Shopify vs BigCommerce: Which E-commerce Platform Handles PIM Better?
Compare Shopify and BigCommerce to see which platform manages product information best. Learn how a PIM system like Catsy enhances product data control for both.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Role of PIM in E-commerce Success
- Shopify vs BigCommerce: Overview
- Product Data Management on Shopify
- Product Data Management on BigCommerce
- Feature-by-Feature Comparison
- Why PIM Matters on Either Platform
- How Catsy Enhances Shopify PIM
- Conclusion
- Key Takeaways
- FAQ
What You Will Learn
- How Shopify and BigCommerce handle product information management natively
- Which platform is stronger for catalog-heavy merchants
- Why PIM is essential regardless of platform
- How Catsy gives Shopify merchants a competitive edge in managing product data
In this Article
1. Introduction
Imagine that you’re preparing your e-commerce “vessel” to sail into new waters. You’re expanding your SKUs, adding new product lines, or branching into multi channel selling. Congratulations!
But no matter how strong your platform, a messy deck of data can anchor you.
That’s where product information management can help. A robust PIM can serve as your compass in any waters, and you may find yourself deciding between Shopify or BigCommerce. An understanding of how each product can serve you – and how a PIM like Catsy’s Shopify PIM solution enhances the journey – is critical.
In this guide, we’re going to break down how Shopify and BigCommerce compare in terms of data control, scalability, and PIM compatibility.
2. The Role of PIM in E-commerce Success
Before we begin to break down the two platforms, let’s just clarify what a PIM does.
A PIM centralizes, enriches, and distributes your product content to each of your channels, including descriptions, specs, images, and more. This is of particular importance for:
- Companies with large or complex catalogs
- Those who sell across multiple marketplaces
- A need to localize content by region or language
- Ensuring consistency and brand control
According to Gartner, PIM solutions are essential for maintaining high quality product experiences in an omnichannel environment (Gartner, 2024).
So, the real question isn’t whether you should choose Shopify or BigCommerce. It’s how well each will integrate with a modern PIM to support your company’s growth.
Make Catsy DAM and PIM Software an Extension of Your Team
Book a Free Demo3. Shopify vs BigCommerce: An Overview
Platform | Shopify | BigCommerce |
Market Share | ~10% of global e-commerce sites | ~3% of global e-commerce sites |
Audience | DTC brands, startups, mid-market | Mid-market to enterprise |
Ecosystem | Extensive app store (8,000+) | Open SaaS model, 1,200+ apps |
Architecture | Hosted, user-friendly | Open SaaS with more customization |
Strengths | Simplicity, speed, ecosystem | Native B2B, multi-currency |
Both platforms are powerful! However, they take different approaches to customization and data handling. Let’s take a deeper dive into each system’s capabilities.
4. Product Data Management on Shopify
a. Built-In Capabilities
Shopify’s product management interface is very intuitive! Within the system, you can manage titles, descriptions, tags, and pricing. You can assign basic variants like size and color. Your inventory and availability is clearly displayed. Unfortunately, Shopify offers limited metafield support.
Keep in mind that as your catalog grows, so will the limitations of Shopify. Shopify’s native tools can’t easily handle:
- Nested product relationships
- Extensive custom attributes
- Conditional logic between variants
b. Shopify Apps & Extensions
Shopify has an incredible ecosystem. Many apps can extend functionality, but bear in mind that this can lead to fragmentation.
For example:
- Metafields Guru can manage custom fields
- Matrixify handles bulk editing
These tools help, but the lack of native enterprise-grade product data tools is noticeable as you scale. This often leads merchants to seek a dedicated Shopify PIM integration.
c. PIM Compatibility & Ecosystem
Shopify is highly PIM-compatible, thanks to its robust API and large user base. Platforms like Catsy offer:
Shopify was designed to be highly compatible with PIMs. A platform like Catsy can offer native syncing with Shopify as it handles metafield automation, bulk publishing, and even DAM integration.
5. Product Data Management on BigCommerce
a. Built-In Capabilities
BigCommerce is built with more complex catalogs in mind. It natively supports:
- Up to 600 product variants
- Custom product options
- Multi-currency and pricing lists
- Advanced business to business features like customer-specific catalogs
For some merchants, BigCommerce may offer more flexibility right out of the box. This is especially true for wholesale, manufacturing, and technical data.
b. Marketplace & Integrations
Like Shopify, BigCommerce has a strong app ecosystem. However, it’s got fewer apps than Shopify.
- Pimcore or Salsify for PIM
- ChannelAdvisor for syndication
- Feedonomics for marketplace feeds
BigCommerce supports GraphQL and REST APIs, meaning it’s compatible with most PIM systems.
c. PIM Compatibility & Ecosystem
BigCommerce supports PIMs, but integrations sometimes require involvement from developers. There are few PIMs with BigCommerce apps, so you may need:
- Middleware like Zapier
- API scripting
- Custom connectors
6. Feature-by-Feature Comparison
a. Product Variant Management
Feature | Shopify | BigCommerce |
Max Variants | 100 per product | 600 per product |
Variant Conditions | Basic | Advanced logic |
Custom Option Sets | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Verdict: BigCommerce has more native flexibility, especially for complex SKUs.
b. Custom Attributes & Metafields
Feature | Shopify | BigCommerce |
Custom Fields | ✅ Via metafields | ✅ Built-in |
UI for Editing | ❌ Needs third-party | ✅ Available |
Automation Rules | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ With logic options |
Verdict: BigCommerce takes the lead with native support, but Shopify closes the gap when it’s paired with Catsy’s Shopify product management.
c. API & Integration Depth
Feature | Shopify | BigCommerce |
REST API | ✅ Robust | ✅ Robust |
GraphQL API | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Native PIM Apps | ✅ Catsy, Akeneo | ⚠️ Mostly custom |
Verdict: Shopify wins based on ecosystem and the availability of plug-and-play PIM options.
d. Multichannel Syndication
Feature | Shopify | BigCommerce |
Amazon Integration | ✅ Via apps | ✅ Built-in |
Walmart | ✅ Via Catsy, apps | ✅ Via Feedonomics |
Custom Feed Export | ✅ With Catsy | ✅ With PIM only |
Verdict: Shopify + PIM provides more flexibility, while BigCommerce requires additional tools.
7. Why PIM Matters on Either Platform
It doesn’t matter whether you use Shopify or BigCommerce. Regardless of the platform, your expanding catalog will eventually require you to implement a PIM.
Top use cases include:
- Managing thousands of SKUs with shared attributes
- Supporting multiple regional stores and languages
- Launching products faster without the need for manual entry
- Syndicating to marketplaces with varying content rules
- Ensuring brand consistency across storefronts and platforms
According to Forrester, “brands using a PIM launch products 75% faster and reduce product content errors by 50%” (Forrester, 2023).
8. How Catsy Helps Automate Your Shopify Product Operations
Shopify and BigCommerce both benefit from the integration of a PIM. However, Catsy was purpose-built to supercharge your Shopify strategy.
Here’s how Catsy fills Shopify’s product data gaps:
Functionality | Shopify Native | Shopify + Catsy |
Advanced Variant Logic | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Metafield Automation | ⚠️ Manual | ✅ Automatic |
DAM Integration (images, PDFs) | ❌ Limited | ✅ Full support |
Multichannel Syndication | ⚠️ Requires apps | ✅ Built-in channels |
Bulk Editing and Scheduling | ❌ Limited | ✅ Powerful UI |
Internationalization | ⚠️ App-based | ✅ Native support |
Catsy is the single source of truth for your Shopify store. It unifies your product info, your digital assets, and your syndication… all from one deck. As a bonus, Catsy’s PIM for Shopify ensures fast setup and smooth sailing as you update products.
9. Conclusion
As you decide between Shopify and BigCommerce, look through the lens of PIM, You’ll notice that both platforms have their strengths.
- BigCommerce offers more out-of-the-box flexibility for complex catalogs and business to business operations.
- Shopify, while simpler natively, becomes far more powerful when paired with a PIM like Catsy.
So which one is better at handling PIM?
If you’re choosing based on native capabilities alone, BigCommerce is more flexible. But if you want scalability, automation, and multichannel power, Shopify with a robust PIM like Catsy wins the race.
You deserve a strong helm. Using Catsy, Shopify merchants gain the navigational tools to scale, optimize and grow, no matter the complexity of the market or catalog.
10. Key Takeaways
- Shopify and BigCommerce handle product data differently. BigCommerce has more native flexibility, while Shopify relies on its ecosystem.
- A PIM is essential for catalog growth, channel syndication, and global selling on both platforms.
- Shopify offers more native integrations with PIM platforms like Catsy, allowing for faster setup.
- Catsy’s Shopify PIM and DAM features turn Shopify into a robust PIM powerhouse with DAM, automation, and syndication features built in.
- For e-commerce teams aiming to scale fast with minimal friction, Shopify + Catsy is the ideal combo.
Want more tips, tutorials, and insights on product content and e-commerce operations?
Stay connected. We post regularly to help brands like yours scale smarter.
Are You Ready To streamline your product content management?
Continue Reading
11. Frequently Asked Questions
BigCommerce can handle more variants and custom fields than Shopify, but Shopify pairs with a PIM Catsy to handle even more complexity with greater automation.
Currently, Catsy specializes in Shopify integration. For BigCommerce, you may find that you have a need for additional custom integration. Shopify merchants will get the most value from Catsy right out of the box.
It can’t hurt! If you have many SKUs, variants, or need rich content management, a PIM can be invaluable. A PIM centralizes content, eliminates manual work, and enables faster launches, even on a single storefront.
BigCommerce has robust product data features but it isn’t a full PIM. The platform lacks centralized content management, syndication, and digital asset functionality that dedicated PIMs like Catsy offer.
Catsy combines PIM + DAM, with a native Shopify integration, allowing you to manage data, images, PDFs, and channel syndication from one unified interface.
Subscribe For More Content
Sign up for monthly tips on how to drive revenue with product content.
