In the last decade, the ecommerce world has seen wild changes: mobile shopping has exploded, social commerce was born, Amazon took over, and consumer habits keep evolving. How can online retailers keep up with these trends and fast tech changes? They could enter headless commerce.
What is Headless Commerce?
Think of headless commerce as giving your website a brain and a body that can work independently. The frontend (everything you see like text colors, images, and buttons) is separate from the backend (the heavy-duty stuff like pricing, security, and checkout). This setup lets developers use any tech they want for the frontend while the backend handles all the ecommerce functions smoothly.
Why Go Headless?
Headless commerce is booming. In 2020-2021, headless technologies raked in over $1.65 billion in funding. As more ecommerce businesses scramble to keep up with the latest trends, this number will only grow.
Headless Commerce vs. Traditional Ecommerce
Headless commerce separates the customer-facing side from the technical side, offering unparalleled flexibility. Here's a breakdown:
Traditional Ecommerce:
- All-in-one platforms;
- Full control for the IT department, great for heavy customization;
- Easy setup with pre-packaged tools;
- Downsides: slow to market, high development costs, limited customization, and tricky integrations.
Headless Commerce:
- Flexible, API-driven experiences;
- Compatible with any CMS, DXP, or custom frontend;
- High customization with frameworks like React.js or Angular;
- APIs make integration smooth and efficient;
- Benefits: faster delivery, better scalability, and creative freedom for frontend developers.
Headless Commerce Benefits
Here are some key perks:
1. Developer Freedom: Use any frontend tech you want;
Headless commerce lets brands pick the best ecommerce platform to power their online store while allowing complete freedom in choosing the frontend. This means development teams can stick with the technology or programming language they know and love, making their workflow smoother and more efficient.
2. Scalability: Adapt your frontend without overhauling the backend;
As trends evolve and your business adapts, headless commerce keeps your brand future-proof. You can update your frontend without needing to redo your backend. Frontend developers can easily add back-office functionality to your system using APIs, making it a breeze to integrate new features as your site grows. Instead of starting from scratch, you can treat each new feature individually, ensuring seamless growth.
3. Tech Flexibility: Experiment with the latest tech without being tied down;
In a headless setup, brands get to play with new tech. With the frontend separated from the backend, developers aren't confined to a traditional CMS. They have the freedom to create as they please, using a CMS, DXP, or even an IoT device to deliver content. You can swap out the frontend without messing with backend operations, making it super flexible.
4. Speed: Faster page loads mean better SEO and happier customers;
Speed is crucial in online shopping. A whopping 70% of consumers say page speed affects their buying decisions. Slow sites not only frustrate users but also rank lower on search engines. Headless ecommerce platforms deliver content quickly through APIs, ensuring your site loads faster and offers exceptional customer experiences.
5. Complete Ownership Over Site Architecture: Separate content management from delivery for greater control;
With headless commerce, the content management and delivery environments are separate, giving you greater control. Many brands choose headless because they love their current frontend but need more power on the backend. Headless lets you keep what works and upgrade what doesn’t, giving you the best of both worlds.
6. Marketing Freedom: Innovate freely on the frontend without backend disruptions.
With a traditional monolithic system, your frontend development options might feel pretty limited. But with a headless solution, you can easily integrate new tech and adapt to emerging trends. This gives your marketing team the freedom to innovate and create diverse user experiences across various channels — without messing up your backend processes.
Real-Life Headless Commerce Applications
Whether you're a fan of WordPress, Drupal, Bloomreach, Adobe Experience Manager, or Gatsby, headless commerce fits the bill for almost any scenario. Simply link up through an API to separate your platform’s visual presentation, then integrate it wherever you want.
Here’s why many businesses go headless with a separate frontend solution:
- PCI Compliance Made Easy: SaaS providers handle the risk, freeing up your IT team;
- Checkout Security and Fraud Protection: Same as above, letting the SaaS provider take on the heavy lifting;
- Open Architecture and Extensibility: Use pre-built integrations with ERPs, CRMs, and more, or create custom solutions with additional APIs and SDKs.
Tailored Solutions
A big reason to go headless is to bring your unique vision to life without being boxed in by any one system. Maybe you've enjoyed the customization of open-source platforms but struggled with long development cycles and upkeep. Headless lets you keep the custom features while reducing costs and maintenance. Or perhaps you've felt limited by traditional SaaS in your quest for innovation. Headless offers the best of both worlds, providing an open SaaS experience. APIs give you the flexibility to go beyond the limitations of any single platform or technology, allowing for seamless integration in a more modular way.
Examples of Headless Commerce in Action
Spotting brands using headless commerce isn’t that easy, especially as it becomes more common and no longer shows the typical URL redirect to checkout pages. But let's take a peek at a couple of headless commerce success stories for now.
- K2 Sports
K2 Sports houses a lineup of renowned global brands dedicated to crafting unforgettable adventures for outdoor enthusiasts. Whether it’s skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, or backcountry safety gear, each brand under K2 maintains its unique voice while upholding K2’s high standards for customer satisfaction and cutting-edge innovation.
Challenges They Faced: Previously on Salesforce Commerce Cloud (formerly Demandware), the K2 collective felt restricted. They struggled to keep their shopping experiences fresh due to limited APIs. Moreover, managing a non-SaaS platform incurred hefty costs and development time, especially with numerous hosted sites, which became a barrier to international expansion. They needed a more cost-effective, feature-rich, and marketer-friendly solution.
Why They Chose Headless: Switching to a headless setup allowed K2 to ditch their monolithic platform in favor of a more dynamic SaaS solution. They opted for BigCommerce on the backend for its robust API performance and speed, enabling them to deliver innovative shopping experiences at a lower ownership cost. On the frontend, Contentstack served as their CMS, empowering them to create content-rich experiences that resonate deeply with their audience.
Results: Since adopting headless commerce, K2 Sports launched 8 brands and 16 sites in under 9 months — an impressive feat. They’ve also streamlined content creation significantly. According to a Contentstack case study, K2 now publishes content 90% faster, creates sites 75% more efficiently, and has boosted overall productivity by 50%.
- Burrow
Burrow is a direct-to-consumer furniture store that revolutionized traditional furniture shopping with their modular, stylish, and comfortable products, all shipped affordably to customers. Founded in 2017, they quickly achieved $3 million in sales, marking significant growth for their business but also highlighting limitations with their ecommerce platform.
Challenges They Faced: Burrow needed a backend platform that could scale alongside their growth. Equally important was the ability to swiftly customize their site to align with their dynamic marketing strategies. They required flexibility where templates didn’t constrain creativity and where minor updates didn’t rely on developer intervention.
Why They Chose Headless: Choosing BigCommerce as their scalable backend resolved all their challenges. The platform’s reliability and low maintenance allowed their team to focus more on strategic marketing updates rather than technical upkeep. On the frontend, they implemented a custom CMS that provided the freedom to design tailored experiences for their customers. BigCommerce effectively handled the unique demands of their modular product line while offering robust customization options.
Results: Since adopting their headless solution, Burrow achieved a 30% increase in conversion rates within two months and a 50% boost in site speed and performance. They successfully realized their vision for a highly functional and engaging website. According to Kabeer Chopra, Co-Founder and CPO of Burrow: “Being headless has not only enhanced our operational capabilities but also empowered us creatively. We leverage a headless CMS to modernize our platform and deliver exceptional digital experiences across multiple channels.”
- LARQ
LARQ specializes in self-purifying water bottles, designed to tackle common issues with traditional options. The company prioritizes sustainability and fundraising for clean water initiatives.
Challenges They Faced: When LARQ sought an ecommerce platform, scalability and customization were top priorities. They needed advanced features like multicurrency support for their international expansion.
Why They Chose Headless: Opting for headless commerce allowed LARQ to tailor their customer experience precisely. They operate on BigCommerce for robust backend support while using a custom React frontend for full content and journey control across their US, EU, UK, and Canada sites under a single domain.
Results: In just two months, LARQ launched their BigCommerce-powered site, achieving a remarkable 400% revenue increase year-over-year and an 80% boost in conversion rates over three months. Their swift international growth underscores their success, with plans to expand into Asia in 2020. According to Justin Wang, LARQ’s Co-Founder & CEO: “Our global presence is nearly complete, with Asia next on our list for 2020. BigCommerce’s support has been instrumental in making our expansion a success.”
Conclusion
Headless commerce is a game-changer for online stores. It gives brands incredible flexibility and scalability because it separates what customers see (like the website design) from the technical stuff (like payments and security). This setup lets businesses move quickly, keep up with new trends easily, and create awesome shopping experiences on any device. As digital trends keep changing, choosing headless commerce helps brands stay flexible, competitive, and ready to grow in a fast-paced market.
