Before the App Extensions feature, the user experience for merchants didn’t feel as native as we wanted it to. We want apps on the BigCommerce marketplace to be able to achieve a user experience on par with our native features. This new feature is targeted at developers to build rich experiences that feel native to the merchant.
Our app platform, to date, has restricted where apps can be used. There has been a sandbox where a merchant has to go into the apps menu, select the app they want to use, and then the app loads and you can make use of it. As a consequence of this, we see a lot of less-than-desirable user experiences when it comes to apps.
There’s a trend in our ecosystem where a lot of apps are essentially extensions to existing workflows within our existing ecommerce platform. We have a lot of rich integrations that are extending tasks like Order Management, Catalog Management, etc.
For example, if you use Order Management integrations today, you may have an experience where you do some of your order management in the BigCommerce Control Panel, some of it in an app, and that flow often feels clunky to the user.
We want to fix that!
Our first step to making this process easier is this feature, App Extensions, where we’re working to connect those dots. For example, if you’re already doing order management in the context of the orders, the apps that you use can essentially inject an integration point right next to the Order so they can add additional functionality right on top of that. The same functionality is available for Customers and for Products.
Who is this Beta for?
This beta is specifically geared towards:
- App Developers
- App Partners
What’s included in the Beta?
By joining the App Extensions API beta, participating partners will be able to:
- Have the ability to integrate with the control panel, extending the native control panel features using third party apps and allowing the user experience to feel more native
- Manage Orders, Products & Customers directly within the flow of the native control panel
- Interact with 3rd-party apps directly within the product screens
- Integrate a CRM application within the native customer UI
- Move through workflows more seamlessly than ever before!
I Want to Sign Up!
If this sounds like something you’re interested in being part of, please complete this sign-up form. The BigCommerce Product team will review your application, and if selected for the Beta, we will reach out with additional onboarding information.
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