Start a Project
Client Login
Have a project in mind?
call
Call us Today +1 214-699-4391
email
Email info@iovista.com
menu menu
All Categories
BigCommerce

Stencil Vs. Blueprint – Cracking The Secret To Your BigCommerce Store’s Success

21 Jul 2020
Mike Patel
Mike Patel
Stencil Vs. Blueprint – Cracking The Secret To Your BigCommerce Store’s Success

Today, a majority of online stores choose to go with a SaaS solution like BigCommerce. Also, B2B businesses prefer BigCommerce as their e-commerce platform because of its

  • Quick website setup, fast launch
  • Hassle-free maintenance
  • Scalable framework

Launched in 2016, Stencil is the latest framework of BigCommerce. It incorporates industry best practices in technology, design standards, and Search Engine Optimization.

And if you haven’t upgraded your store to Stencil, you could be missing out on many benefits of the updated framework.

Stencil Vs. Blueprint

The BigCommerce developers at ioVista have worked with both Blueprint and Stencil on a number of e-commerce websites. Before we present to you the benefits of Stencil, we want to share some of the limitations our developers have experienced while using Blueprint.

Limited Editing

All the development on Blueprint needs to be done within the editor available in the BigCommerce admin account. Unlike modern development tools and applications, the old BigCommerce Blueprint editor hinders the developers’ productivity.

Global Variables

BigCommerce Blueprint has many of the store attributes hidden inside %%GLOBAL%% variables. This causes the store variables to be blocked and inaccessible to developers due to which they can’t access and change their contents; leading to major project roadblocks.

No Local Testing

Blueprint doesn’t allow local testing. All the changes need to be made live on your e-commerce website for testing. This makes it difficult to carry out conversion rate optimization tests, A/B tests and other tests essential for maintaining the efficiency and UX/UI of your website.

BigCommerce Stencil Benefits

Modern Front-End Development Framework

Stencil overcomes limited editing and global variables challenges through the handlebar templating language. It allows developers to make as many changes as they wish. Stencil makes it easier to redesign, develop and edit the site with much less coding.

Another functionality supported by Stencil is the use of CSS preprocessors which enables the developers to write code much faster by writing in abbreviations, then translated and expanded into full code.

CLI to Facilitate Local Testing

Stencil allows developers to use a command line interface for local testing and development; not affecting the live site, unlike Blueprint. It also enables developers to test the store theme with the store data.

Stencil has 160 industry-specific theme variations to find a customizable theme that perfectly suits your store.

Another noteworthy functionality Stencil’s BrowserSync preview that lets developers view any changes they made in real-time on any device. So, the changes to a desktop view can’t come across negatively on mobile devices.

Cornerstone and New Functionalities

BigCommerce comes with its base Stencil theme called Cornerstone which is updated regularly with the latest features and functionalities offered; including Apple Pay and Google AMP support.

Cornerstone’s native AMP compliance accelerates the page speed and offers great website experiences.

What Next?

BigCommerce Stencil will improve the overall storefront experience for you and your customers. Upgrade your BigCommerce site from Blueprint to Stencil without any data loss and other hassles with ioVista.

Feel free to contact us for any questions or if you want to learn more about what your store’s upgrade could look like.

Mike Patel
Mike Patel linkedin

Mike Patel is the Founder and CEO of ioVista, a leading digital commerce agency specializing in eCommerce solutions. With a strong background in business and technology, Mike Patel has been at the forefront of driving digital transformations for businesses. He has successfully navigated the ever-changing landscape of eCommerce, helping companies leverage the power of online platforms to grow their brand, increase revenues, and optimize their digital presence. Under his leadership, ioVista has become a trusted partner with major technology companies: Adobe/Magento, Google, BigCommerce, Shopify, and Yahoo. He is dedicated to staying ahead of industry trends, adopting cutting-edge technologies, and continuously improving strategies to provide clients with a competitive edge. Mike’s commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is evident in every project ioVista undertakes.

Get in Touch






    Popular Posts

    Start Your Free Website & Platform Assessment.

    Get in touch with us if you have a web development or digital marketing project that you would like to get underway!

    Get Started
    or Call us at: +1 214-699-4391
    Platform Assessment

    TOP