BigCommerce launches an ecommerce accelerator for the UK building materials industry, enhancing digital operations for merchants.
Quiver AI Summary
BigCommerce has launched a dedicated ecommerce accelerator for the UK building materials industry called the "Branch of the Future," designed in partnership with Brave Bison, Pimberly, and The Journey. This accelerator aims to help building merchants digitize their operations and meet the needs of modern trade buyers who expect seamless online experiences. It provides tools for managing complex B2B workflows, automating tasks, and enhancing customer relationships, all while leveraging BigCommerce's B2B Edition for functionality typically lacking in traditional platforms. Additionally, BigCommerce has joined the Builders Merchants Federation to further its involvement in this sector. The initiative promises to streamline operations and improve customer engagement for builders' merchants, ultimately enabling them to grow their businesses in a digital-first environment.
Potential Positives
- BigCommerce launched a specialized ecommerce accelerator for the UK building materials industry, addressing the unique needs of builders merchants in a traditionally offline sector.
- The partnership with Brave Bison, Pimberly, and The Journey enhances the platform's offering with expertise and proven technologies tailored for complex B2B workflows.
- Joining the Builders Merchants Federation underscores BigCommerce's commitment to supporting the building supplies sector and solidifies its position as a key player in this niche market.
Potential Negatives
- Press release primarily focuses on a new product offering, indicating a need for innovation in a sector where businesses have relied heavily on traditional offline methods, which may highlight a lag in adoption of digital solutions.
- Joining the Builders Merchants Federation could signal a strategic necessity rather than a strong competitive positioning, suggesting that the company may not already be a leader in this specific market.
- Details on partnerships and product features indicate reliance on third-party providers (Brave Bison and Pimberly) for critical elements of the new solution, which could raise concerns about the company's ability to execute independently.
FAQ
What is the Branch of the Future accelerator?
The Branch of the Future accelerator is a toolkit for UK building merchants to digitize operations and enhance customer experiences.
Who developed the Branch of the Future accelerator?
The accelerator was developed in collaboration with Brave Bison, Pimberly, and The Journey.
What industries can benefit from BigCommerce's new accelerator?
The Branch of the Future is specifically tailored for the UK building materials industry.
How does the accelerator improve B2B functionalities?
It offers out-of-the-box features like customer-specific pricing, product visibility, and quoting tailored for builders' merchants.
What is Pimberly's role in this initiative?
Pimberly provides Product Information Management technology to ensure high-quality data for successful digital commerce.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$BIGC Insider Trading Activity
$BIGC insiders have traded $BIGC stock on the open market 5 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 3 have been purchases and 2 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $BIGC stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- LAWRENCE S BOHN has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 1,200,000 shares for an estimated $6,012,000.
- ELLEN F SIMINOFF has made 3 purchases buying 200,000 shares for an estimated $1,324,007 and 0 sales.
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$BIGC Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 79 institutional investors add shares of $BIGC stock to their portfolio, and 93 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- MARSHALL WACE, LLP added 1,605,328 shares (+11202.6%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $9,246,689
- CADIAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LP removed 1,466,679 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $8,448,071
- WASATCH ADVISORS LP removed 1,258,503 shares (-60.7%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $7,248,977
- BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON CORP removed 1,042,134 shares (-82.5%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $6,002,691
- LYNROCK LAKE LP added 887,409 shares (+17.1%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $5,111,475
- DIVISAR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC added 780,430 shares (+41.7%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $4,495,276
- 272 CAPITAL LP removed 684,621 shares (-75.9%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $3,943,416
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
$BIGC Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $BIGC in the last several months. We have seen 1 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 1 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- Barclays issued a "Underweight" rating on 04/21/2025
- Needham issued a "Buy" rating on 03/12/2025
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $BIGC, check out Quiver Quantitative's $BIGC forecast page.
$BIGC Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $BIGC recently. We have seen 4 analysts offer price targets for $BIGC in the last 6 months, with a median target of $7.75.
Here are some recent targets:
- Gabriela Borges from Goldman Sachs set a target price of $8.5 on 05/09/2025
- Raimo Lenschow from Barclays set a target price of $6.0 on 04/21/2025
- Keith Weiss from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $7.0 on 04/16/2025
- Scott Berg from Needham set a target price of $10.0 on 03/12/2025
Full Release
AUSTIN, Texas, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC), a leading open SaaS ecommerce platform for B2B and B2C businesses, today announced the launch of a powerful ecommerce accelerator purpose-built for the UK building materials industry. Developed in collaboration with leading digital agency Brave Bison , Product Information Management technology provider Pimberly , and construction industry consultant The Journey , the “Branch of the Future” accelerator provides building merchants with a comprehensive toolkit to digitize operations, meet the expectations of next-generation buyers and future-proof their businesses.
To further strengthen its commitment to this sector, BigCommerce has also joined the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF), the authoritative voice for the UK’s builders’ merchants, plumbing, heating, roofing, decorative and timber merchants and their suppliers.
Digitising a Traditionally Offline Industry
The building supplies sector has long relied on offline interactions, phone calls, in-person visits and paper-based workflows, but today’s trade buyers expect more. A new generation of customers is demanding the same seamless, omnichannel experiences they encounter in other industries. Yet most builders merchants have been underserved by generic ecommerce solutions that fail to account for the complexities of trade pricing, quoting, account relationships and real-time inventory.
“The Branch of the Future accelerator is about helping builders’ merchants unlock new growth by delivering the seamless, customer-first experiences today’s buyers expect, whether in branch or online,” said Lance Owide, general manager of B2B at BigCommerce. “By combining proven technologies with deep industry expertise, we’re enabling builders merchants to modernize their online experience more quickly, more affordably and with less complexity while deepening the relationships they have with their customers.”
The new accelerator combines:
- Business transformation consulting from The Journey, taking advantage of their 25+ years of experience in the building material supplies industry
- A turnkey ecommerce implementation by Brave Bison using BigCommerce B2B Edition and Catalyst, tailored for complex B2B workflows
-
Integration with Pimberly, a leading Product Information Management (PIM) platform, for robust data and content management, complete with access to over 1.5 million pre-optimized SKUs tailored specifically for builders merchants
Together, this composable commerce solution empowers merchants to streamline operations, differentiate customer experience and boost sales team efficiency.
“Builders’ merchants have an important opportunity to reduce operational costs by automating repetitive tasks like order tracking and invoice inquiries, freeing up teams to focus on higher-value work,” said Al Ward, vice president of commerce at Brave Bison. “At the same time, they can deliver a more personalized, self-serve buying experience for trade customers, complete with negotiated pricing, curated product access and seamless quote-to-order workflows.”
B2B Functionality Out-of-the-Box
The accelerator leverages BigCommerce’s B2B Edition to deliver capabilities typically missing from legacy platforms, including customer-specific pricing, product visibility and quoting, all of which are available out of the box with B2B Edition. Brave Bison, a media, marketing and technology company that specialises in both B2B and BigCommerce, brings deep implementation expertise and a strong understanding of the complex workflows that define builders merchant operations. Their modular Branch of the Future storefront is designed for phased deployment, making it easy for merchants to get started quickly, tailor the experience to their needs and realize value faster.
Pimberly brings industry-leading product information management to the accelerator, ensuring builders merchants have the high-quality data foundation needed for successful digital commerce. With over 1.5 million pre-optimized SKUs tailored specifically to the building materials sector, Pimberly enables merchants to centralize, enrich and distribute product information with speed and accuracy.
“We’ve spent years helping builders’ merchants overcome the challenges of managing vast, complex product ranges,” said Craig McCalley, managing director at Pimberly. “In this sector reliable product data is crucial. It is the foundation of trust and operational efficiency. With Pimberly, merchants can confidently deliver the up-to-date specifications and pricing their trade customers depend on, while freeing internal teams from manual tasks so they can focus on growing the business.”
“With over 25 years of experience working alongside and at builders merchants, like Travis Perkins, we know just how much opportunity there is for digital to enhance, not replace, relationships with buyers,” said John Godwin, director at The Journey. “We’re incredibly excited to bring that experience to the ‘Branch of the Future’ accelerator. As part of this initiative, we’ve ranked every builders’ merchant in the UK based on their online customer experience, and we’re sharing those insights directly with merchants. It’s a powerful starting point for transformation, rooted in data, tailored to the trade, and focused on helping merchants move forward with confidence.”
For more information or to register for a demo, visit https://bravebison.com/branch-of-the-future/ .
About BigCommerce
BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC) is a leading open SaaS and composable ecommerce platform that empowers brands, retailers, manufacturers and distributors of all sizes to build, innovate and grow their businesses online. BigCommerce provides its customers sophisticated professional-grade functionality, customization and performance with simplicity and ease-of-use. Tens of thousands of B2C and B2B companies across 150 countries and numerous industries rely on BigCommerce, including Coldwater Creek, Harvey Nichols, King Arthur Baking Co., MKM Building Supplies, United Aqua Group and Uplift Desk. For more information, please visit
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About Pimberly
Pimberly is a powerful, AI-driven Product Information Management (PIM) and Digital Asset Management (DAM) platform that simplifies product data management for retailers, manufacturers, and distributors. Our cloud-based solution automates workflows, enriches product content, and seamlessly integrates with e-commerce, ERP, and data platforms. Designed for global teams, Pimberly scales effortlessly to support complex catalogues and high SKU volumes. Leading B2B and construction brands rely on Pimberly to manage their product data, including Marshalls, JT Atkinson, Wolseley, NEUCO, PartsTown, and ExTech.
About BraveBison
A world where complexity is the only constant demands a new breed of company. Brave Bison is a different beast: a media, marketing and technology company purpose built for the digital era.
We work with the boldest brands in the world to engineer seamless digital experiences and composable commerce infrastructures. From platform integrations to bespoke UX design, from tech-stack advisory to rapid product innovation, we turn complexity into clarity—and clicks into conversions.
Whether it's helping global leaders like Worldline revolutionise multi-platform payments, or launching multi-market ecommerce ecosystems for retail giants like our Technology and Experience division delivers digital transformation at the speed of now.
We combine strategic consultancy, agile delivery, and industry-leading tools to ensure every solution is fit for today and built for tomorrow.
Find out more at https://bravebison.com/branch-of-the-future/ .
About The Journey
The Journey is a digital growth consultancy with deep expertise in the building materials and home improvement sector. We partner with ambitious brands to unlock ecommerce performance, improve customer experience, and drive measurable commercial growth.
We’ve worked with some of the UK’s most respected builders' merchants, helping them modernise their digital channels, connect better with their trade customers and accelerate their growth in a highly competitive market.
Whether it’s redefining digital strategy, optimising UX, improving conversion, or building smarter data-driven customer journeys, we bring industry know-how and hands-on delivery that gets results, fast.
BigCommerce® is a registered trademark of BigCommerce Pty. Ltd. Third-party trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Brad Hem
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