform required extensive custom development. Basic functionalities like product SKUs, quick access to data, and updating inventory became costly, time-consuming tasks. 4ocean’s CEO, Alex Schulze, shared, “Everything I was used to doing without thinking on Shopify… now required custom development.”
• Revenue Loss: Moving from Shopify to BigCommerce resulted in an 80% drop in organic web traffic, and operational costs increased due to hiring extra developers.

The Solution:

Realizing Big Commerce’s inefficiencies, 4ocean returned to Shopify, and immediately saw positive changes:

• Reduced Costs: They saved thousands of dollars by eliminating unnecessary development expenses.
• Easy Customization: Shopify’s native functionalities like product upsells and customizable banners allowed the team to make changes themselves, cutting out reliance on external vendors.
• Incremental Revenue: Shopify’s extensive app ecosystem enabled them to add new sales channels and features effortlessly, driving additional revenue.

4ocean could now concentrate on ocean conservation instead of platform maintenance. With Shopify’s support, they created innovative tools like the “Trash Tracker” to document their cleanup efforts transparently.

Conclusion

4ocean’s experience shows that, with Shopify, companies can save time, reduce costs, and focus on what truly matters. For 4ocean, that’s removing trash from the oceans and proving that the right eCommerce platform can make a world of difference.
For more inspiring stories like this, check out the ColorWhistle page, where we also offer expert eCommerce website development services to help businesses succeed.

-Swathitha,

Content Marketing Team.