1) Introduction

From visiting online websites for various types of purchases to clicking on an advertisement and being redirected to the checkout page, the eCommerce world has evolved drastically.

Nowadays, people don't have to rely on the original eCommerce website for making a purchase. Instead, they can do it through various content-creating platforms or web apps and still get the same, or maybe a better, experience and customer satisfaction. 

Wondering how that works? Well, it's all the magic of headless commerce! If that term sounds new to you or if you’ve heard of it but never fully understood it, this article will prove to be a helpful guide for you. Here, we’re covering the basic aspects of headless commerce in an easy to understand way. Without further ado, let’s get started.

2) Overview of headless commerce

Often, people who aren’t tech-versed have a tough time understanding headless commerce. They consider it as some complicated version of online stores that needs huge investment and experienced personnel to handle it. 

Though the latter is true for every eCommerce website, headless commerce is cheaper as compared to traditional eCommerce websites. 

3) What is headless commerce?

In simple words, headless commerce is an eCommerce solution that separates the frontend of the user interface (UI) from the back end architecture. It offers more flexibility to the online seller to experiment and test new ideas at the frontend without impacting the backend set up. 

As a result, sellers can customize the user interface of their online stores without letting the customer satisfaction take a hit. They can easily work with the same backend website structure while avoiding impact on order fulfillment at the frontend. 

To use headless commerce, sellers can switch to APIs (application programming interfaces) to create product pages, banners, blog posts, forms, etc., and convey product information through various other forms of content creation. They can even hire developers to improve those communication models and create a reliable and enriching experience for their customers.

4) Benefits of headless commerce

Apart from being a modern approach to the eCommerce world, headless commerce provides several benefits to both online sellers and customers. Here's what you can expect from the eCommerce solution.

4.1) Flexibility in customizations 

Just like the same food can't be eaten for a lifetime, the same themes and designs don't attract customers for long. Customers need something fresh and personalized, and that can't be possible with a traditional eCommerce website where any change at the frontend leads to numerous tweaks in the backend architecture. 

Thankfully, with headless commerce, online sellers can customize their apps and websites in plenty of ways and create unique customer experiences.

4.2) Easier multichannel selling

Gone are those days when eCommerce websites were only accessible through laptops and PCs. Nowadays, customers aren't limited to a single sales channel. They can visit various digital platforms through a variety of devices. 

Hence, online sellers need to use an omnichannel approach, and this can only be possible when they switch to headless commerce. 

4.3) Scalability

Since online sellers have no restrictions over customization and the inclusion of new ideas, they can grow their business without worrying about the costs involved. Plus, since there is no contact between the frontend user interface and backend architecture, any changes made by the sellers are more cost-effective as they don't impact the backend structure. 

4.4) Faster loading time

The whole idea behind using eCommerce websites is to save time and offer flexibility to customers to shop from anywhere at any time. If the website's loading time is slow or it has glitches, no wonder customers would not prefer shopping from it.

Therefore, online sellers should use headless commerce and create a space for customers that is easy to navigate and saves time.

4.5) Cost-effective

As mentioned earlier, many online sellers consider headless commerce a costly eCommerce solution. However, if they look at it in the long run, they can save huge amounts as they won't require assistance changing their eCommerce websites.

Plus, since there is no link between the frontend and the backend, sellers don't have to tweak the latter every time they make changes to the former.

4.6) Better and consistent customer experience 

Customer experience is directly proportional to profits. The better experience sellers provide to their customers, the more sales they will make in the long run.

By switching to headless commerce, online sellers can create more personalized customer experiences where every customer gets what he/she came scouring for on the eCommerce website.

5) What to consider in a headless commerce platform?

Hoping that at this stage you have an idea of headless commerce and its benefits, let's move on to learning how to choose a headless commerce platform.

5.1) User interface 

When choosing a headless commerce platform, the user interface plays a vital role in deciding whether or not customers would be comfortable using your eCommerce platform. If the UI is complicated, both you and your customers will struggle to operate it, and there would be no sense in decoupling the frontend and backend architecture. 

Hence, find a headless commerce platform that has a smooth and simple user interface. Also, make sure it's free from clutter so that you don't have a hard time managing the backend.

5.2) Integrations

Since you aren’t using a traditional eCommerce website, you're dependent on integrations for every new addition you want to make to it. Therefore, make sure the platform you are choosing connects easily with numerous other tools that you might need in the operation of your website.

5.3) Customizations

Offering a personalized customer experience is essential to stand out from competitors. And that's only possible with the help of customizations.

Online sellers need to check whether or not the headless commerce platform allows them to customize their frontend and backend independently of each other. They must also verify if the platform allows them to connect all tools (integrations) for a seamless experience.

5.4) Accessibility

An important but underrated factor when choosing a headless commerce platform is accessibility. 

Often, online sellers choose a platform looking at its performance and struggle to operate it. It's important to consider the platform's difficulty level and then sign up for it. 

5.5) Customer support

Last but not least, customer support is vital for every eCommerce website. 

In the online world, returns play a huge role in making or breaking a business. Unless the sellers handle returns carefully, they won't be able to lure customers to the websites. Therefore, invest in a headless commerce platform that offers 24/7 customer support, be it through text, emails, live chat, or calls.

6) Top 3 headless commerce platform

Now that you know how to choose your headless commerce platform, let's learn about the market giants offering this eCommerce solution. So here are three businesses that offer outstanding headless commerce.

6.1) Shopify

This multinational eCommerce company wasn't always great. It started in Ottawa, Ontario, as an attempt to create an online store for snowboarding equipment. It wasn't until 2009, when it launched its API platform and app store, that it attained fame. 

Later, when the company's GraphQL API was found to be compatible with the headless commerce approach, the app came up with Shopify Plus and took over the online store market.

6.2) Magento (Adobe Commerce)

Launched in 2008, Magento, or now Adobe Commerce, is a simple and compatible headless commerce platform. It allows web developers to create custom applications that fit the needs of the customers while allowing them to use its omnichannel solutions. 

The software is renowned for its one-of-a-kind inventory management system and allows integrations via the REST and SOAP API frameworks.

6.3) Spryker

A German headless commerce platform, Spryker, offers over 900 API modules to online sellers for easy customization and integration of their eCommerce websites. It's trusted by some of the world's biggest companies, like Toyota, Lekkerland, etc., and assists sellers in creating their online store from scratch to the end. 

7) Conclusion

In the coming years, headless commerce will become a huge thing. Since more and more online sellers would prefer ease in operations along with offering a one-of-a-kind customer experience, they will automatically switch to this eCommerce solution. 

If you are also looking forward to it, we suggest you conduct thorough research before making the big move.

8) FAQs

Although we've covered most of the major points in this article, if you still have any doubts, you’ll find the answers in this section.

8.1) What is headless commerce?

Headless commerce is an eCommerce solution that decouples the frontend and backend of an eCommerce platform. It separates both structures and offers online sellers ease in operations along with several ways to maximize customer satisfaction. 

8.2) Is headless commerce expensive?

Yes, in the beginning, online sellers may find the eCommerce solution a bit over their budget. However, in the long run, it will reduce costs and offer more flexibility without any hindrance.

8.3) What are some famous headless commerce platforms?

Platforms like BigCommerce, Shopify, Magento, Spryker, Commercetools, Infosys Equinox, etc., are some of the most renowned headless commerce platforms.

8.4) What are the benefits of switching to headless commerce platforms?

Most headless commerce platforms offer benefits like flexibility, better customer experience, multichannel selling, faster page loading time, customer satisfaction, cost-effectiveness, and much more.

8.5) How to choose a headless commerce platform?

Choosing a headless commerce platform isn't difficult. All you need to do is keep a few things in mind.

Step 1: Check the user interface.

Step 2: Take a look at the integrations.

Step 3: Check how far the customizations go.

Step 4: See if the platform is easily accessible.

Step 5: Verify how good customer support it has.