BigCommerce Customer Account Portal Customization for Enhanced Usability

For BigCommerce store owners, every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to build loyalty, increase sales, and leave a lasting impression. While much attention is given to storefront design and checkout processes, one critical area often overlooked is the customer account portal. It’s the space where post-purchase relationships are nurtured — customers track orders, manage subscriptions, and explore loyalty rewards.

Modern consumers have many expectations from online stores, and a highly-personalized customer portal addresses most of them. A well-crafted portal acts as a bridge, keeping customers engaged and encouraging long-term relationships. On the other hand, if a portal falls short of these expectations, customers can quickly become frustrated, leading to fewer repeat visits and diminished trust.

Our client, a thriving outdoor gear brand based in Philadelphia, recognized this growing demand for a user-friendly and comprehensive account portal. Despite their reputation for quality products, their outdated portal failed to deliver the experience their customers expected. 

Furthermore, the client had little idea of the current state of their BigCommerce customer account portal, as it had been left largely untouched since their initial platform migration. CartKnitter’s expertise in BigCommerce migration services ensured we could evaluate and enhance the account portal and the platform where necessary.

That’s where CartKnitter stepped in. We found the existing features on the portal were hard to find, navigation was clunky, and opportunities to strengthen customer loyalty were being missed. Our mission was to transform their BigCommerce customer account portal into a hub of engagement and convenience. 

By redesigning the portal with a focus on user expectations, we enabled the brand to enhance the customer journey while unlocking new opportunities for retention and growth. The following sections highlight how our BigCommerce development services addressed this challenge.

The customer dashboard is the centerpiece of any account portal. It’s the first thing users see when they log in, setting the tone for their overall experience. Our client’s existing dashboard was anything but intuitive. Customers struggled to locate critical features like order history, subscriptions, and loyalty rewards, leading to frustration and missed engagement opportunities.

To tackle this, we began by analyzing user behavior. By studying how customers interacted with the existing dashboard, we identified pain points and prioritized the most critical features. This approach ensured our redesign was visually appealing, functional, and user-friendly.

Using BigCommerce’s native Stencil framework, we created a mobile-responsive dashboard that aligned perfectly with the client’s brand identity. Essential information, such as order history, loyalty points, and subscription details, was prominently displayed, making it easier for customers to access the features they needed. 

This new dashboard wasn’t just a design upgrade but a strategic enhancement that bridged the gap between functionality and brand experience. With a focus on user convenience, the dashboard became the foundation for a more cohesive and engaging customer account portal.

As a company developing eCommerce websites for over a decade, we know that the post-purchase experience is just as important as the purchase itself. For our client, the order history section of their customer account portal was failing. Customers found it challenging to locate past orders, track shipments, or access invoices, leading to unnecessary frustration.

This dissatisfaction affected the customers and significantly strained the client’s customer support team, as routine queries about orders and tracking overwhelmed their resources. The challenge lay in creating an order history module that was intuitive and equipped with modern features to meet customer expectations. The existing portal lacked basic search functionality and real-time tracking, forcing customers to rely on external links for updates. 

CartKnitter’s solution was a complete overhaul of the order history section. We implemented advanced search capabilities, enabling customers to filter orders by date, status, and products. With the help of third-party shipping APIs, we seamlessly integrated real-time tracking, allowing users to monitor their deliveries without leaving the portal. We customized each order detail page to include downloadable invoices for convenience.

The results were transformative. Customers experienced a far more streamlined and transparent post-purchase process, leading to fewer frustrations and a stronger connection to the brand. Furthermore, customer support inquiries related to orders and tracking dropped by 35%, allowing the client’s team to focus on more complex issues.

Subscription Management was a key challenge for the client. Customers found it difficult to adjust their subscriptions, often leading to frustration and unnecessary cancellations. This lack of flexibility disrupted the customer experience and negatively impacted the client’s recurring revenue streams.

The existing subscription system lacked essential functionality, including easy modification options and automated notifications. We noticed a lack of integration with the broader customer account portal. Addressing this required a solution that balanced customer convenience with operational efficiency.

CartKnitter integrated a robust subscription management tool into the BigCommerce platform, customizing it to meet the client’s needs. Our experts also implemented back-end automation to ensure timely notifications for upcoming renewals or payment issues, reducing churn and improving transparency. Our expertise in BigCommerce plugin development and customizations was critical in the integration. 

The result was a significant improvement in subscription retention rates and customer satisfaction. With a more user-friendly system, customers felt empowered to manage their subscriptions, while the client benefited from more predictable revenue and fewer support requests.

The absence of a loyalty program was a missed opportunity for the client to deepen customer relationships and encourage repeat purchases. With no system to reward loyal customers, the brand struggled to differentiate itself in a competitive market. A robust and personalized loyalty system was essential to drive engagement and foster long-term connections.

We addressed this by integrating a third-party loyalty program into the BigCommerce platform and personalizing it to align with the client’s brand identity and goals. The system included a dedicated loyalty points section within the customer account portal, which allows users to track, redeem, and earn points. Every action, like purchases, referrals, and reviews, rewarded customers with loyalty points. 

Syncing loyalty points with promotions and discounts at checkout ensured customers a seamless and rewarding experience. This custom solution transformed the brand’s approach to customer engagement. Loyalty program adoption soared, leading to increased repeat purchases and stronger customer retention. Hence, hiring BigCommerce developers from CartKnitter enabled the client to create a successful loyalty program that worked seamlessly with the custom account portal.