35+ BigCommerce performance sprints completed · typical 88–97 PageSpeed range after sprint
Your store loses sales every second it takes to load
Every 100ms of delay costs you about 1% in revenue. We audit and tune every layer of your BigCommerce store. You get faster load times your customers feel.
0.8s
Average LCP after Redefine tuning
88–97
Typical PageSpeed range post-sprint
48
Hours to audit baseline delivery
Most speed fixes treat the symptom. We fix the source.
A generic speed app won't close the gap on BigCommerce. Your theme, scripts, images, and apps each add their own weight. Fix one layer and ignore the rest, and you get a short bump, not a real score.
The old way
The Redefine way
Part of a broader growth plan? See our BigCommerce Store Optimization Services.
Sample sprint result — typical range 88–97
This panel mirrors what we deliver at the end of a speed sprint. Scores vary by store baseline; most sprints land in the 88–97 PageSpeed range. Real metrics. Real baselines. No opaque reports.
Performance Score
Excellent
All Core Web Vitals passing
Target: <2.5s · Was 4.2s
Target: <0.1 · Was 0.38
Target: <200ms · Was 580ms
Target: <800ms · Was 1.4s
Optimizations applied
Theme layer: critical CSS inlined
Handlebars render-blocking paths removed
Script layer: 6 render-blocking tags removed
async/defer applied to 14 remaining scripts
Image layer: WebP + lazy load pipeline
CDN delivery, next-gen format conversion done
App layer: 3 bloat-generating apps removed
Checkout script overhead reduced by 68%
Typical business impact
+1.8%
Conversion rate lift
-22%
Bounce rate
+14% Organic sessions
Metrics shown are representative of results across BigCommerce performance sprints. Actual outcomes vary by store complexity, traffic, and existing configuration.
Every layer of your BigCommerce store, optimized
We tune all four layers independently and in combination. Most stores have performance debt across all of them. We address them in order of impact.
Need full development support alongside speed work? See BigCommerce Development Services.
Theme optimization
Your Stencil theme holds most BigCommerce speed debt. We fix Handlebars rendering, CSS bundling, and script order. Your pages paint faster, so shoppers see content sooner and stay.
Script management
Third-party tags are the top cause of BigCommerce slowdowns. We audit every script and defer or remove what blocks your paint. Nothing loads that does not earn its weight.
Image pipeline
We convert to WebP and AVIF, size images right, lazy load, and serve them by CDN. Images are often 60% of page weight. Cutting that speeds every page.
App layer cleanup
Installed apps inject scripts into every page load. We find the heaviest apps and recommend removals, swaps, or safe deferral. You keep the tools that matter and drop the drag.
Core Web Vitals targeting
We set LCP, CLS, and INP targets for your traffic and devices. Then every sprint reports measurable progress toward them. No vague "make it faster" goals.
<2.5s
LCP target
<0.1
CLS target
<200ms
INP target
Ongoing monitoring
CrUX field data review after every sprint so you know your real user experience, not just a lab score.
The four-layer BigCommerce performance stack
We work your stack in a set sequence because each layer affects the next. Fix the app layer before the theme layer, and you redo the work. Other agencies run one PageSpeed test and patch what it flags.
LAYER 1
Theme & Stencil rendering
Handlebars, CSS critical path, JavaScript execution order
LAYER 2
Script & tag management
Third-party audits, async loading, tag removal
LAYER 3
Image & media pipeline
WebP/AVIF, sizing, lazy loading, CDN delivery
LAYER 4
App layer & checkout scripts
Installed apps, API call overhead, checkout friction
Select any layer to see that audit view. Each layer report is delivered as part of your initial audit.
Off Grid Knives grew revenue 3.8x in three years
Off Grid Knives sells premium outdoor knives direct to consumers on BigCommerce. Strict ad restrictions in their market meant organic search and speed had to carry growth.
Problem
The BigCommerce store had user experience friction, slow page load, and limited organic visibility. Paid advertising channels were restricted in their market, so every sale had to come from organic traffic and on-site conversion. A slow store in that context directly caps growth.
Solution
We built a custom BigCommerce store on UX research. We tuned page speed with SEO and performance best practices. We improved order processing through BigCommerce APIs. Klaviyo grew into the primary revenue channel alongside organic search.
Result
Annual revenue after three years, up from $1M. Speed and search engine optimization improvements drove higher organic rankings and conversion rates. Klaviyo email became the primary revenue channel. The store now performs sustainably in a restricted-advertising market.
Off Grid Knives annual revenue, up from $1 million
Revenue multiplied within three years
$1M → $3.8M and 3.8x revenue growth are from the Off Grid Knives engagement only — not typical or average client outcomes. See the canonical case study on the BigCommerce hub.
Source: Redefine project records. Metrics are attributable to BigCommerce performance, user experience, and search engine optimization work on this engagement.
BigCommerce speed work, not a generic web audit
Most speed agencies run the same Lighthouse audit on every platform. BigCommerce is different. It runs on Stencil, Handlebars, its own CDN, and an app ecosystem unlike Shopify or custom builds. Generic advice does not transfer.
BigCommerce-native, not generic
We work inside Stencil, BigCommerce's CDN, and its API layer. Not pasted-in advice from a generic web performance playbook. Every recommendation is specific to how your store is actually built.
Field data, not lab scores
Lab scores measure a synthetic test. We track CrUX field data from your actual users, on their actual devices, over their actual connections. That's what Google uses for ranking signals.
Four-layer approach, not a single fix
We audit and optimize theme, script, image, and app layers in sequence. Fixing one layer and skipping the rest is why speed efforts fail.
All changes tested before going live
We test every change in staging and verify it against your design before it goes live. You won't wake up to a broken storefront after a speed sprint.
Audit in 48 hours, sprint in 1 week
You don't wait a month to find out what's wrong. Your baseline Core Web Vitals audit arrives in 48 hours. Sprint 1 begins within a week of sign-off.
No app upsells
We don't recommend installing another BigCommerce app to fix a problem created by too many apps. We remove overhead. We don't add it.
BigCommerce speed optimization FAQ
Your Core Web Vitals baseline audit is delivered within 48 hours of access being granted. This includes your LCP, CLS, INP, and Time to First Byte baselines measured against both lab and field data, plus a layer-by-layer breakdown of the highest-impact issues. A full four-layer audit report follows within 5 business days.
No. All changes are applied in a staging environment and verified against your design and functionality before going live. We document every change so you have full visibility. High-risk changes (like script removal from checkout) are tested against your payment flows before deployment.
Stores starting from a PageSpeed score in the 40s to 70s typically reach the 88 to 97 range after a full four-layer sprint. LCP improvements of 1.5 to 3 seconds are common when the theme and script layers both carry significant debt. The audit will tell you exactly what is realistic for your store before any work begins.
Both, but we prioritize field data. Google's CrUX report reflects what real users experience on real devices and connections. A top-end lab score means nothing if your mobile users on 4G see a 4s LCP. We track CrUX field data before and after every sprint so you see real improvement, not just a better test number.
Yes. Heavily customized stores often have more performance debt than out-of-the-box themes because of accumulated script additions, non-standard Handlebars patterns, and app bloat from years of iteration. We work inside custom themes. The audit will surface the highest-impact changes specific to how your store is built, not a generic template assumption.
Get your free four-layer speed audit
Tell us about your store and what's slowing you down. We'll review your situation and send a scoped speed audit proposal within 3 business days. No commitment. No pitch.
Get your free four-layer speed audit
Takes 3 minutes. No technical knowledge required.
Call within 48 hours
We'll ask about your current setup and what's breaking.
Audit delivered in 5 days
Full four-layer report with specific, prioritized fixes.
Sprint 1 starts within a week of sign-off
First measurable results within 2 weeks.
Scoped before work starts · line-by-line audit · no commitment to receive a proposal
What do you need?
Brief received
We'll review your store and send a scoped audit proposal within 3 business days. A team member will reach out within 48 hours to discuss your setup.
Every day your store loads slowly, you're handing revenue to a faster competitor.
An audit shows exactly where the problem is and what it costs you. You are under no obligation to continue after you get it.