Loading Form...
Thank you
Jun 2, 2023 | 8 minute read
written by Kelsey Zapana
Editor's Note: This post was originally published on December 16, 2021 and was updated for relevancy on June 2, 2023.
Headless commerce is a major topic for merchandisers and leading brands. But choosing a headless commerce platform isn’t easy. Many legacy eCommerce platform vendors retrofitting their solutions to embrace a “headless” approach and countless new startups are rushing into the space. That makes it hard for eCommerce teams to decide which headless commerce vendor best meets their unique requirements.
Learn more about headless commerce platforms, the difference between headless and Composable Commerce, and how to determine which headless commerce platform is the best for your business.
A headless commerce platform is when the front-end and back-end of an eCommerce experience are separated. Having a linked front-end and back-end in commerce is known as a monolithic solution.
Headless commerce platforms give merchandisers and brands the ability to customize an online storefront without changing backend infrastructure or capabilities.. With a headless architecture, your brand can create compelling commerce experiences by choosing your preferred content management system (CMS), digital experience platform DXP, and other technologies such as Angular or React front-end frameworks.
Headless commerce provides a flexible way for businesses to approach eCommerce. This approach can give your teams the freedom, flexibility and scalability to build custom B2B commerce experiences and future-proof your business.
Headless commerce and Composable Commerce are related concepts, but are different.
Headless commerce is a core architectural concept. Among modern commerce platform vendors, headless commerce is often found as a part of a MACH-based architecture along with microservices, API-first, and Cloud-native principles.
Composable Commerce builds on the foundation of MACH-based architectural principles, but is business-centric. In addition to the underlying MACH-based architecture, Composable Commerce embraces the concept of an open ecosystem and mix-and-match vendor management. The holistic approach of Composable Commerce helps businesses translate their investments in modern MACH-based technologies to real, tangible business value.
This is a common question that has a nuanced answer. Some vendors are “native” headless commerce platforms, which means that the software created to be headless from the beginning.
Native headless platforms have clear advantages, but are not the only way to go headless. Many, but not all, of the traditional commerce platforms , do now have a headless mode given the popularity of headless commerce. But not all of these vendors can support a truly headless approach. That’s because they employ a “retrofitted” headless solution, in which the front-end is customizable but still tied to the back-end. This means that adding new features may require an in-house development team.
Retrofitted headless solutions allow for design, flexibility, and positive UI experiences on the consumer-facing front-end.
In contrast, headless microservices solutions use microservices to fully decouple the front-end and back-end. Application program interfaces (APIs) help the front-end and back-end communicate and reduce your development requirements on the back-end.
A great analogy to think about the difference between native headless architecture and retrofitted headless solutions is a car that was designed and manufactured to be a convertible, versus a sedan that is retrofitted in the aftermarket to be a convertible. Some of these retrofitted sedans will seem as if they were designed to be convertibles. Others won’t match the display and functionality of a convertible-from-the-start car.
Want to learn whether a headless commerce approach is right for you? Read our eCommerce platform buyer’s guide.
Connect with an Elastic Path expert to answer all of your questions, set up a demo, access a free trial, or discuss pricing options.
If you have decided that traditional monolithic platforms no longer satisfy your business requirement and would like to migrate to a headless solution, it's important to choose a platform that suits your team and business needs.
To help, here’s an overview of major headless commerce platforms in 2023:
If a retrofitted headless approach will work for your business, you can consider these headless commerce platforms:
Choosing a headless commerce platform takes consideration and a strong understanding of your business goals and needs.
At Elastic Path, we work to help brands unlock commerce solutions that give their customers exceptional commerce experiences. We’d love to talk about what that looks like for your business and whether one of our solutions will help.Get in touch with one of our expertsso we can learn about your commerce needs and demo how we can help you deliver the best commerce experiences possible.
Get actionable tips for increasing AOV and conversion rates, minimizing return and shipping costs, and improving operational efficiency.
You'll receive a welcome email shortly.