Big Cartel is a no-code e-commerce platform aimed at creators, artists, and indie brands looking to sell their work online. It’s built specifically for small businesses and individuals, emphasizing simplicity and ease of use.
Key Features
- Simple Product Management: Easy to add and manage products.
- Theme Editor: Provides pre-made themes and the ability to edit HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- Inventory Tracking: Tracks product quantity to keep on top of your inventory.
- Sell in-person: Offers a mobile app to sell products in person at events.
Use Cases
- Artists and Creatives: Artists selling their original artwork, prints, clothing, or other merchandise.
- Independent Brands: Indie fashion brands or independent record labels with a small to medium-sized catalog.
- Pop-Up Stores: Sellers looking to sell in-person at events or pop-up shops.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- It’s very user-friendly, offers a free plan for up to five products, provides a good range of artistic and stylish themes.
Cons
- It’s not designed for large businesses or complex stores, lacks some advanced e-commerce features like customer reviews or international tax calculation.
Pricing
Big Cartel offers a free plan that allows you to list up to 5 products. Their paid plans, which start at $9.99/month, allow for more products and come with additional features such as inventory tracking and theme code editing.
See full comparison of their pricing plans.
User Experience
Big Cartel provides a clean and intuitive user interface. It’s designed for simplicity and ease of use, so it’s great for users who want a straightforward way to start selling products online without the hassle of dealing with complex features.
Customer Support
Big Cartel offers email support Monday through Friday, as well as a comprehensive help center with articles and guides covering a variety of topics.
Community and Learning Resources
Big Cartel has a blog that shares user stories, advice, and news. They also offer an array of guides and resources in their help center.
Security and Reliability
Big Cartel is PCI-DSS compliant, meaning it adheres to the security standards for storing, processing, and transmitting credit card information. As for reliability, the platform is known for its stability, with few reported instances of major downtime.
Integration
Big Cartel can be integrated with a few third-party tools like Google Analytics for data, and ShipRobot and ShipStation for shipping.
Alternatives
Alternatives to Big Cartel include Shopify, Etsy, and Square Online. Shopify is a good choice for those seeking more advanced e-commerce features, while Etsy may be a better fit for artists and creatives who want to join an existing marketplace of similar vendors.
