Headless e-commerce offers infinite possibilities for creating and customizing your online store, with no constraints.
The growing popularity of the omnichannel e-commerce world is constantly bringing about changes and developments: competition is tightening and demands are increasing.
In the age of omnichannel, how can you keep up with market trends? How can SaaS e-commerce platforms evolve and survive multiple points of sale?
New technologies are constantly being created in response to these issues and consumer needs. After years of traditional e-commerce, a new era is taking shape: headless e-commerce.
What is the headless structure and how does it work? How does it differ from traditional e-commerce? What are its advantages? What are its limitations? Finally, we’ll look at some examples of headless SaaS e-commerce platforms.
What is headless commerce?
Headless e-commerce is aptly named, since it’s an architecture in which the front-end and back-end of a CMS are separated. The back-end is then stripped of its “head”, the front-end.
So what are back-end and front-end?
- Back-end: refers to the part of the CMS that users don’t see, enabling the front-end to be managed and operated.
- Front-end: the part of the CMS that the customer sees and interacts with (the shop window).
In the case of a SaaS headless e-commerce platform, the two layers operate independently of each other. In this case, you can modify one of the two parts without affecting the other. For example, you can update or modify the front-end– the content and design of your store – without affecting its “foundations”. This means you can concentrate on interacting with your customers, without having to worry about modifying your payment processes or databases. The ultimate goal is to be able to distribute content across different channels, quickly and easily.
This increasingly popular phenomenon promises freedom and flexibility in personalizing and creating the shopping experience, whatever the point of contact. You can sell anywhere, with no design or development constraints. A real opportunity to develop omnichannel e-commerce. The world becomes your shop window!
How does headless e-commerce work?
As you can see, headless e-commerce is characterized by the separation of back-end and front-end. However, they are still connected and linked by APIs .
These APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) enable communication and interaction between the front-end and back-end.
This IT solution manages data exchanges between the back-end and the front-end. The back-end, linked to the various channels, enables content to be created, stored and distributed. Content display is managed on each front-end system. Headless e-commerce thus places content at the heart of all actions, since its creation and integration is quick and easy. An essential aspect of omnichannel e-commerce, because as the saying goes, “Content is King”.
What’s more, headless showcases let you leverage multiple backend systems to suit your needs. These systems can include your :
- Content Management System(CMS)
- Production planning system (ERP)
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- OMS, TMS, WMS…
Traditional e-commerce vs. headless e-commerce: what are the differences?
To shed some light on the subject, here’s a visual comparison between the architecture of traditional e-commerce and that of headless e-commerce.
The diagram above shows the architecture of a traditional CMS on the one hand, and a headless CMS on the other. This diagram illustrates the power of a back-end decoupled from its front-end, as well as the power of APIs.
More concretely, three major differences can be observed:
| Traditional Trade | Headless Commerce | |
| Customization level | Limited, as themes are predefined | Very high. More control over your CMS appearance and user experience. |
| Front-end development | Your shop window is linked to your back-end infrastructure: any modification of the front-end entails laborious coding and database changes. Design constraints | Extremely flexible, since creation starts from 0. Front-end developers are freed from certain tasks (they don’t have to worry about modifications in the back-end, since all they need is a simple API). No design constraints |
| Flexibility and time | Less flexibility and more time. Launching your omnichannel e-commerce store is quick. However, any changes require more time, since you can’t add new front-end applications without modifying your back-end system. | More flexibility and less time. Setting up your omnichannel e-commerce launch may take longer, but setting up the front-end is quicker and easier. Tip: have a solid understanding of both front-end and back-end systems. |
What are the advantages of headless e-commerce?
Now that the points of comparison are clear, here are the many advantages of headless e-commerce:
Omnichannel thanks to headless e-commerce
One of the first advantages, and not the least, is the move to omnichannel. Because of the decoupling of frontend and backend, the frontend can be easily integrated into different channels, such as the web, mobile devices, social networks and IOT.
Headless e-commerce facilitates the transition, with each channel configured independently, yet linked to a single back-end. Content distribution and new product launches are instantaneous across all sales channels (marketplace, website, boutique, private sales, etc.).
Seamless API integration
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are a key element of headless e-commerce architecture, as they enable the different parts of a decoupled SaaS e-commerce system to be connected.
The benefits of APIs in headless omnichannel e-commerce include:
- Flexibility: APIs enable developers to create customized front-end applications that can connect to the data and functionality of the e-commerce platform. This enables them to create unique user experiences tailored to their specific needs.
- Interoperability: The e-commerce platform can be easily connected to other systems, such as payment systems, customer relationship management systems and marketing automation platforms.
- Scalability: Efficiently manage data and functionality requests from different channels, such as websites, mobile apps and voice assistants, without having to rebuild their e-commerce platform for each channel.
- Security: APIs can be secured using techniques such as authentication and authorization, protecting data on the e-commerce platform from unauthorized access.
Conversion optimization on site
The separation of back-end and front-end in headless e-commerce architecture optimizes conversions in several ways:
- User experience: By separating the back-end from the front-end, developers can concentrate on the visual and interactive aspects of the user experience without being hampered by the technical constraints of the back-end. This helps create smoother, more engaging user interfaces, increasing the likelihood that users will complete a purchase.
- Flexibility: Thanks to this separation, the user interface can be adapted to meet the needs of users on different devices and platforms. This maximizes the company’s visibility to a wider audience, helping to increase conversions.
- Performance: back-ends and front-ends can be designed to use different technologies. Separating these two parts, developers can choose the best performing technologies for each, to optimize performance for better user experiences and ultimately better conversions.
- Innovation: E-tailers can quickly adopt the latest technologies and trends to improve user experience, without having to rewrite their entire system. This enables them to innovate faster and offer more engaging shopping experiences, which in turn helps to increase conversions.
Competitive advantage through headless e-commerce
The many benefits we have just mentioned illustrate the competitive advantage that e-tailers can enjoy. What’s more, thanks to APIs, updates can be carried out without modifying or affecting your back-end.
For example, if a retailer wants to add new functionality to its website to improve the user experience, it can do so using modern front-end technologies, without having to touch the back-end, which manages data and transactions.
In traditional e-commerce, on the other hand, you have to deploy your updates manually, a relatively time-consuming process.
Improving the customer experience
Thanks to the use of AI technologies and machine learning, offers and content are personalized according to each user’s preferences. Algorithms can learn users’ preferences based on their behavior on the website, to provide offers and recommendations that match their interests. Localization, language and currency can also be analyzed to deliver precise content and a more relevant user experience. Layout and readability can also be optimized according to the device used (tablet, mobile, computer…).
This is no mean feat, since 80% of customers are more likely to buy from a brand that offers personalized experiences.
What are the limits of headless e-commerce?
However, there are two limits that you should be aware of before embarking on headless e-commerce:
- Increased complexity
Setting up and managing two separate systems requires technical expertise as well as additional development and maintenance. Indeed, it is necessary to take into account the interactions between the two systems and manage any inconsistencies.
- Current expenses
On the one hand, the separation between the two parts means that developers are obliged to create the front-end “from scratch”. These creations and customizations can be time-consuming and costly, and lead to ongoing costs beyond the initial build. In addition to the initial cost of installation, certain additional costs will need to be taken into account for maintenance.
- More complex testing and maintenance:
The use of different systems and technologies makes their maintenance more complex. Testing and maintaining the entire system can be more complex than it seems.
- Risk of excessive dependence on APIs :
There is a potential risk of API dependency. E-tailers at risk are then vulnerable to API availability or performance problems. It’s important to choose reliable API providers, and to set up backup processes to manage incidents.
Can we make the transition from traditional e-commerce to headless?
Yes, your traditional platform can become a SaaS headless platform, but on one condition: it must provide an API. APIs are the very essence of headlessness, and will enable you to connect your storefront with your back-end.
Headless e-commerce saas platforms!
To get you started, here are a few examples of e-commerce saas platforms that can help you integrate this new headless development and boost your online store business:
- Shopify Plus
Shopify Plus is one of the options for switching to headless e-commerce. Flexibility, speed and power are the hallmarks of this platform. Renowned for its back-end management and control, all you need to do is concentrate on your business.
What’s more, this saas e-commerce platform facilitates the connection between your offline and online stores. Discover Shippingbo’s logistics solution with its Shopify module.
- Bigcommerce
BigCommerce is a headless e-commerce SaaS platform that enables companies to create their online store with increased user interface customization. It also offers developers greater freedom to customize the online store user experience, while maintaining efficient data management in the background.
And so many others: Magento, PrestaShop, Salesforce, etc.
The API connection is quick and easy, but so is disconnection. It is therefore possible to change CMS, as you see fit. For example, if a merchant feels that his CMS commissions are too high, he can switch to another open source CMS. The same applies to carriers.
Third-party tools for headless e-commerce
Here is a non-exhaustive list of third-party tools to which a headless e-commerce platform can connect:
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to manage interactions with customers and prospects
- CMS (Content Management System) to manage website content
- ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) to manage operational processes and company data
- OMS/TMS/WMS: Shippingbo
This omnichannel SaaS logistics solution is, of course, headless. In just a few clicks, the APIs enable you to connect your store’s back-end to all your sales channels and interfaces. A considerable time-saver for your technical teams and a guarantee of optimum satisfaction for your customers.
Headless e-commerce solution with Shippingbo
To sum up, it’s essential to point out that headless development is still in its infancy. However, it is becoming increasingly important in the omnichannel e-commerce market, and represents one of the best solutions for developing your store.
The market tends to focus on content, and is desperate to meet the growing needs of consumers.
That’s why it’s vital to understand that the simpler the sales process, the more your sales will explode. However, new technologies emerge quickly, and rapid adaptation to them is necessary.
As a result, headless represents the best opportunity to address this issue. In fact, its customer-centric approach, personalization possibilities, connection to various storefronts and time-saving benefits are not to be underestimated.
Efficiency, flexibility and a flawless customer experience are the hallmarks of headless e-commerce.
Discover our webinar on the subject:
