Connect BigCommerce

Overview

ExpertRec connects to your BigCommerce store using OAuth 2.0, the standard authorization protocol BigCommerce provides for third-party apps. Once connected, ExpertRec syncs your product catalog, variants, and metadata to build a search index, and injects the ExpertRec search widget into your storefront automatically.

The Connect BigCommerce screen is available exclusively when your account is on a BigCommerce plan.

Where to Find This Setting

In your ExpertRec control panel, click Connect BigCommerce in the left sidebar. The route is /ecom/connect-bigcommerce. This menu item only appears on BigCommerce accounts.

How to Connect Your Store

1. Navigate to Connect BigCommerce in your ExpertRec sidebar.
2. Click Connect Store. You will be redirected to the BigCommerce OAuth authorization screen.
3. Log in to your BigCommerce admin account if prompted, then click Allow to grant ExpertRec the required read scopes (products, categories, store info).
4. BigCommerce redirects you back to ExpertRec. Your store URL and access token are saved automatically.
5. ExpertRec triggers an initial product sync. Depending on catalog size, this typically completes within a few minutes to an hour.

Managing the Connection

• View connection status: The Connect BigCommerce page shows your connected store URL, the OAuth scopes granted, and the timestamp of the last successful sync.
• Reconnect: If you rotate your BigCommerce API credentials or revoke app access, click Reconnect to go through the OAuth flow again without losing your ExpertRec configuration.
• Disconnect: Click Disconnect Store to remove the OAuth token from ExpertRec. Your search index and settings are preserved and can be reconnected to the same or a different store at any time.

Troubleshooting Connection Issues

• Authorization error on redirect: Confirm you are logged in to the correct BigCommerce admin account and that the store URL matches the account on file in ExpertRec.
• Sync not starting after connect: Wait up to five minutes, then refresh the Connect BigCommerce page. If the status still shows “not synced,” click Trigger Sync to start it manually.
• Missing products after sync: BigCommerce only exposes published, visible products through its API. Products set to hidden or draft status in your BigCommerce admin will not appear in the ExpertRec index.
• Token expired error: BigCommerce OAuth tokens do not expire, but they are invalidated if you uninstall and reinstall the ExpertRec app from the BigCommerce marketplace. Use Reconnect to generate a fresh token.

Required Scopes

ExpertRec requests the following BigCommerce API scopes during OAuth authorization:

• store/products read-only: to sync product catalog and variant data.
• store/catalog read-only: to sync categories and collection metadata.
• store/information read-only: to read store currency, locale, and domain settings.