Most of the curious guys out there searching for new ways to reinvent the eCommerce and improve the customer experience must have heard about what Headless eCommerce is!
There has been a significant development in the course of different platforms and frameworks around the headless and decoupled frontend.
With solutions like Gatsby.js (react-base PWA framework), Vue Storefront (Vue.js-base PWA framework) and platforms like Magento, WordPress, etc. Advocating for this approach and opening up their frontend API to allow headless implementations.
Let’s Understand Headless eCommerce
In the world of eCommerce, a lot has changed. Users want a smooth buying experience on a website that is quick and simple to navigate.
People’s buying habits have changed as well. They now buy products on the go with devices ranging from smartphones to voice assistants like Google Home. Online retail sites must adapt now that a large part of the traffic comes from non-desktop sources.
As eCommerce store owner who wants to grow their business, they should start by identifying areas that need to improve. We’re talking about the modifications the store needs right now as well as what it will look like in 5 to 10 years.
You should focus on providing a better and as well as faster purchasing experience, increasing your ranks, and increasing sales. If you leave things as they are, this will not happen.
We’ll talk about headless eCommerce in this article. You’ll learn how it varies from traditional trade, as well as its advantages and disadvantages.
Not sure if a headless solution would be helpful to your company?
Headless eCommerce is a situation in which you house backend or content / data management systems and storage (database) separately from displaying interface. Also, learn more about Shopify Headless Development.
With this division, the site owner will have a more flexible and richer user experience. As the developers can use API’s or web services to deliver things. Furthermore, things like products, blog posts or customer reviews to any screen or device.
The frontend developers will have the freedom to present the content using any framework they like.
You can also say headless commerce architecture is built for the IoT age.
In contrast, the traditional commerce platforms have the frontend and backend tightly linked with each other.
In a way that you only deliver the content to a defined website and maybe to a native mobile app.
But on the other hand, headless eCommerce delivers the content via Restful APIs.
Then it connects the backend data model with recent technologies like React or React Native.
API’s allow you to display content and product to different channels like smartwatches, Alexa and as well as gaming consoles, etc.
What is our Current Situation?
By 2021, the bulk of eCommerce stores has adopted an almost obsolete monolithic model. This means that, if you get on the bandwagon early and take a different path, you may be able to go ahead of the pack.
All frontend and backend processes are tight links on monolithic websites.
The HTML for a monolithic store is completely produced on the server and delivered to the user’s browser.
The complete HTML load from the server whenever a user accesses a new page. The header and footer include in this (parts of the page that are the same across the whole website).
As a result, each time a new page opens, the browser must re-render all the code. Furthermore, full-page rendering takes a long time.
Consider what would happen if it simple rendered the dynamic parts (which include content that changes from page to page). You have between 5 and 20 seconds to spare!
Monolithic websites differ great from modern disconnected websites. These web pages are difficult to personalize and are out of date.
Furthermore, the strategy precludes the construction of sites in accordance with modern norms (these imply fast site speed, user-friendly UX/UI, among other things).
Why is headless commerce better than traditional commerce?
In the 2020s, the non-separated strategy described above is a “no go”. Buying habits and shopping behaviors have evolved. Your store should, too.
What exactly is a headless eCommerce solution? Is it simply a matter of separating the frontend and backend of a website? Let’s back up and define a section of the headless eCommerce definition.
In the context of a headless website, the “frontend” refers to more than just what users see in their browsers. Instead, it refers to requests made from any of the devices that individuals use to make online purchases.
Does this sound perplexing? That isn’t the case. Aside from desktop computers, your customers are already shopping through other channels and gadgets. We’re referring to touchpoints such as:
Smartphones and apps for mobile devices
- Tablets
- Watches
- Amazon Dash Buttons
- Intelligent refrigerators
- Smart televisions and other household electronics
- Alexa-like voice assistants and speakers
The list goes on and on. The headless method, in particular, can help your store prepare for the future. This architecture will provide it the ability to serve all the gadgets that will arise in the future that will be used for shopping.
Furthermore, a true headless commerce solution is self-contained. Its autonomous modules may communicate with one another, resulting in faster and better performance.
What happens if your store decouple?
Your frontend and backend business processes are unaffect by one another.
Your modules will become more self-contained. With this method, you can progress one part at a time without endangering the others.
You have the option of splitting your backend services. Services for voice search in smart speakers, for example, may exist separate from those for text search in mobile apps.
At the end of the day, you gain the “ace up your sleeve” flexibility.
Businesses that want commerce capabilities can use headless commerce. API-driven experiences can deliver via a CMS, DXP, application, device or bespoke frontend.
With headless, marketers can use powerful APIs to create commerce experiences on different platforms. To boost efficiencies and decrease bottlenecks, the main components of our SaaS platform can extend and connect to any other environment.
It’s workable to incorporate even the most sophisticated commerce requirements with attractive work, from highly customized react.js or angular sites to a CMS. To mix agile, adaptable eCommerce with content, brands don’t have to sacrifice.
APIs are used for data orchestration in commerce-led or commerce-first models, where IT teams have relative control over infrastructure connectivity. The amount of API calls available on a SaaS platform limits.
Traditional commerce
The monolithic approach is the most traditional eCommerce model. Many brands and agencies still propose monolithic strategies for enterprises and well-established enterprises.
A monolithic strategy has the disadvantages of a long time to market and hefty development expenditures. This slows down innovation.
Full platform management for the IT department is an advantage of a monolithic approach, which may come in handy if an eCommerce strategy or website experience requires considerable customization.
How does the traditional monolithic store work?
The majority of eCommerce stores founded in the last ten years operate in the following manner:
Either a custom framework or an out-of-the-box solution to build the backend (such as Magento or SAP Hybris).
The frontend (HTML) generated by the backend and sent to the browser.
The browser parses the HTML and downloads all necessary files (JS, CSS, and so on) so that the user can view the page content.
When a user navigates from one page of the store to another, the procedure described above occurs. It’s time consuming, as you might expect, and it keeps clients waiting for information to materialize.
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