This article shall introduce you to the concept of an enterprise headless commerce platform and its key features. Find out how API calls act as a bridge between the decoupled frontend and backend framework in headless commerce. Furthermore, headless commerce differs from traditional commerce in three aspects: frontend development, personalization, and flexibility. Explore how these factors and the decoupled architecture of headless commerce manifest as the core elements of its benefits.
Table of contents
- What is headless commerce?
- How does headless commerce work?
- Headless commerce vs. traditional commerce
- Top 10 reasons why big brands should use enterprise headless commerce
- Conclusion
What is headless commerce?
We shall simplify the headless commerce approach right from the beginning. Enterprise headless commerce platforms offer a separate frontend and backend framework for websites and apps, helping businesses quickly adapt and stay current. The headless eCommerce platform separates the central controlling system from the frontend of the website, gaining popularity in the B2B sector.
The frontend and backend of an enterprise headless commerce platform communicate through API calls. However, there are no strict dependencies between the two layers. Thus, it offers greater flexibility to change the front end and deliver a seamless customer experience.
Find out how headless commerce is the key to success in 2022
The front-end display contents on a non-headless eCommerce platform while the backend’s server applications process the requested database. However, headless commerce enables the storing, managing, and delivering of content without a frontend delivery layer.
Thus, developers can use frontend technology to deliver high-quality content requirements for any screen and device. They can plug in an eCommerce solution on the backend for managing all commerce functionalities. However, front-end developers can work on how to present the content with their choice of framework.
Also read: How to find the perfect enterprise solution for your eCommerce business?
If you are planning on starting your enterprise marketplace but are unsure of where to begin, we bring you the enterprise marketplace guide. The guide covers all points you should know before launching an enterprise marketplace, including benefits, key challenges, strategic direction for a successful launch, must-have features, and more.
Key features of enterprise headless commerce platforms
- Content modeling and designing
- Freedom to choose the framework
- Workflow enhancement
- Seamless integration
- Multi-lingual functionality
- Management of digital assets
- Extendable and scalable solution
How does headless commerce work?
Headless commerce solutions use API calls or web services for passing requests between the frontend and backend layers. Thus, APIs act as a bridge between the frontend and backend frameworks, sending information between the two in real-time.
The content your customers view on the website or app can be managed from the backend platform, such as CMS. You can leverage multiple back-end systems with a headless eCommerce platform, depending on your business requirements. The backend systems include the following:
- Progressive web app (PWA)
- Content management system (CMS)
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Digital experience platform (DXP)
Moreover, these systems create touchpoints for your customers, such as a vending machine or mobile app. An API call sends the information to your backend when your customers have a touchpoint with your headless storefront.
An enterprise headless commerce platform has a decoupled architecture for pushing any content to any platform through APIs. Thus, the architecture focuses on background processes to make the data accessible for separating frontend applications with commerce APIs.
The backend, including infrastructure and security, runs in the background. A headless eCommerce platform disconnects the front end of a commerce website from the back end layer. Eventually, it allows businesses to use any device or application to deliver their product or service.
Headless commerce vs. traditional commerce
An enterprise headless commerce platform has a few differences from traditional commerce. A headless eCommerce platform makes customization easier and updates quicker. Integration across multiple platforms has become less complex. However, the technical aspects of purchasing a product or service remain the same.
A headless commerce platform differs from a traditional commerce platform in the following areas:
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Customizability, and
- Frontend development
Flexibility and adaptability
Traditional commerce often referred to as a monolithic model, is coupled with tight coding and infrastructure. Thus, developers have to make several edits in multiple layers of coding between the frontend and backend.
While an enterprise headless commerce platform is already decoupled. Thus, it allows for easier customization of user experience and quicker changes and updates. Rapid changes give eCommerce businesses a competitive advantage in the agility-demanding market.
Customizability
A traditional commerce platform includes a predefined frontend with a built-in experience for customers and administrative users. It takes considerable time and effort for developers to develop. You have to revamp the front end to create a personalized user experience.
However, developers can create personalized user experiences with an enterprise headless commerce platform from scratch. Furthermore, developers have control over how the customer-facing frontend looks and feels. It applies to both customer and administrative users.
Frontend development
Frontend developers have to traverse several constraints and challenges while editing the code, database, and frontend platform of traditional commerce. Eventually, this inconvenience limits a developer’s ability to edit and update the system quickly, hampering adapting to current trends.
However, developers can focus on delivering a personalized user experience with a headless eCommerce platform. Furthermore, there’s no concern for backend modifications since API calls take care of it. Development is flexible and quick with an enterprise headless commerce platform.
Holiday Season Sale – Now get flat 20% OFF on headless PWA solutions till the end of December, 2022. Click below to view our offer:
Top 10 reasons why big brands should use enterprise headless commerce
1) Omnichannel retail channel
Most customers use multiple channels to complete a transaction and prefer different commerce channels. Omnichannel retail strategies in a headless eCommerce platform extend across platforms and audiences. Thus, a headless commerce platform and an omnichannel experience make an ideal solution because businesses can deliver a personalized shopping experience to both online and offline buyers.
Online stores can turn any possible touchpoint into a sales opportunity while managing the commerce functionalities from the backend with a headless eCommerce platform. Furthermore, headless commerce presents opportunities to extend content distribution and add new sales channels. Moreover, businesses don’t have to worry about eCommerce platform compatibility with Magento headless commerce platform.
Also read: The hunt for enterprise solutions for your enterprise eCommerce business
2) Competitive advantage
It’s crucial to adapt to new technologies and trends to stay ahead of the competition. It’s challenging to do so without disrupting everyday business processes. Since changes and updates can be implemented as soon as the need arises, you can improve your online store’s performance and stay competitive.
With an enterprise headless commerce platform, you can experiment with different eCommerce expectations with ample freedom of using headless eCommerce platform. You can experiment with content, design, and other elements without disturbing the backend.
Furthermore, Magento headless commerce platform allows unparalleled testing functionalities, unlike traditional commerce platforms. Data security and reduced risk of data breaches are another added advantage of a headless eCommerce platform.
Explore turnkey enterprise eCommerce solutions
3) Enhanced customer experience
If given the opportunity, front-end developers can use the most advanced tools for front-end development to enable the personalization of customer experience. Furthermore, you can leverage interactive and intuitive designs to attract more customers and enhance their shopping experience.
Magento headless commerce platform offers all benefits of headless commerce. Front-end developers can use advanced tools and experiment with multiple front-end technologies and designs. You can implement anything by just making an API call.
4) Lower advertising and maintenance costs
Brands are spending more and more on paid advertising to garner their target audiences’ attention. As a result, the cost to attract and convert customers has significantly increased regardless of whether your business relies on organic or paid results.
Magento’s headless commerce platform allows businesses to integrate content marketing into their customers’ purchase journeys. Eventually, it becomes a more effective strategy to inform and educate customers about your products and services. Furthermore, you can turn prospects into loyal customers who return for repeat purchases, reducing your brand’s customer acquisition costs.
An enterprise headless commerce platform enables businesses to focus on marketing and user experience instead of the technical aspects. Thus, a constant need for IT professionals doesn’t arise. Furthermore, businesses spend less on development and maintenance since headless commerce comes with reduced build times, fewer upgrades, and enhanced storefronts.
5) Agile marketing
An enterprise business can thrive by constantly adapting to ever-changing customer expectations. Furthermore, they need to align their content and offering with changing trends. Since changes in content and new updates must be pushed across all devices and channels, businesses don’t have to worry about variations in the frontend display of content.
Furthermore, Magento headless commerce platform lets you focus on building your online store’s front end across different devices and touchpoints. A headless eCommerce platform reduces the go-to-market time as the content can be delivered anywhere through APIs. Moreover, it also reduces the go-to-market time when entering new regions, adopting new digital channels, and more.
Lastly, marketers can leverage data to experiment with marketing campaigns. They can highlight ongoing promotional offers based on the customer’s activity.
6) Personalization & flexibility
Since an enterprise headless commerce platform has its frontend and backend decoupled, it offers endless possibilities for customization. Any change to your online store is possible with just changes in the front-end changes. Furthermore, the Magento headless commerce architecture allows easy implementation of significant changes with just a few clicks.
Offering a personalized shopping experience has become a driving factor in attracting customers and increasing sales. Personalization of the shopping experience constitutes more than just product recommendations. Magento headless commerce platform allows you to customize the front end without changing the backend.
You can harness the benefits of the headless eCommerce platform and push your online business toward success. High-end personalization is now possible with a range of personalization features, including login-based pricing, personalized landing pages, unified notifications, etc.
7) Seamless integrations
Third-party integrations enable the effective management of your online stores. Large enterprise eCommerce businesses have more complex business requirements when compared to B2C businesses, whether it’s order management, inventory tracking, shipment, payment methods, and more.
When integrations become a must, Magento headless commerce platform enables you to do it easily and seamlessly. You can integrate with an ERP, multiple payment gateways, logistics, accounting software, etc., with solutions from CedCommerce. Furthermore, we ensure that your orders, inventory, products, payments, etc., are in sync for an enhanced user experience.
8) Increased conversions
An enterprise headless commerce platform enables you to create and deliver unique content, maintaining a seamless flow. Shoppers have become more detail- and research-oriented, shifting towards online shopping. Furthermore, brand stories and fine details of products fascinate them more than ever.
Most shoppers research products online before purchasing them, either online or from a physical store. Easy-to-access information and personalized, user-centered content can help customers make informed buying decisions. Furthermore, a headless eCommerce platform facilitates split testing, allowing businesses to determine the best approach.
Magento’s headless commerce platform enables businesses to create an omnichannel experience for content distribution. It helps engage customers across touchpoints. It eliminates the need for a store on one domain while the blog is on the other domain. Eventually, it unifies the digital experience, delivering a similar look and feel throughout the purchasing journey. Developers can add new frontend elements without any coding modifications to the backend.
Also read: 15 unfailing tips to maximize conversion with enterprise eCommerce solutions
9) Improved developer experience
You can deliver all your content requirements without retraining your development team on a new CMS with headless commerce platforms. Furthermore, you can make any changes to the front without relying too much on your development team. Thus, developers don’t have to go through the hassle of maintaining the backend to bring any changes to the frontend in response to changing customer behavior and market trends.
Developers have the freedom to use their favorite frameworks in an enterprise headless commerce platform. Furthermore, integrating CMS, DXP, or progressive web app (PWA) brings versatility, empowering online stores to scale their business.
10) Scalability
All the above benefits make a headless commerce platform a scalable solution for your business. Headless commerce prepares your business for the future since any required changes and updates can be made in real time without spending the majority of the time on planning and scheduling.
Furthermore, separating the front-end and back-end architecture improves your website performance. An enterprise headless commerce platform offers agility, responsiveness, and easier maintenance and upgrades.
Flexibility to quickly adapt, personalization, improved developer experience, lightning-fast web performance, reduced go-to-market time, and omnichannel retail possibilities are prominent aspects in improving all-around performance and delivering an enhanced shopping experience.
Also read: Innovating the future of enterprise eCommerce businesses with Magento
A headless commerce platform is ideal for your online store if you’re looking for instantaneous changes and optimization solutions for delivering a rich user experience.
Conclusion
Adobe Commerce (Magento) offers varying features, catering to both B2C and B2B sectors. Magento headless commerce platform delivers intuitive commerce functionalities with top-notch user experiences. Assisted purchasing options and AI-powered product recommendations and search, two of the most prominent features, accelerate and enhance product searches, increase conversion rates, boost average order value, and more. Furthermore, multiple payment integrations, inventory management, B2B purchase approvals, and other commerce functionalities improve the efficiency of your business operations.
Now that you understand a headless commerce platform, how it works, and why it’s ideal for your business, find out how CedCommerce can help you set up and run your online store. Click on the link below to learn more about our eCommerce solutions and discuss your business prospects.