A guide to hiring BigCommerce developers
BigCommerce is a hosted ecommerce platform. The company runs the servers, the cart and the checkout, and your team sets up the catalog, the design and the rules for selling. That makes it quick to launch, but most growing stores soon need custom work: a theme that matches the brand, a link to the ERP, a faster page or a smoother checkout. Below you will find what BigCommerce developers do, where this role ends and others begin, and how to prepare so the project runs well.
What BigCommerce developers work on
Most BigCommerce jobs fit into four groups. Themes are the templates and styles that shape what shoppers see, built with the Stencil framework. Integrations use the platform APIs and webhooks to move product, stock and order data between the store and other systems. Apps add features to the admin or the storefront. Migrations move a store from another platform without losing products, customers or search traffic. One person can cover all four on a small store. A larger store usually splits them across a team.
How this role differs from nearby roles
A BigCommerce developer works on one platform in depth. Our ecommerce web developer page covers wider work across several store platforms. Our ecommerce consultant page is about growth planning, conversion and channels rather than code. This page is the right one if BigCommerce is your platform now or soon. If your store needs a lot of system links, our API developer page may help, and a Node.js team can support custom back-end tasks.
Theme or headless
- A Stencil theme is the standard route. It keeps the platform in charge of pages, checkout and updates.
- A headless storefront uses a custom front end, for example on Next.js, and calls the platform through its APIs.
- A headless build gives you freedom over design and speed, and it also means more code to write and keep up.
- A staging store lets your developer try every change before shoppers see it.
Say early which route you plan to take. It changes the skills you need, the schedule and the budget.
Questions to settle first
- What the store must do that the base theme and apps cannot.
- Whether you will stay with a theme or move to a headless front end.
- Which systems the store must talk to, such as an ERP, a shipping tool or an email platform.
- Who owns the theme repository, the store login and the app accounts.
- How you will test changes and who signs them off before they go live.
Reading a BigCommerce developer’s profile
Real stores say more than a resume. Ask for links to stores the person built or changed, and open them on a phone to see how quickly they load. Read a sample of theme code and check that custom changes sit apart from the base files. Treat long project lists with caution if the person cannot name their own part. Ask about a launch that went badly and what they do differently now. Someone who owns a mistake is a safer bet than someone who claims there were none.
Interview questions to try
- How do you change a Stencil theme so that future theme updates do not overwrite your work?
- How would you sync stock between the store and an ERP, and what happens when a call fails?
- When would you advise a headless storefront, and when would you advise a theme?
- Walk us through a page speed problem you found. How did you measure it and what did you change?
- How do you plan redirects when you move a store from another platform?
Good answers are specific and use real examples. Be wary of anyone who says a change could never touch checkout.
Run a small paid task
Hand each finalist a small job based on your own store, such as a product page template change, a script that pulls orders through the API into a sheet, or a review of a slow category page that ends with a list of fixes. Pay them for it. Then compare code clarity, how each person tested their work and how they dealt with your questions.
Match experience to the stage
A new store needs someone who sets up the theme and catalog fast and keeps the design plain. A growing store needs strength in integrations, speed and testing, plus careful notes. A large or older store needs steady upkeep, monitoring and a plan for peak sales days. Titles vary from team to team, so ask what each person actually owned.
Access and routine
Set up a staging store, a theme repository and the app accounts for your developer, with only the permissions the job needs. Payment settings and top-level admin rights belong with people in your company. During the first month, meet weekly and look at each change together. Later, a brief weekly update and a staging check before every release are enough.
Working with your marketing and operations teams
A store change reaches well beyond the developer. Marketing needs tracking, page speed and landing pages. Operations needs stock, shipping and order rules. Support needs clear order status and refund steps. Invite your developer to a short early call with each group, so the work fits real needs and a release brings no surprises.
Mistakes to avoid
- Editing the base theme files directly, which makes updates painful.
- Installing many apps that each add heavy scripts to every page.
- Launching a migration without a redirect plan for old page addresses.
- Testing only on a desktop computer when most shoppers use a phone.
- Letting a contractor hold the only copy of your repository, store login or app accounts.
Looking at other platforms or a wider team? Explore our pages to hire ecommerce web developers or an ecommerce consultant.