Headless Commerce Platforms: Which One Will Give Your Business the Edge?
Headless commerce platforms offer unparalleled scalability and flexibility, allowing businesses to create a truly unique shopping experience for their customers. With APIs, businesses can interact with customers on multiple touchpoints and easily integrate third-party tools and services to personalize the experience.
In this article, we'll compare the top 5 headless commerce platforms and provide insights into the pros and cons of each platform.
On this page -
- How to Get Started with Headless Commerce?
- Comparison of Popular Headless Commerce Platforms - Table View
- Top 5 Headless Commerce Platforms in 2023
How to Get Started with Headless Commerce?
If you're still here, you know the importance of keeping your eCommerce team agile and your customers happy. But how do you achieve both of these goals simultaneously?
Well, there are two ways to go about it. The first is to build the front end from scratch. Now, this is an option that's best suited for those with a large development team. But let's be honest here, building everything from scratch can be a pain.
After all, you still need to buy various foundational pieces for the build and sew them all together to build a perfectly tailored and functional eCommerce platform.
You have to consider technical details such as your store front's JavaScript framework, server-side rendering framework, headless CMS, content delivery network, middleware to connect your frontend to the eCommerce platform, and third-party app integrations.
It's a lot to handle. It's like trying to build a house from the ground up with a blueprint that looks like a jumbo puzzle.
And let's not forget about the responsibility of managing these services. You have to select third-party APIs and middleware, which is overwhelming. If you're up for the challenge, then go for it. But for most of us, hiring a trustworthy eCommerce agency specializing in headless commerce development is best.
Now, the second option is a bit more exciting, in my opinion.
You can build with a front-end service provider like Vue Storefront. This is ideal for those who want to focus on revenue-building activities instead of building software. I mean, who wouldn't want to do that?
Front-end providers eliminate the complexities of selecting middleware, hosting, rendering, and APIs by bundling everything together.
With an expert by your side, you can focus on creating quality content, enhancing user experience, and keeping your customers satisfied.
So, there you have two options to achieve the same goal.
It's essential to remember that by taking advantage of the right tools and services, you can stay ahead of the game and keep your customers coming back for more.
Here’s a quick look at what the process will look like -
- Determine whether you should keep or switch your commerce platform. You may add APIs to the existing commerce platform (like Shopify). If you are doing business at the enterprise level, switch to a SaaS solution for more scalability and flexibility.
- Pick a headless CMS if you're working to deliver content to visitors on multiple channels. The same rule applies - pick open source if you've resources to build and deploy it or go for a SaaS solution if you want to get started quicker and leaner.
- Sync your CMS and APIs to integrate your front-end and backend. Experts recommend syncing APIs to smaller sections is the best way to move forward, primarily if you work independently. Test, optimize, and then scale up.
Comparing the Top Headless Commerce Platforms
Platform | Architecture |
---|---|
Shopify Plus | - Ruby on Rails, - React-based framework, Hydrogen for Storefront - Oxygen for hosting |
Magento Enterprise | - PWA Studio for site experience. - AEM for experience-led & hyper-personalized customer journey |
Big Commerce | - Next.js (react framework) for front-end, - Nuxt.js for Vue storefront - Gatsby.js for PWA |
Salesforce Commerce Cloud | - React-based PWA kit - Commerce Managed Runtime for hosting, securing and scaling storefront |
Fabric | - Commerce APIs built on open architecture - REST APIs for custom front & backend |
Top 5 Headless Commerce Platforms in 2023
1. Shopify Headless
Shopify's Standard vs. Plus Plans: While the standard Shopify plan can support headless commerce, it often requires significant reliance on third-party apps to enable full headless functionality. In contrast, Shopify Plus offers a more robust solution with built-in headless commerce capabilities.
Technology Stack: Shopify Plus leverages its React-based framework, Hydrogen, which includes a rich set of pre-built components, hooks, and utilities. This framework, coupled with Shopify’s comprehensive API documentation, facilitates quick integration and startup for development teams.
Benefits of Using Shopify for Headless Commerce:
- Enhanced Performance: Headless setup minimizes load times, significantly boosting site speed and conversion rates.
- Improved User Experience: With faster page loads and smoother transitions provided by Hydrogen, users enjoy a more seamless browsing experience.
- SEO Advantages: Full control over URL structures enhances SEO, a crucial benefit if migrating from another platform.
- Omnichannel Capability: Supports a unified approach across different sales channels, enhancing overall customer engagement.
Technical Insights: Shopify's globally distributed hosting platform, Oxygen, expedites the deployment of Hydrogen, streamlining development workflows. Hydrogen is specifically optimized for headless commerce, featuring:
- Optimistic UI: Enhances user interaction by reducing page load times and enabling nearly instant transitions.
- Nested Routes: Simplifies navigation by grouping related products or collections.
- Streaming Server-Side Rendering (SSR): Further improves load times and transition smoothness, enhancing the user experience.
These features collectively ensure a fast and efficient storefront, essential in the competitive pace of today’s eCommerce industry. Additionally, Shopify’s unified system architecture allows mobile and web teams to collaborate effectively, sharing resources and insights.
Challenges of Using Shopify for Headless Commerce:
- Limited Design Flexibility: The absence of Shopify’s theme editor means users must design front ends from scratch or start with a basic Hydrogen demo store.
- Developer Dependence: Full customization and managing multiple frontends require continuous developer involvement, which can be challenging for teams lacking in resources or experience.
2. Adobe Headless Commerce
Adobe Commerce, tailored for high-volume and enterprise-level businesses, excels in offering a highly flexible platform. It supports various storefront approaches, including traditional coupled architectures, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs), and integration with Adobe Experience Manager. This versatility enables merchants to deliver an app-like shopping experience that leverages modern web capabilities and extends to immersive technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
Advantages of Adobe Commerce for Headless E-commerce:
- Extensive Customization: Merchants can extensively customize their storefronts to align with brand identity and customer expectations.
- Enhanced Performance: The headless architecture of Adobe Commerce significantly reduces page load times, thereby improving user engagement and potentially increasing conversion rates.
- Superior Customer Experiences: The platform supports AR and VR, offering unique, immersive shopping experiences that can enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Scalability and Flexibility: Designed to handle complex, large-scale operations efficiently, it offers solutions that grow with your business needs.
Technical Features: Adobe Commerce's headless approach utilizes its robust APIs to facilitate seamless interactions between the frontend and various backend systems. This separation allows for more agile development cycles, quicker updates, and the ability to deploy new features without disrupting the user experience.
Challenges of Using Adobe for Headless E-commerce:
- Budget Considerations: Implementing a state-of-the-art experience on Adobe Commerce, especially when leveraging advanced technologies like AR and VR, requires a substantial investment. This may be prohibitive for smaller businesses or startups.
3. BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a prominent platform in the headless e-commerce landscape, celebrated for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive functionality. It caters to businesses aiming for rapid deployment and ease of use while maintaining a robust feature set.
Pros of Using BigCommerce for Headless E-commerce:
- User-Friendly Interface: BigCommerce is known for its straightforward user interface, which simplifies the setup and ongoing management of e-commerce operations. This makes it ideal for new users or businesses transitioning to headless e-commerce.
- API-Driven Flexibility: The platform utilizes a highly flexible and customizable API-centric approach, enabling deep integrations and extensive customization capabilities.
- Broad Integration Ecosystem: The platform supports integrations with a range of digital experience platforms, content management systems (CMS), and popular frontend frameworks like React, Vue.js, and Angular. This openness enhances the platform's versatility, allowing businesses to tailor their storefronts extensively.
- Multi-Site Management: BigCommerce excels in multi-site management, offering tools to oversee multiple storefronts and backend operations through a unified interface, simplifying inventory and stock management across different regions or brands.
Enhanced Technical Features:
- Headless SDKs: BigCommerce provides specific software development kits (SDKs) for popular development frameworks, aiding developers in creating custom storefronts without starting from scratch.
- Omni-channel Selling: The platform enables seamless integration with various marketplaces and social media channels, facilitating a cohesive omni-channel strategy beyond traditional web storefronts.
Cons of Using BigCommerce for Headless E-commerce:
- Customization Limits: While BigCommerce is flexible, it may not offer the same level of deep customization as some specialized headless platforms, particularly in areas requiring unique backend alterations.
- Managed Checkout Process: The checkout experience is predominantly handled by BigCommerce, which simplifies operations but may limit opportunities for customized checkout workflows tailored to specific business needs or customer experiences.
- Variable Transaction Fees: Some payment gateways integrated with BigCommerce may incur higher transaction fees, affecting the overall cost-effectiveness of certain businesses, particularly those with high sales volumes.
4. Salesforce Commerce Cloud for Headless eCommerce
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a robust, cloud-based, headless e-commerce platform favored by businesses ranging from small startups to large enterprises. Known for its scalability and integration capabilities, it supports various e-commerce needs.
Pros of Using Salesforce Commerce Cloud for Headless E-commerce:
- Template-Based Model with Advanced Tools: The platform provides a range of templates and tools that streamline the setup and management of headless e-commerce operations, making it accessible for businesses to start quickly.
- Expert Support: Users benefit from access to some of the industry's leading e-commerce development experts, providing unparalleled support and expertise.
Salesforce PWA Kit and Commerce Managed Runtime: Including a Progressive Web App (PWA) kit and a Commerce Managed Runtime simplifies security, hosting, and scalability. This allows businesses to focus more on innovation and growth than operational overhead.
- Extensive Integration Capabilities: Commerce Cloud seamlessly integrates with a wide range of Salesforce's tools and external technologies, enhancing functionality and user experience across various platforms.
- High Customizability: The platform offers extensive customization options, allowing businesses to tailor their e-commerce experiences to specific customer needs and market demands.
Added Technical Features:
- AI-Powered Insights: Leveraging Salesforce's AI technology, Einstein, Commerce Cloud offers personalized shopping experiences and predictive insights, helping businesses optimize their strategies and improve customer engagement.
- Multi-tenant Architecture: This architecture ensures that all clients receive continuous updates and innovations without downtime or disruptions, maintaining high performance and reliability.
- Global Scale and Compliance: Commerce Cloud is built to scale globally, supporting various languages and currencies and ensuring compliance with international security and privacy regulations.
Cons of Using Salesforce Commerce Cloud for Headless E-commerce:
- Higher Cost: The platform's advanced features and extensive support network come at a higher price point, which may be prohibitive for smaller businesses or those with tighter budgets.
- Technical Complexity: While powerful, Commerce Cloud has a steep learning curve, especially for those less familiar with advanced e-commerce technologies and Salesforce's ecosystem. This can pose challenges in maximizing the platform's potential without adequate training.
5. Fabric Headless Commerce
Fabric is a modern headless e-commerce platform designed to allow businesses to create bespoke eCommerce solutions. It focuses on reducing the need for re-platforming by offering a scalable and adaptable architecture.
Pros of Using Fabric for Headless E-commerce:
- Modular and Flexible Architecture: Fabric's core strength lies in its flexible headless architecture, which allows businesses to use the entire platform or select specific modules, such as order management systems (OMS) or experience management platforms.
- Customizable Integration Capabilities: Fabric's API-first approach enables seamless connectivity between its headless APIs and any backend system, enhancing the ability to tailor and extend e-commerce functionalities.
- Developer-Centric Design: The platform empowers developers, giving them the tools to innovate and creatively address unique business challenges through custom development.
Extended Features:
- Microservices-Based Structure: Fabric operates on a microservices-based architecture, ensuring that each functionality (like inventory, pricing, and promotions) can be independently scaled and updated without affecting the whole system.
- Cloud-Native Infrastructure: Built with a cloud-native approach, Fabric supports high scalability and resilience, effortlessly accommodating spikes in demand and growing business needs.
Cons of Using Fabric for Headless E-commerce:
- Integration Limitations: Although highly flexible, Fabric offers fewer out-of-the-box integrations than other established platforms. This might necessitate additional custom integration work to connect with existing business tools.
- Resource Intensive: Implementing and managing a customized solution on Fabric can be resource-intensive. It often requires a dedicated team of developers, which may not be feasible for smaller organizations or those with limited in-house technical capabilities.
Ready to go headless?
And that's it! Now you have a good understanding of what headless commerce is and why it's gaining traction.
If you're ready to take your eCommerce game to the next level and go headless, our team at Coderapper is here to help. We specialize in headless commerce development and can provide you with the expertise and support you need to make the transition as smooth as possible.
So, what are you waiting for? Let's make some magic happen!
FAQs
Is Magento a Headless CMS?
Yes, Magento is capable of being used as a headless CMS by utilizing its APIs. Magento PWA Studio is a suite of tools designed to create headless storefronts for Magento.
Is Salesforce B2B Commerce Headless?
Yes, Salesforce B2B Commerce offers headless commerce capabilities through its Commerce API, which allows for easy integration with third-party systems.
Is Oracle Commerce Headless?
Yes, Oracle Commerce provides headless commerce capabilities for businesses through its Commerce Cloud platform. The platform allows for seamless integration with front-end applications and other services.
Is Shopify a Headless Commerce Platform?
Yes, Shopify offers a headless commerce solution through Shopify Plus, which includes APIs and tools for building custom storefronts and integrating them with other services.
Is SAP Commerce Cloud Headless?
Yes, SAP Commerce Cloud offers headless commerce capabilities through its REST APIs and GraphQL API. The platform allows for flexible integration with front-end applications and third-party services.
Is Headless CMS the Same as Headless Commerce?
No, headless CMS refers to a content management system that separates the content creation and presentation layers, while headless commerce platforms refer to eCommerce platforms that separate the frontend presentation layer from the backend eCommerce functionality.