Headless eCommerce: What Is It & Why It Matters

According to statistics, in the second decade of the 21st century, over 85% of online shoppers decide to leave the virtual store without completing an order for various reasons. We assume that the main one is a defective and inconsistent connection. To make the customer journey pleasant and smooth, it is recommended to use a headless architecture for your business.

What is it? Why does it matter? Here are the benefits and drawbacks of headless eCommerce, and even more are mentioned in this article. Follow reading to become all pants about it and improve your company!

The Headless eCommerce Definition

Business with a headless architecture separates the backend and frontend of eCommerce applications and operability. In brief and more clearly: developers utilizing special publishing tools can make and compose their own products for all the channels. Headless eCommerce is also well-known by the abbreviation MACH:

  • Microservices are compact computer services that are intended to find the solution to something special. Parallelly, they are working smoothly with all the other components of your system too. 
  • Application Programming Interfaces or APIs provide the capacity for microservices to impact and interact. The APIs also allow you to spread similar content on diverse devices, having a stable brand message.
  • Cloud-based & cloud-native systems are about the usage of SaaS or Software-as-a-Service to keep your data safe and secured.
  • Headless involves the usage of the CMS (Content Management System) . 

Surely, headless eCommerce is foremost about the smooth connection between all channels, which provides a capacity to go seamlessly through them. Despite the platform on which the customer is moving, you can also, thanks to MACH, present a brand message to him/her.

What is the Difference Between Headless eCommerce and the Traditional Ones?

Is your platform a common eCommerce form and can’t offer some capacities? If your answer is “yes”, you should definitely switch on and relish this experience. However, what is the difference between them?

Speaking about the architecture, the common one has a typical monolithic type, which consists of the front and back linking. Such systems are a bit expensive, and the period of releasing the updates is time taking. Whatever, it doesn’t cancel the fact of its efficiency!

Take into account that the traditional forms of eCommerce are usually in the various apps, assistants, and other things where a smooth connection isn’t physically possible. The headless one has many more capabilities and can match the various tools to itself. This opportunity is available thanks to the front and end applications. 

The Headless eCommerce Pros

  • The updated security assured by the separated frontend and backend supports you with higher protection and a safer connection.  
  • More continuous experimentation.
  • Spin ups the products and capacity to sell them momentarily.
  • Headless is ready to support the omnichannel.
  • It is more flexible due to the IT and dev teams.
  • A quick period of loads thanks to the snap-of-the-finger system.

The Headless eCommerce Cons

Despite that headless architecture has a myriad of benefits, the cons are also available. Being precise: a con of high maintenance. Switching on the headless system may impact your budget massively. So, take it into account.

Reasons for Selecting a Headless Architecture For Your Business

The Creation of Agile Environment

It allows the developers and shoppers to concentrate on their ends without waiting a durable period for waiting until it ends. So, in other words: you are able to use it anytime. It can also change its direction according to customers’ needs.

The Maximization of Sales

The headless architecture supports a capacity of autonomy and a separated front end. You can make regular updates without producing an impact on other systems. Therefore, making sales and staying competitive in the market are available. Amazon is one of the most famous companies, supported by the headless system, and provides updates every 11.7 seconds. 

What’s more, if Application Programming Interfaces also support it, you are capable of tracking your business on all devices. In spite of whether it is a PC, laptop, phone, TV, or radio cassette player, you can do it thanks to the magic of APIs. Isn’t it fascinating?

The Expansion of Touchpoints

Another interesting feature is the capacity to support the various touchpoints. You are already aware of mobile apps and voice search, but as for the PWA (progressive web apps) and marketplaces or POS? Remember that it is only available to use with a headless supported business.

The Need for Extra Performance

You are already aware that traditional eCommerce supports you with a performance momentarily. However, such support isn’t enough as soon as your deal becomes scaled. Therefore, the extra performance is possible, but only if you are solely responsible for it. 

The Assignation for Channels

The different channels allow businessmen or businesswomen to sell their products on various market platforms for distinct prices. This is also to find out consumers’ consumption and utilize it on your brand. The plethora of such channels is also extensive. You can choose it from the PWA to WordPress.

The Examples of Using a Headless eCommerce in Real Life

Meet a short list of companies and platforms which switched on the headless systems and make sure their benefits matter:

  • Spryker.
  • Elastic Path/Moltin.
  • Commerce Tools.
  • BigCommerce.
  • ShopifyPlus.
  • Magneto 2.
  • Core dna.  

Such companies are well-known worldwide. So, you see that it is worth switching your company to headless management to achieve the same success as they did and do.

Bottom Line

In this article, we were talking about the definition of headless eCommerce and why it matters. Such aspects were revealed:

  • What is headless enterprise architecture?
  • Pros and cons of it.
  • The difference between headless and traditional businesses.
  • Why should you select a headless type of business?
  • Examples of it are in real life.

So, you should definitely switch your business to the headless way because it expands your capabilities too. It has a myriad of benefits and, in spite of its price, it is worth its cost. Hope that we were useful to you!