The Covid-19 pandemic has forced individuals, entrepreneurs, and companies to look closely at their business operations. People who run e-commerce understand the significance of their stores’ stability, safety, and performance.

Many brands and companies have recorded an increase in online sales due to the closure of the traditional brick-&-mortar stores. However, increasing online traffic has caused businesses to understand that the current monolithic structure/architecture is insufficient to expand and scale their business operations.

Headless e-commerce platforms and solutions can improve your online store’s management and provide your existing and prospective customers with excellent shopping experiences. Today’s article will discuss headless e-commerce, its structure and architecture, and its benefits. Read on!

What is Headless E-Commerce?

Headless is a cutting-edge technology that separates the backend from the frontend. Backend refers to the entire technical background for the application’s operations. A frontend is everything people see on your e-commerce store .

Headless e-commerce enables better service optimization, adjusts the store based on the users’ expectations, and allows businesses to experiment on the front end without tampering with the backend.

A conventional online store model has three elements: a database, backend, and frontend. A database allows storing product information, including descriptions, names, photos, videos, content, etc.

The Backend layer processes information from the store’s database and collaborates with the content management system (CMS) to manage the store. The Frontend layer is the visible part of the store and the primary point of contact for the end-users, such as the shop’s customers.

Unlike the traditional online store model, the headless model separates the head (frontend) and makes it work independently of the database and backend. In simple words, the frontend communicates via APIs.

Many businesses and brands used websites to promote their digital presence until recently. However, having a user-friendly and responsive website is not enough to optimize their operations.

Companies need to provide consistently reliable user experiences across all digital channels by focusing on innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), live chat support, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.

Many touchpoints force businesses to take a broader view of technology services offered and developers to look for innovative solutions based on headless e- commerce technologies.

Headless Structure & Architecture

Headless e-commerce offers an easy-to-use structure and architecture, separating the frontend and backend components. The decoupling of frontend and backend solutions transforms the monolithic structure into two different layers connected through APIs. Three headless architecture types and solutions are:

1. API-drivenCMS

A headless content management system (CMS), commonly known as API-driven CMS, is a backend framework to manage your CMS needs. It offers data structure services to manage your data accurately and reliably. You can integrate an API- driven CMS with the current system by making API calls to the CMS.

An API-driven CMS is an ideal solution for individuals and businesses planning to create a content-rich website. It is a perfect option if you want to leverage the power of soft-sell marketing strategies. Likewise, you can choose this option if you have a functional CMS-based website and want to add e-commerce components.

The core features of API-driven CMS or headless CMS are built-in SEO tools, digital asset management, content templates customized to your needs, and publishing content on multiple channels.

We provide an innovative headless e-commerce platform with all-inclusive solutions to streamline your e-commerce operations, increase sales, and improve your business’s bottom line.

2. API-DrivenEcommercePlatform

E-commerce APIs are an excellent way to transfer data from one software application to another and use the information in a single or centralized UI. You can integrate APIs with numerous solutions and take advantage of your existing system’s functionality without building a website or features from scratch.

An API-driven e-commerce platform is a form of headless architecture and an ideal option for individuals and businesses looking to bring more flexibility to UI design. You can leverage the pre-built e-commerce functionality using this headless architecture. Thus, it prevents you from spending money on backend development.

Standard e-commerce features offered by API-driven headless e-commerce platforms are online product cataloging, pricing management, content management and optimization, payment capabilities, order management, and sales analysis.

3. Microservices

Microservices refers to a headless and decoupled e-commerce architecture, allowing businesses to choose and swap technology providers based on their specific needs. For instance, you can select a microservice for one particular business function without changing the entire system.

Searching for products, reviewing shopping carts, and adding promotional codes or coupons are touchpoints that streamline a customer’s online sales journey. Microservices separate these touchpoints and treat them independently.

The purpose is to decouple each functionality tool and connect them via APIs. So, this headless architecture allows businesses to become agile, make quick changes, and add new features to the system with minimal disruptions.

For instance, you can test and introduce UI and UX updates for a single touchpoint using the microservice architecture without disrupting the others. You can also develop new functions in parallel.

Therefore, a headless e-commerce microservices architecture allows you to evolve your website with new functionality and updates based on your needs. At the same time, your existing website remains stable and operational.

Benefits of Headless E-Commerce

Headless e-commerce platform combines simplicity, reliability, and convenience of using the latest and innovative technologies. For instance, a progressive web app combines the best of browser and application use, improving your online store’s operations and the shopping experience of end-users. Let us discuss a few practical benefits of headless e-commerce.

Improved Performance and Security

Our headless e-commerce platform can improve the performance and security of your business. A headless platform ensures fewer updates and queries to the database without involving the backend.

So, it enhances the overall operation of your e-commerce store and increases conversions. Using a headless e-commerce platform reduces the number of potential vulnerabilities and threats in the service through which hackers and cybercriminals can hack into the system.

Multiple views with one backend

Another benefit of using a headless architecture is to leverage multiple views with a single backend and streamline your business operations. For instance, you can adjust the store’s view to various devices.

Using an API that connects the frontend to the backend, you can create a separate appearance for your e-commerce store, software, smartphone application, and point-of-sale (POS) system.

Design Flexibility

A headless e-commerce platform equips frontend developers with essential resources and innovative frameworks to create unique, responsive, visually appealing user interfaces with different page layouts, business widgets, and custom catalog implementation. For example, business widgets may include:

• A Product builder
• A booking form
• A cost calculatorUnlike a monolithic e-commerce platform, a headless design and implementation increase flexibility and reliability. At the same time, the implementation cost of a headless e-commerce design is lower than the heavy customization of a monolithic platform. Agile Marketing one thing that distinguishes a headless e-commerce platform from traditional systems is that it can support new and emerging technologies, allowing businesses to provide their customers with optimal and personalized experiences.In addition, this benefits your marketing team, enabling them to roll out multiple websites across different businesses, brands, portfolios, and divisions. A headless e-commerce platform offers flexibility, equipping developers and marketing teams to collaborate and set up a new website within a few days instead of months.Headless E-Commerce in a NutshellYou can update the system in headless e-commerce, such as adapting it to your new smartphone requirements without destabilizing the entire platform. So, this makes your store more reliable, faster, securer, and better suits your customers.

The good news is that you can make such updates more frequently without involving the entire team in deploying and implementing changes. When you update the frontend layer, it won’t affect the backend or order processing.

Besides, you can experiment with your store’s user interface and make it more appealing without slowing it down. Because an efficient, stable, and fast e- commerce store is a must, headless e-commerce can help you achieve your goals.

For instance, you can leverage the power of headless e-commerce during sales peaks, such as Cyber Monday, Black Friday, and promotional campaigns. It can handle a massive number of orders without affecting the backend system. Thus, you can prevent overloading the backend and optimize your business operations.

Final Words

Conventional e-commerce platforms follow a monolithic approach and focus on front and backend integration. It requires a middle layer to handle and manage communication between the backend and frontend.

However, the closed link between these layers prevents individuals and businesses from adopting/customizing the platform to various customers’ needs. Bear in mind that headless requires a team of experienced and skilled professionals to implement the solution.

The cost of headless implementation soars every passing day, making it challenging for small and medium-sized businesses to achieve their goals.

However, you can use our all-inclusive headless e-commerce platform to get the job done efficiently, reliably, and quickly. Contact FlexiApps today for more information!