Redefining SaaS focus: Travis Hess on BigCommerce’s transformation
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Get the full episode here
TL;DR - What you'll learn:
- Why BigCommerce is narrowing its focus—and why that’s a strength
- How curated composability helps brands scale without complexity
- Why B2B is heating up—and how BigCommerce is positioned to lead
- How AI is driving internal efficiency and future product strategy
- What makes a platform ecosystem succeed in today’s commerce landscape
“We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We’re doubling down where we have the right to win.”
— Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce
In this episode of Ecommerce Toolbox: Expert Perspectives, host Kailin Noivo sits down with Travis Hess, CEO of BigCommerce, to discuss how a leading ecommerce platform is repositioning for long-term success.
With a background spanning agencies, consulting, and SaaS leadership, Travis brings a unique blend of operator perspective and strategic clarity. From rethinking BigCommerce’s ideal customer profile to scaling curated composability and embracing AI for sales efficiency, this episode breaks down what modern SaaS transformation really looks like—especially in a public market.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation on Apple, Spotify, or YouTube
A SaaS veteran's perspective on platform transformation
Travis Hess joined BigCommerce first as President, then quickly stepped into the CEO role to lead a major transformation. His mission: stop trying to be everything to everyone, and focus on where BigCommerce delivers the most value.
“If you looked at our install base, you’d see the clues. We’re not Shopify—and that’s a good thing. Our strength is complexity, flexibility, and scale.”
— Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce
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To make that shift real, Travis brought in an “offerings group”—a product and go-to-market unification model inspired by Accenture—that helps define clear value propositions for three distinct customer segments:
- B2C brands that need flexibility, openness, and complexity support
- Mid-market and enterprise B2B companies
- Small businesses in regulated or inherently complex markets
Each segment is now productized, positioned, and aligned to go-to-market—removing guesswork from BigCommerce’s messaging and roadmap.
What "right to win" really means
BigCommerce isn’t chasing simple DTC brands. It’s going deep on use cases like:
- Regulated markets
- Multi-brand manufacturers
- Hybrid sellers with unique distribution needs
- B2B brands with large catalogs, tiered pricing, and complex ERP stacks
“If you're a simple merchant with normalized needs—there are platforms for that. We're not it. And that’s by design.”
— Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce
By going deeper in complexity rather than wider in generality, the BigCommerce team is focusing its product, marketing, and customer success around specific customer needs—not just feature parity.
Curated composability: Flexibility without the headaches
One of Travis’s most consistent themes is “curated composability.”
“We’re bringing the benefits of composability—without the heartburn.”
— Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce
Instead of forcing merchants to build from scratch or choose rigid templates, BigCommerce is investing in pre-integrated, reference architectures for common verticals. The goal: reduce vendor sprawl, speed up implementation, and give teams the flexibility they want without the cost and chaos of managing everything manually.
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B2B: The quiet giant that's heating up
Travis sees B2B ecommerce as the industry’s most underserved and highest-opportunity segment.
“We used to treat B2B like a feature. Now it’s its own motion—with its own team and roadmap.”
— Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce
Why B2B is growing fast:
- It’s lagged B2C for years, but now needs to catch up
- Many businesses are digitally transforming for the first time
- The need for agility, automation, and multi-channel orchestration is skyrocketing
- BigCommerce’s architecture naturally fits the complex logic of distributors and manufacturers
Now, the company is formally bifurcating its go-to-market teams to double down.
The Noibu partnership: A strategic fit
When asked why Noibu was a natural fit for BigCommerce’s composable ecosystem, Travis cited three factors:
- Strong cultural alignment
- Clear customer demand across segments
- A shared goal of helping merchants identify revenue-impacting issues
“Our strategy is to optimize revenue and unlock agility for our customers. Noibu helps us do both.”
— Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce
AI in the BigCommerce stack
Travis splits BigCommerce’s AI strategy into two layers:
- Internal enablement: Accelerating onboarding, sales productivity, and account planning
- External product opportunity: Especially within catalog optimization, availability, and channel orchestration via Feedonomics
“AI is helping us double quota-carrying capacity—because it’s eliminating the busywork.”
— Travis Hess, CEO at BigCommerce
He’s bullish—but not overhyping: BigCommerce is integrating AI where it drives outcomes, not just headlines.
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Key takeaways for SaaS and ecommerce leaders
- Don’t chase every customer. Focus where you have the right to win.
- Complexity can be your differentiator—if you build for it properly.
- Composable commerce only works if you reduce operational friction.
- B2B is not just a feature. It’s a segment that deserves dedicated strategy.
- AI should drive revenue and agility, not just automation.
Listen to the full episode now
Tune in to hear how Travis Hess is leading BigCommerce through a focused transformation—redefining product-market fit, scaling composable architecture, and doubling down on B2B, all while navigating the demands of a public SaaS company.
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