If you are in the eCommerce business, you may have probably heard of headless commerce. It is an eCommerce architecture that decouples the front-end and back-end of an eCommerce site. That means a user can use any device to access your online webstore through different interfaces (front-end applications), including desktop, mobile apps, and home assistants. It’s always good to know what is coming next in the digital world, so let’s start exploring this new buzzword in detail.
Headless commerce vendors are popping up everywhere: Companies are taking advantage of headless commerce to boost sales while gaining a competitive edge in the digital economy, from the smallest startups to the largest global enterprises. But what exactly is headless commerce?
What is Headless Commerce?
Headless commerce is a platform that separates the front-end and back-end eCommerce functionalities of your eCommerce site. As such, you can use any technology to develop your website and still connect it to the most robust eCommerce platform available. It gives developers the power to design a highly customized experience for their customers by integrating with the platform’s API, which can be accessible and easy to use. (Click here if you want to read more)
A headless commerce system is a platform for building eCommerce websites and mobile apps. While traditional eCommerce platforms require users to build entire websites from one integrated back-end that controls both content and functionality, modern systems allow developers to create front-ends that pull data from a separate content management system (CMS).
It allows users to update products or pricing without updating any other information on their website or app, including user interface (UI) changes or new functionality. It also makes building new sites and apps much faster since you don’t need to integrate all the features at once; instead, you can start with only what you need before adding more features down the road as your business grows.
Choosing the Right Headless Commerce Platform
Headless commerce is becoming more sophisticated and competitive as more vendors enter the market. Knowing which vendors to choose can be challenging, so you must understand what’s out there and which platforms will work with your business needs.
With headless commerce becoming more popular, more vendors are entering the market, making it hard to choose the right one, especially if you don’t know what to look for.
To help ease your selection process, here’s a list of factors you should consider when narrowing down the choices:
Ease of integration
How easy is it to integrate your existing systems?
Security
What level of security do you need, and how does the platform meet those needs?
Support
How much support do you get from the company that provides the platform?
Scalability
Are there different plans with different levels of scalability? Is there a free trial so you can test it out before committing to a plan?
Pricing
Is there any upfront cost associated with using this platform, or is it free to use? If there is an upfront cost, what is it? Does it include things like hosting and maintenance fees?
Some headless eCommerce platforms have a fixed price, while others charge per transaction (pay as you go). The fixed price option means that there will always be a cost associated with using this service regardless of how much your business makes.
Benefits of Headless Commerce Platforms to Retailers and Merchants
Headless commerce has been growing in popularity, and it seems like it is here to stay. Using a headless commerce platform allows you to use your front end but also still access the necessary APIs for product management, payments, taxes, and any other back-end functionality you need for your store.
Headless commerce platforms offer various benefits to retailers and merchants. They are a better fit for the way people shop today. They are more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective than traditional commerce platforms.
The main advantages of headless commerce platforms include serving content across multiple channels with different interface requirements without significant development costs. This kind of system is also great for integrating third-party apps into an existing storefront without worrying about breaking the rest of your site.
Headless commerce also makes scaling your website much easier because you don’t have to rebuild your whole storefront every time you want new features added on top of existing ones.
With the right headless commerce platform, retailers will be better positioned to fulfill their objectives. You’ll find that each platform has its strengths and weaknesses and various capabilities.
The key advantage of headless commerce is customization. Most traditional eCommerce platforms have a pre-built store design that might not match your brand or existing website. Headless commerce allows you to create a custom store through an API, allowing you to build anything you want for your consumers.
The headless commerce model allows for greater flexibility and faster development cycles, enabling businesses to focus on creating custom digital experiences for their customers.
Conclusion
eCommerce has quickly become an integral part of the digital transformation process, and most companies have adopted it as a vital tool to expand their reach and increase their sales. However, many are still not capitalizing on the endless opportunities headless commerce systems offer.
Headless commerce is here to stay. Many platforms allow easier integration, customization, and scalability than traditional commerce systems. Although it may be challenging to tackle a new tech stack, working with a vendor that provides headless eCommerce software with service design capabilities will help get you started on the right path to success in today’s growing digital economy.
