Headless Commerce Vs Traditional Commerce: Which Fit You The Best?

The headless commerce platform is one of the most significant breakthroughs in the world of eCommerce. This blog compares and contrasts Headless Commerce vs Traditional Commerce to help you decide which is best for your eCommerce business.

Consumer comfort with online transactions has expanded tremendously since the birth of e-commerce, initially with traditional websites and now with apps and other platforms. As a result, companies are turning to headless commerce to diversify their revenue streams and improve their client experience. Going headless, on the other hand, isn’t for everyone.

In eCommerce, the user experience is critical. According to many research and polls, the biggest reason for an online shopping cart abandonment rate of 70% is a site’s UX. Headless commerce improves your site’s UX in a variety of ways. That’s why many companies are looking for a reputable headless commerce development company.

Headless Commerce Vs Traditional Commerce: Overview

What is Headless Commerce?

Headless commerce refers to the separation of a website’s front-end and back-end, allowing both to function independently. It’s the segregation of a website’s appearance layer from its e-commerce operation.

Thanks to API calls, headless commerce businesses give you extra flexibility by allowing you to control and distribute content without the need for a connected front-end layer, allowing you to offer your visitors a unique, highly tailored, and user-friendly experience.

How Does A Headless Commerce Platform Work?

Headless commerce separates the front-end customer experience from the back-end technology, allowing firms to deliver material to the front-end via CMS rather than through their commerce platform. Decoupling has many advantages, including faster time to market, higher personalization, and better control.

Web services or application programming interface (API) calls are used to transfer requests between the presentation and application levels in headless commerce systems. The API is used to pull data from wearables, automobiles, IoT devices (smart appliances, TVs, Alexa, and others), apps on any platform, social networks, and more thanks to its headless commerce architecture.

Read More: Shopify Speed Optimization: 10 Easy Tips To Improve Page Speed

What is Traditional Commerce?

Any business transaction that takes place face-to-face in a physical store is considered traditional commerce. Customers can buy products and services in person through traditional commerce. Traditional e-commerce has a front end that is tightly integrated with the back end, allowing for functionality similar to Shopify, Magento, and WordPress

Headless Commerce Vs Traditional Commerce: Significant Differences

Although traditional e-commerce has design and engineering limitations, it is simpler to develop a website. In contrast, headless commerce allows you more front-end development flexibility, but it takes longer to set up.

Front-end Development

Traditional e-commerce imposes too many limitations on front-end developers’ design and entire workflow. The database, programming, and front-end platform all need a significant amount of effort to modify. As a result, what can be edited/updated without voiding a warranty or blocking future upgrades is rather a constraint for developers.

Headless commerce, however, allows front-end developers to build a user experience that meets business requirements. Front-end developers don’t have to worry about changes to the back-end database with headless commerce because API requests take care of that. In summary, front-end developers don’t have to deal with the challenges that come with typical e-commerce front-end development.

Flexibility and Personalization

The front-end of traditional solutions is tightly tied with the coding and infrastructure of the back-end, leaving no room for customization. Moreover, traditional e-commerce platforms offer a one-size-fits-all customer and administrative experience, with no customization. Between the front-end and back-end databases, developers must change numerous layers of coding.

Developers using headless commerce can easily construct their own experience from the start because there is no front end. Besides, you can control the style of your e-commerce platform, as well as the user experience for both users and administrators, with headless commerce. Because headless commerce is divorced from the front-end and back-end, it provides limitless flexibility. With headless commerce, you can easily alter anything.

Technical Knowledge

Given our discussion of front-end development, flexibility, and customization, you’ve probably worked out which of traditional vs. headless commerce necessitates the most technical knowledge.

Traditional e-commerce necessitates less technological knowledge than headless commerce and is recommended for individuals without the resources or experience to pursue sophisticated development.

For many larger and expanding businesses, however, headless commerce is the way to go for people who are well-versed in technical know-how. It provides limitless customization choices and allows you to provide a better experience for customers.

Benefits of Headless Commerce Platform

Up-to-date with new technologies

Because of the flexibility of a headless eCommerce system, you can easily integrate new technologies. Given how frequently new and improved software is released, this is a big advantage.

Numerous customization possibilities

Because there isn’t a pre-built front-end experience, you can create one that’s specific to your company’s demands. Would you like to include a countdown timer in your shopping carts? That’s OK.

Headless commerce offers an automatic translation of your website to a user’s native tongue. Besides, your imagination is the only limit to how you can customize your business with a headless commerce platform.

Better customer experience

Building the front end from the roots up allows you to create a unique experience that will please clients and set you apart from the competitors. You can personalize products based on a customer’s purchase history, tailor your site to a user’s location, or make it simple for a customer to shift between computer and mobile shopping.

Easy modifications

With headless commerce, you can use a content management system (CMS) to manage the site when the framework has been launched. Thanks to CMS, headless commerce platforms enable users to create modifications to the site’s interface or update functionality through a simple interface that only requires little to no coding.

Any device engagement

Your headless commerce site functions without frequent difficulties, such as buttons disappearing or features not displaying properly. Potential customers can get the same quality of user experience regardless of using a laptop or a smartphone.

Easier scaling with a headless commerce platform

Headless commerce allows you to manage all of your material from one location. Furthermore, CDNs can help balance traffic in the system, and high-performance cloud-based hosting services can be used.

Headless Commerce Vs Traditional Commerce: Which is for Your Business?

Smaller businesses without enough engineering resources to develop a headless commerce platform may find that traditional commerce is a better solution. Traditional commerce is also a preferable choice for simple websites that don’t require or have any capabilities that aren’t already included in a standard CMS template.

If you want to create differentiated customer-first experiences, don’t want to use a template for your website, or want to add functionality that a typical commerce platform can’t deliver, a headless commerce platform is likely a suitable choice for your company. If your firm needs greater flexibility or needs to transmit content across numerous media, a headless commerce platform is a more suitable option.

Suppose that your company has the resources and time to hire a development team to build the front-end websites or applications. A headless commerce platform should also be utilized when greater flexibility is required. For example, a headless commerce platform is necessary when a mobile or television app needs to deliver the same content as the web app is required.

Are you considering a headless solution for your online business? Working with certified specialists to determine the best headless commerce platform for your organization or if another headless or traditional commerce method would be the best move based on your requirements is a safe step to take.

More About Head Commerce Platform

Best Headless Commerce Platforms to Choose From

It’s not easy to pick the best headless commerce platform. It’s a multi-step procedure that necessitates teamwork and smart thought. It necessitates a realistic assessment of the market situation and the identification of opportunities. Knowing this will assist you in selecting the ideal headless commerce platform for your company’s growth.

Below BSS Commerce Shopify gives some of our suggestions to consider for the top headless commerce platforms based on where your eCommerce business is at right now. We’ve compiled a list of the finest headless commerce platforms, ranging from those with low digital maturity and out-of-the-box solutions to those with higher digital maturity and build and customization possibilities.

Shopify

One of the most well-known eCommerce platforms may now be used in a headless mode. With its GraphQL and REST APIs, Shopify facilitated a seamless headless shift. The merchant retains control of the store’s essential stability and functionality, while the storefront may be customized further. Small to medium-sized eCommerce enterprises are best served by Shopify.

Read more: Top 10+ Biggest Shopify Brands You Can Learn From

Salesforce Commerce Cloud

Numerous B2B and B2C organizations that have trusted Salesforce Commerce Cloud (former Demandware) can attest to the enterprise solution’s power. SCC is a cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) commerce platform that allows businesses to create smart, unified purchasing experiences across mobile, social, web, and in-store channels. SCC is aimed at brands and retailers who want to focus on trading rather than development and want B2C capability.

Read more: Demandware vs Shopify – Which One Fit You The Best?

Magento 2

Magento 2 Open Source, Magento 2 Commerce, and Magento 2 Commerce Cloud are the three editions. Each solution is tailored to meet the diverse needs of eCommerce business owners. B2B and larger organizations will benefit from Commerce and Commerce Cloud, which are built to handle high customer traffic, huge product catalogs, worldwide reach, and business complexity.

When combined with the headless storefront, Magento 2 provides exceptional front-end performance and UX for high-traffic enterprise eCommerce players. Magento 2 extension creation or API update often necessitates the use of Magento developers who are experts in the field.

If you wonder about how to migrate your Magento store to Shopify, check out: Magento to Shopify Migration Checklist: Smooth Transition

Fabric

The Seattle-based firm offers a growth-oriented headless commerce platform. It provides online retail back-end infrastructure. Fabric’s open and modular design enables B2B and direct-to-consumer businesses to go live in weeks, displacing costly, convoluted legacy platforms that stifle performance and growth.

The fabric enables membership and offers administration, subscriptions, and marketplace integrations in addition to being a Product Information Management and Order Management System.

Vendure

Vendure is a modern headless GraphQL framework that handles eCommerce and can be described as an option for individuals who have outgrown Shopify. In addition, its appealing and easy admin interface makes it simple to set up and navigate. Vendure is a service that connects you to storefronts for Next and Vue.

Vendure is a Node.js, TypeScript, and GraphQL-based open-source project. They don’t provide a UI and instead concentrate on their API infrastructure.

BigCommerce

On a single open-source platform, there are numerous tools and a diverse app ecosystem. BigCommerce combines enterprise-grade features with a user-friendly UI and quick customer service. Its goal is to assist merchants in increasing sales at every step of their business’s development. The system facilitates compliance and risk management, as well as headless innovation.

Learn more: Shopify vs BigCommerce: Head-to-head Comparison

SAP Commerce Cloud

SAP Commerce Cloud is a commerce system geared toward large businesses with complex B2B, B2C, and B2B2C use cases. SAP’s solution includes a responsive omnichannel storefront as well as other commerce modules for both B2B and B2C customers. Besides, unified information repository and high-end tools for building a tailored purchasing experience are among the many advanced solutions available.

SAP, an enterprise SaaS, influences the product roadmap, which may be advantageous to larger companies.

Spryker

The Berlin-based headless provider offers a modern platform-as-a-service solution that includes over 900 API-based modules that are cloud-enabled, enterprise-ready, and well-liked by developers and business users. Spryker features a shop system that allows you to fully digitize and scale your eCommerce business.

The technologies in Spryker’s fully composable platform can help you establish B2B platforms, marketplaces, or subscriptions.

Elastic Path

A complex, API-driven system that meets the basic eCommerce business needs. Elastic Path provides excellent customer and support service, making it a viable eCommerce solution. Internal and operational efficiencies are created, and business process agility is improved, thanks to the headless architecture.

How to Choose The Best Headless Commerce Platform?

Because each business case is different, it’s impossible to single out a single vendor. Business requirements differ from person to person, as do one’s abilities. The good news is that when looking for the finest headless commerce platform, you’ll discover a variety of options for eCommerce to generate cash by putting up a custom stack.

So how can businesses choose the best Headless Commerce Platform? As it usually happens, the answer can be short: it depends or is more comprehensive. Making a big decision takes a lot of research, consideration, and hours spent on consulting since each case is individual. Below you will find the steps you should take before choosing the best headless commerce platform for your business.

Have a Talk – Business and Tech Together

The first step in considering re-platforming or selecting the best headless commerce platform should be a conversation. The commercial and technical sides should meet to discuss their respective requirements. At this point of becoming headless, companies make the mistake of excluding one or more parts. It’s critical to learn to pay attention to the demands that each side makes. This will save a lot of time.

In addition, it assists in building a clearer picture of what the company needs in terms of technology and business. And it’s not about having a complete understanding of each party. This is almost unthinkable.

The goal is to figure out what problems each participant wants to solve. This will not only aid in determining the appropriate headless commerce platform for a given situation, but it will also make the transition to digital headless easier.

Outline the Objectives

Now that you’ve defined the technical and business needs and your own level of digital maturity, it’s time to set the goals. Going through the first two stages of the process of selecting the best headless commerce platform will assist you in setting realistic growth targets.

It’s critical to revisit corporate goals and technological capabilities, as well as to outline forthcoming adjustments. The next stage, searching and investigating, will be easier if you have your precise needs categorized and listed. There is a large number of headless commerce solutions available now. As a result, it’s necessary to keep track of them all.

Do Your Own Research

Following the discussion and outlining sections, you’ll go on to the following stage. As a result, it will bring you closer to determining the ideal headless commerce platform. You may have already made your choices. Make a list of them, try to match them to your needs, and then talk to the other people engaged in the process about it.

During your quest for the best headless commerce platform, stay in line at all times. It is never a decision made by a single person. Keep in mind that the software you select will be in charge of generating income and structuring your workflow for the next (likely) few years.

Headless Commerce Vs Traditional Commerce: Wrapping up

You’ve probably determined which one to go with after reading the fundamental differences between Headless Commerce vs Traditional Commerce. There is no clear-cut solution to e-commerce supremacy because both offer advantages and disadvantages. However, by examining the factors listed above as well as your particular business needs, you should be able to make an informed conclusion.

If you are still confused to make the final choice, you can contact us at any time for support. BSS Commerce Shopify is a leading agency providing high-quality Shopify software development services. With years of experience and a team of certified experts, we are confident to offer you top-notch services at competitive prices.