BigSummit 2025 Recap: Travis Hess on the Future of Commerce

BigSummit 2025 opened its doors in Austin with more than 850 customers, partners, and prospects gathered at ACL Live. The atmosphere was electric — not just because of the packed venue, but because this year’s event carried new weight.

Commerce, the newly launched parent brand, made its public debut. And it was Travis Hess, CEO of Commerce, who took the stage to explain what this transformation means for the future of ecommerce.

“The opportunity in front of us right now is bigger than anything I’ve seen in two decades.”

Travis’ keynote was more than a welcome. It was a clear statement of intent. Commerce has rebuilt its foundation and is ready to lead in a market being reshaped by AI, data, and customer expectations.

Key insights from the session

• Commerce now operates as one company with three core product pillars: BigCommerce, Feedonomics, and Makeswift.

• AI is transforming discovery, shifting visibility from websites to optimized product data.

• The platform is designed for businesses in the “messy middle,” balancing complexity with agility.

• The company’s transformation is complete, with strong momentum across customers and partners.

What Travis shared on stage

Travis covered both the challenges shaping commerce today and the bold moves Commerce is making to address them.

AI has changed the market.

The buyer journey looks nothing like it did even a few years ago. Traditional search is fading, and discovery now happens through AI-driven answers.

A new structure for a new era.

The rebrand to Commerce wasn’t just a new logo. It marked an architectural shift to reflect how commerce actually works in 2025 and beyond.

• BigCommerce powers global B2C and B2B brands with a flexible SaaS platform.

• Feedonomics ensures discoverability by enriching and syndicating product data across channels and AI engines.

• Makeswift enables marketers to move quickly with a visual, React-based experience builder.

Who Commerce serves.

Travis emphasized that Commerce is intentional about its customer focus. From high-growth startups to global manufacturers, the platform is designed to support brands living in complexity.

“We’re not trying to win by being everything to everyone. We’re solving for the companies in the messy middle. Too complex for entry-level platforms. Too agile for legacy suites. That’s our sweet spot. And we’re owning it.”

The B2B opportunity is especially strong, with 12,000 accounts already supported and a roadmap that includes CPQ, contract pricing, and EDI.

How Commerce wins.

Competitors at the extremes either prioritize simplicity or pile on complexity. Travis positioned Commerce in a different lane.

That winning position comes not just from technology, but from the ecosystem: Feedonomics for reach, Makeswift for velocity, BigCommerce for core commerce, and partners for leverage.

What this means for stakeholders.

• Customers: Gain infrastructure to move faster, stay discoverable, and scale with confidence.

• Partners: Benefit from renewed investment in enablement, co-marketing, and joint growth.

• Investors and analysts: See a completed transformation with momentum in pipeline and margins.

• Prospects: Reevaluate Commerce as a modern ecosystem, not the BigCommerce of five years ago.

Turning insights into action

For brands navigating today’s rapidly shifting landscape, the message was clear: success depends on building smarter, faster, and with the right foundation.

• Optimize product data for AI-driven discovery.

• Choose infrastructure that scales without added complexity.

• Identify and address challenges in the “messy middle.”

• Build with an ecosystem-first approach: technology plus partnerships.

The final word

Travis closed by painting a picture of what lies ahead.

“The future of commerce isn’t monolithic. It’s open, it’s orchestrated, it’s intelligent — and we’re building a stack to power it.”

For attendees, it was a call to action. Embrace the opportunities of AI, to rethink data strategies, and build with platforms designed for agility.

BigSummit was the moment to set that vision in motion. Now the focus turns to what’s next — and Commerce Live in April 2026, where the conversation will continue in Chicago.

Want the full experience? Watch the complete keynote from Travis Hess, CEO at Commerce, and see the vision in his own words.