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Fast-changing technology has flattened the marketplace. It has empowered us to sell goods and services from anywhere to anyone. But the fast-changing market has also brought with it several challenges. 

So, how can you keep pace with changing customer needs and technological advancements? 

Through a Headless eCommerce platform! 

At a time when anyone can create an ecommerce portal, a Headless eCommerce ecosystem can help you stand out from the rest and gain a competitive advantage. 

How? Let’s find out! 

What is Headless eCommerce? 

Every ecommerce platform has two main parts: 

• The front end, which includes your storefront and user interface and
• The back end includes your data, catalog, and business information. 

A Headless platform allows you to separate the front end and the back end. 

Such a separation gives you exclusivity and differentiated control over your ecommerce platform. It allows you to make changes to either one without affecting the other. It also frees you up to independently focus on improving the user experience and business infrastructure. 

For instance, a headless platform makes it much easier to introduce the latest functionalities like: 

• Hyper-personalized experiences, 
• Image-search for products,
• Voice-assisted purchases, and 
• AI-assisted chatbots. 

Traditional and Headless eCommerce: How Do They Differ? 

In a traditional ecommerce platform, the back-end is connected to the front-end. In certain cases, such an architecture may be beneficial. For instance, it allows new ecommerce platforms to quickly launch their businesses. 

However, as your platform grows, a traditional ecommerce architecture may become an obstruction. This is because of the conjoined nature of data in traditional ecommerce architecture. This means the back-end data can only be used for a specific type of front-end. 

For example, imagine you have a webstore and now want to create a mobile app. If you have a traditional ecommerce architecture, you will have to code your entire database from scratch for your mobile app. 

Here, Headless eCommerce offers a much simpler, more flexible alternative. For instance, you can use the same databases to power different kinds of front-ends. 

Thus, Headless eCommerce allows you to launch new products, offers, and shopping experiences much faster. 

Further, let’s say you want to integrate new software that collects key customer data and provides useful insights. If you have a traditional architecture, integration will be difficult and take longer. This is because you’ll have to ensure that back-end development doesn’t affect the front-end.

On the other hand, a Headless architecture lets you quickly integrate new software without tweaking the front-end infrastructure. Thus, Headless eCommerce is more flexible than traditional CMS. 

What are the Advantages of a Headless CMS for eCommerce? 

Compared to traditional ecommerce infrastructure, Headless CMS offers several advantages. 

• Accelerated Business Development – The separation of front-end and back-end architecture is very important. It allows you to seamlessly integrate newer features into your ecommerce platform. Think of all the cutting-edge features: image search, hyper-personalized shopping, or AI-assisted chatbots. 

A Headless architecture lets you quickly develop and deploy such features. This is a crucial advantage at a time when more customers are demanding personalization. 

• Operational Efficiency – Headless ecommerce architecture also promotes development efficiency in your enterprise. This is because your IT team can focus on making agile adaptations to the front end without compromising the back end and vice versa.  For instance, say your customers prefer a different theme in your platform’s user interface. Your IT team can quickly make these changes without affecting the back-end services. 

• Enhanced Consumer Experiences – eCommerce platforms that offer personalized experiences are likely to retain more customers. Here, headless ecommerce helps you turn efficiency and integration into increased customer retention. Thus, Headless CMS development services can help you build a robust and adaptable ecommerce platform. 

The Impact of Headless eCommerce on Customer Experience

Today, more and more customers want novel shopping experiences. Headless eCommerce architecture is more important than ever in such a market scenario. 

• Offer New Experiences – If you have ever shopped on Amazon, you have experienced the power of personalization in ecommerce. Amazon offers suggestions based on your:

• Browsing history, 
• Recent purchases and 
• Related products that other customers have purchased. 

It also has an AI-powered chatbot that solves queries without human intervention. It even allows you to search for products through images. 

A headless CMS can help you incorporate these next-generation technologies into your platform! Thus, it helps you revolutionize the customer experience.

• Faster Loading Websites – The importance of site speed is hard to understate. Google recommends loading speeds under three seconds. Plus, most customers expect websites to load within three seconds.  So, when it comes to online shopping, time is money; every second counts. 

Headless CMS helps you develop faster-loading websites for a smooth customer experience. Thus, a Headless eCommerce platform also allows you to increase the speed and visibility of your e-commerce website. 

• Omni-Channel Experiences – The advent of the smartphone has massively changed online shopping. People can now purchase your products from wherever they are, whenever they want. Additionally, you can now reach them on more than one platform.  

However, expanding reach also requires more financial resources, right? 

Not if you have a Headless CMS platform powering your ecommerce enterprise! Headless architecture allows you to use the same back-end for multiple platforms.

It also lets you integrate several features with a single platform:

• Multiple web storefronts,
• Progressive web applications and 
• Native mobile apps. 

Thus, Headless CMS can help you deliver an omni-channel experience to your customers. 

How to Implement a Headless eCommerce Platform? 

You can use three different models to implement a Headless eCommerce platform. These include: 

• Off-the-Shelf Headless Platform – You can purchase an off-the-shelf headless ecommerce platform. Such platforms support the microservices infrastructure that all ecommerce enterprises need.  They include:

1. Preset APIs, 
2. Support for popular front-end frameworks and 
3. Basic ecommerce functionality. 

Such a service can help you save time and resources while allowing you to quickly launch your platform.

• Build an Original Headless Platform – The second alternative is to develop your own headless platform. This approach allows you to create tailored solutions to suit your business objectives. This approach requires considerable time, expertise and financial commitment. 

However, in the long run, it gives you flexibility, scalability and freedom. 

• The Hybrid Approach – A hybrid approach gives you a double advantage. First, you can outsource basic functionality to a reliable service provider. Second, your team can retain control over the overall ecommerce ecosystem. It also lets you focus on the specific experiences you want to include in your platform.

So, which approach is right for you? The answer depends on your operational requirements and priorities. Here are some factors you should consider to determine which strategy is right for you: 

• The time you have to build a headless platform,
• The financial, technical and human resources you can deploy,
• The immediate requirements of your organization,
• Your organization’s growth story
• The development schedule you envision: whether agile or phased. 

Which Headless Platforms are the Most Popular for eCommerce Development? 

There are several headless development platforms that you can use to create an ecommerce platform. These include: 

• Contentful, the Cloud-based Headless Platform – Contentful is designed to deliver scalability, flexibility and ease of use. It allows you to create and manage content not tied to specific presentation layers. It also has an expansive set of dashboard features, making launching your platform easy.

• Strapi, the Customizable Headless Developer – Strapi is a great platform for quick development of your headless ecommerce platform. It harnesses the power of APIs and provides seamless integration with several back-end languages. Additionally, it also allows you to localize customer experiences.

• Sanity, the Corporate Favorite – Sanity also provides customizable headless development through cloud infrastructure. Through its enhanced API capabilities, it supports smooth development for large-scale projects. It also facilitates real-time collaboration. This makes it very attractive for developers, content creators and marketers.

• Prismic, the Tech-Oriented Headless Tool – Prismic is a hugely popular headless platform used by Netflix and Google. It comes with a centralized but simple administration panel with several important features. It also offers an API-first approach. This allows developers to customize their platforms and integrate cutting-edge features.

Create Your Own Headless E-Commerce Platform

We have seen the difference that a headless platform can make to ecommerce. It can help you grow your platform into a smooth online marketplace for your customers. 

However, the process of developing a headless platform is very important in its deployment. You must ensure that you take the right approach that serves your priorities and objectives. 

The good news? Headless developers at Green Apex can help you create your dream ecommerce platform! They will empower you to develop a marketplace that seamlessly offers your products along with the features that the customers want. 

Begin your journey into headless development, and expand your online platform into an ecommerce giant! 

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