What is Headless eCommerce Technology?

The world of eCommerce has picked up a great pace in just a few years after the first eCommerce business was launched. Smartphone technology has contributed greatly to the growth of eCommerce with millions of people now shopping online using mobile devices. As a result, new trends in eCommerce have emerged as businesses strive to meet ever-changing consumer needs and expectations.

Headless eCommerce technology is one of the systems that businesses are adopting to meet these needs. Headless eCommerce simply means managing content on an eCommerce platform without requiring front end delivery. The front end which usually covers aspects like texts, styles, graphs, tables, etc. that buyers interact with is separated from the back end which focuses on aspects such as pricing, security, checkout, and so on.

If you are looking to provide a seamless user experience to your customers, adopting headless eCommerce technology will be a great move. In this post, we discuss in detail what headless eCommerce technology is and the benefits it can bring to your business.

What is headless eCommerce?

In headless eCommerce, the front end of a platform is separated from the back end. Instead of the two layers working together, they function independently but are connected using an application programming interface (API). This allows you to make changes on the head without having to alter the back end code.

Because of the separation of the back end and front end layers, storage, management and delivery of content can be done using various platforms. This means developers can come up with content using any framework they prefer. You can try Virto Commerce and see what headless eCommerce can do for your business.

Headless eCommerce compared to traditional eCommerce

While the back-end layers and front-end layers are usually separated in headless eCommerce technology, the two layers are strongly tied together in traditional eCommerce. Because these two layers are linked together, making changes on one end can affect the entire system. This means that you have little freedom of customization compared to when you are using headless eCommerce technology.

This is why many online businesses are switching to headless eCommerce architecture to avoid the limitations of traditional eCommerce systems. Here are some of the ways in which headless eCommerce technology can benefit your business.

1. Changes can be implemented quickly

In traditional eCommerce architecture, developers are required to work with both the back end and front end layers. Therefore, a very simple task such as creating a promotion and displaying it on your website can take time. This is because developers must exercise caution to avoid altering the back end code as well.

On the other hand, making changes on any layer in headless eCommerce architecture is simple because the layers have been decoupled. Developers can make changes to the front end without affecting the back end code and it can be done more quickly.

2. Adoption of new technologies

There is one thing that is permanent in this world and that is change. As new technologies are introduced, businesses must be able to test the effectiveness of these technologies on their platforms. When using headless eCommerce, developers are free to come up with ideas and test them without seriously jeopardizing the entire system as would be the case with traditional eCommerce architecture. You can easily make changes to your front end user experience without affecting the back end.

To sum up

Headless eCommerce architecture gives you the freedom to make changes quickly and take risks without risking the rest of the system.