7 ways headless commerce can help your store

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There is a lot of talk about headless commerce lately, so besides a not very successful term in our opinion, we wanted to bring up the 7 ways headless commerce can help your store.

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Online shoppers nowadays have become used to having complete control over their shopping experience. No longer are they willing to sit at a PC and visit the store’s website. Today’s online shoppers want the freedom to buy however they want - on their mobile phone, with the assistance of Siri or Alexa and the likes, on their smartwatch, game console, or any other IoT device. 

Ecommerce platforms that are paying attention to the trend and cater to their customers’ demands, tend to reap the rewards. But the majority of online sellers are still far behind, seeing many sales avenues go untapped, because they cannot figure out how to connect their store to all these new IoT ecommerce channels. This is where Headless Commerce comes in. 

What is Headless Commerce?

Headless commerce is an ecommerce solution that separates the frontend - the part the customers interact with - from the backend of the platform, where inventory management, payment processing, and shipping take place. The backend of the store then serves as a database to which the seller can connect, through an application programming interface (API), any “head” (any place online where transactions take place).

This separation of the core of the store from the frontend gives the seller a lot more flexibility in presenting their products to customers, without having to worry about any changes to the backend.   

7 Way Headless Commerce Can Help Your Store

The meaning behind the name headless commerce is that sellers can easily and seamlessly switch and change the “heads” with which the backend communicates with, without having to change anything in its infrastructure. As traditional ecommerce platforms tend to be rigid, having the frontend and backend chained together, this is impossible to do, as they are designed to manage only one ecommerce channel (a website hosting an online store). 

1. Headless commerce is fast and easy to use

With Headless commerce the seller is released from worries about the impact of frontend changes on the website’s infrastructure, since they are separated. This allows the seller to quickly respond to trends, and acquire more “heads”, to keep up with new transaction platforms pop up everyday. 

And since API’s are relatively easy to master, these changes are simple to perform, and do not require the programming skills necessary to change the site’s infrastructure. 

2. Headless commerce provides more flexibility and adaptability

In traditional ecommerce platforms, the frontend is tightly connected to the backend coding and infrastructure. This limits the sellers capacity to customize their website, because any change requires a code change all the way from the frontend to the backend.

Since in headless commerce the frontend and backend are separated, sellers have much more flexibility in customizing their frontend, like adding new features or designs in any specific “head”. Headless commerce makes this process much more straightforward and quick, and today rapid adjustments and customizations are necessary in order to keep up with the customers’ expectations. 

3. Headless commerce is highly adaptable

Traditional ecommerce platforms usually restrict sellers to a single programming language. In headless commerce, in contrast, developers can use any programming language they like. This adaptability removes any need for your developers to familiarize themselves with a new language, and allows them to work in confidence with the languages they are skilled at. 
 

4. Headless commerce may be more cost effective

Depending on the size of the online store and number of products sold in it, it may be cheaper to use headless commerce, because in contrast to traditional platforms, the backend services adjust to meet the demand from the front end. For instance, during a special promotion the store may see increased traffic. In response, the payment processing and shipping systems will adjust themselves to the increased demand, and adjust again once the promotion has ended and traffic is back to normal.

5. Headless commerce offers complete tool integration

One of the keys to success in ecommerce is to have the ability to synergize your business goals and store’s infrastructure. Headless commerce gives sellers the freedom to choose the tools they use to manage every part of their store, and seamlessly operate them together. 

This freedom also gives sellers the flexibility to change tools to fit their specific needs, or as technology progresses, move to a more advanced version, without needing to overdo your entire infrastructure.

6. Headless commerce is a gateway to ecommerce

Headless commerce can connect your store’s infrastructure to any website, even if it has no ecommerce option. Using a specific “head”, headless commerce allows sellers to plug into the existing website, and creates a transaction function, without having to change anything in the infrastructure. 

7. Headless commerce can improve performance   

Since in headless commerce, the frontend and backend are separated, this means each part works quicker and more smoothly, which also leads to a quicker response time.  

Who is headless commerce for?

Sellers who feel that headless commerce requires too much attention, and are satisfied with the basic and rigid solution the traditional ecommerce platforms provide them, may be overwhelmed by headless commerce, and traditional ecommerce might be the right call for them.  

However, if any of the points mentioned above resonate with you - whether it is the flexibility headless commerce offers, or the simple fact that this is where ecommerce is going - then a move forward explore the ways headless commerce can help your site and business.