Nowadays, distributors have started using “headless” ecommerce and content management systems (CMS). Headless means that the front end of a website (what customers see) is decoupled from the back-end systems (where the data is stored). With this setup, it’s easier to provide a seamless shopping experience across different platforms like websites, mobile apps, and in-store kiosks. Let’s explore more about headless ecommerce for distributors as well as headless CMS.
What is Headless Commerce?
Headless commerce refers to an ecommerce configuration in which the front-end user interface (for instance, website or mobile app) is separated from the back-end ecommerce functionality and systems.
In traditional ecommerce platforms, the front-end presentation layer and back-end systems like the shopping cart, checkout, product catalog, etc., are tightly coupled and managed together.
With headless commerce the front end is entirely decoupled and instead connects to the e-commerce back end through APIs (Application Programming Interfaces). This makes it possible for the front end to be constructed and updated independently using any contemporary framework or technology.
The back-end ecommerce engine only serves the product data, pricing, inventory, etc., through APIs, which can be connected by any front end and display the content seamlessly to the customers across different touch points such as websites, mobile apps, smartwatches, etc.
Understanding Headless CMS
A headless CMS is a back-end-only content management system that makes content accessible through an API for display on any device or platform. In traditional CMS like WordPress, content entry and delivery of that content (website, mobile app, etc.) are tightly connected and managed together.
But in headless CMS, what it does is provide a user-friendly interface for creating, editing, and storing content without having a built in presentation layer for the front end. However, instead, it exposes raw content structures and data via APIs, which can be consumed by separate front-end applications or services such as websites, mobile apps, smartwatches, etc . This means you can pull in CMS content dynamically into any digital experience.
Headless CMS’s decoupled nature allows for more flexibility in using desired front-end technologies and delivering future-proof omni channel content experiences across multiple emerging digital touch points.
How Distributors Advantage with Headless Commerce?
- Omni Channel Experiences: Through headless commerce, distributors may deliver outstanding and unique shopping experiences on various touch points such as websites, mobile apps, AR/VR, social media platforms, etc. The headless architecture makes it possible to present uniform product information alongside features through APIs on any new digital channel without having to change the backend systems, for instance, transforming Instagram into a mobile storefront.
- Rich Personalisation: Integrated with centralised customer data, headless commerce makes it easy for e-commerce websites to display highly individualised content depending on location, purchase history, and marketing campaigns, among others, by pulling relevant details from the headless back end.
- Flexibility: The separation between front-end and back-end allows for the use of any modern front-end technology/language. At the same time, backend teams can work independently, thus addressing different business needs – this leads to a more modular development process.
- Agility and Speed to Market: By keeping the front-end and back-end separate, development times for new features and updates can be faster, and developers can focus on both areas independently. This also means that data can be used in multiple channels. However, the important thing is that the data can be future-proofed otherwise. Similarly, only new front-end interfaces will be necessary for each interface, hence enabling the management of multiple websites using a single back-end. This is particularly good for multi-brand businesses.
- Best-of-Breed Integrations: Headless comes with an extensible data model and strong APIs that allow easy integration of different third-party technologies such as chatbots, voice assistants, AI, etc., thereby enhancing personalised experiences through superior technology.
Benefits of Headless CMS: Why Should Distributors Use Headless CMS?
These notable benefits make it essential for any distributor to consider implementing a headless CMS:
Faster and More Flexible Development: A developer can use any programming language and create the front-end presentation layer from scratch with a headless CMS, which allows them not to be limited by proprietary systems; hence, projects can be completed quicker and integrated easily with existing ones using webhooks and APIs.
Future-Proof Architecture: A content repository is separated from its delivery method, thus making it possible for applications to be rebranded channels in the future without needing any technical changes within the CMS.
Omni-channel Capabilities: This means that through any platform, a distributor can give all customers great experiences because headless CMS supports omnichannel architecture, enabling them to manage different touchpoints like websites or mobile apps uniformly.
Cost Effective Solution: Headless CMSs need less involvement from IT departments which means more functionalities can be created directly by CMS. this lowers initial investment costs while making it possible to start small and grow big gradually.
Scalability And Performance Improvement: Decoupling the back-end of the CMS from its front-end ensures that issues related to performance on backend systems or maintenance will not affect uptime or speed for websites hosted using headless content management systems, hence providing unrestricted hosting options while improving deployment flexibility.
How can distributors implement headless commerce effectively?
It’s a big decision to switch to a headless commerce architecture that needs a lot of planning and careful execution. Here is a more detailed look at how distributors can do this effectively:
1. Planning and Roadmap
- Define Your Goal: Business objectives must be clearly defined – whether it’s improving the performance of the website, extending it to new channels such as mobile apps or enhancing overall customer experience. Having precise goals will direct technology selections and implementation strategies.
- Review Your Current Systems: Evaluate your current technology, such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), OMS (Order Management System), and PIM (Product Information Management). Understand how these systems integrate and what modifications may need to be made.
- Plan in Phases: Prioritise features and integrations according to business needs; do it step by step rather than all at once. This will enhance manageability, minimize risks, and facilitate continuous learning and adaptation.
2. Choosing the Right Technology Stack
- Headless Commerce Platform: Select a platform that meets your requirements and can expand as your business grows. Think about aspects such as scalability, available APIs (Application Programming Interfaces), ease of integration, and vendor support.
- Headless CMS: Go for a flexible and powerful CMS that has good API support and enables you to manage content across various channels. Ensure that it is user-friendly and integrates well with your other systems.
- Front-End Framework: Choose a front-end framework (like Next.js, React.js, Vue.js, or Angular) based on your developers’ familiarity and the type of user experience you aim to achieve.
- Integrations: Determine the integrations required; use pre-built solutions if available or create custom APIs for linking up your systems.
3. Development and Integration
- Build a Flexible System: Design a system in such a way that it should be easy to adapt according to future demands or requirements. A modular approach should be used for updates and expansions that should not cause any disturbances.
- Ensure Smooth Data Flow: Set up strong data synchronisation between your headless commerce platform, CMS, and other systems. For data consistency and accuracy, use APIs and web hooks to automate data exchanges.
- Prioritise Security: To keep client information safe and follow rules such as PCI DSS for secure transactions, among others, set up strong safety measures.
4. Focus on Customer Experience
- Create Engaging Storefronts: Utilize the adaptability of headless commerce to design exceptional and interesting shopping spaces that are adapted for various channels and user behaviour.
- Personalise Interactions: Recommend products, promotions, and content based on customer information to raise involvement and enhance sales.
- Simplify Checkout Process: Quickly complete the payment process and make it uncomplicated for customers. To ensure a seamless customer experience, offer multiple payment methods and integrate shipping services efficiently.
5. Continuous Improvement
- Track and analyse: Keep an eye on the conversion rates, average order value, and customer lifetime value as they are some of the most important KPIs. These will help you figure out where you need to make changes.
- Adopt Agile Practices: Constant growth requires regular use of agile strategies. This let’s test often and make quick changes according to market changes.
What's the Best Headless Platform for Your Business?
Future Trends in Headless Commerce and CMS
01
AI and Machine Learning Integration
AI and machine learning will become a common part of future headless commerce platforms and CMSs. They will be used for predictive analytics, automation, and personalized customer experiences. This will allow businesses to provide highly relevant content and make product recommendations in real-time.
02
Voice Commerce and IoT Integration
There will be more integration of voice commerce and IoT as smart devices continue to increase in number. Interactions between headless architectures and voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant can happen seamlessly along with other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, thereby creating new opportunities for customer engagement.
03
PWAs (Progressive Web Apps)
Progressive Web Apps are going to be more popular since they offer both mobile app and web experiences. PWAs enable headless platforms to deliver fast, reliable, and engaging user experiences even under poor network conditions, which bridges the gap between web-based native apps.
04
Omnichannel Content Delivery
The need for consistent experiences across all touchpoints is going to push for omnichannel content delivery. Headless CMSs will be great at delivering content to different channels such as social media, mobile applications, digital signages, etc., including the ones that will emerge, like AR & VR, among others, but not limited by them.
05
Adoption of GraphQL
GraphQL will be the go-to standard for querying APIs as it offers more efficient data retrieval compared to RESTful ones, which are traditional, thereby making it easy for developers to interactively blend data between front-end systems and back-ends for higher performance and dynamism during development.
Headless Commerce Platforms: Pros and Cons
Headless commerce platforms can offer B2B distributors more flexibility, customization, and scalability. However, it may be quite hard to select a suitable platform, given the complications of B2B distribution. To decide wisely on the following platforms along with their advantages and disadvantages.
1. DCKAP Commerce
- Overview: DCKAP Commerce has been built on a powerful headless platform. It takes an API-first approach, which gives maximum flexibility. Distributors can integrate easily with any channel; therefore, they have full control over the customer experience. This platform ensures personalized shopping journeys are delivered alongside operational efficiencies for distributors.
- Key Features:
- Personalised Catalogs: DCKAP Commerce allows the creation and management of individualized catalogs for different customer groups, with the potential to improve customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
- Sales Representative: Facilitates sales representatives to place orders on behalf of their customers, which is efficient and reduces the time spent on sales.
- Real-Time Inventory Sync: Automatically updates the unavailable levels on the platform and maintains synchronisation with other sales channels, allowing for better inventory management and reducing stockouts.
- Multi-Warehouse Support: Manages inventory across multiple warehouses and enhances business operational efficiency, as well as reducing shipping times.
- Highly Adaptable: The application is fully customisable to suit the needs of distributors and wholesalers, making it a good fit for this market segment
- Disadvantages:
- Fresh to the Market, Although it is newer compared to other platforms, it continues to raise the point of how stable and supported this platform is going to be in the long run.
2. BigCommerce
- Overview: BigCommerce’ is a renowned e-commerce platform that provides strong headless commerce capabilities. Separating the commerce engine from the customer-facing front end it allows you to manage many stores on different channels from one place. This has made it quite popular among B2B and B2C merchants alike.
- Key Features:
- Wide Range Of Integrations: With platforms like WordPress, eBay, Google, Stripe, Adobe Experience Manager, Drupal Mail chimp, and Amazon, among others, BigCommerce allows for multiple integrations, thereby enabling seamless customer experiences through APIs.
- Unlimited API Calls: Unlike some competitors, BigCommerce doesn’t limit the number of API requests that can be made; thus, systems can be integrated, and data can flow between them continuously.
- Customisation Options with Various Apps: You can customize your store using Klevu Search for better search results, ShipStation for shipping and fulfilment, CoinPayments for crypto payments, and Gorgias for support helpdesk/live chat.
- Disadvantages:
- Technical Knowledge Needed: Setting up and managing integrations across different platforms can be complicated hence demanding some level of expertise in IT.
- Maintenance: Integrations should be regularly maintained and monitored so as to function seamlessly; this can be quite demanding in terms of resources.
3. Magento (Adobe Commerce)
- Overview: Renowned for its flexibility and comprehensive set of features, Magento Commerce (now Adobe Commerce) is a popular choice for businesses requiring extensive customization capabilities.
- Key Features:
- Advanced Catalog Management: Robust tools for efficiently managing complex product catalogs.
- Customer Segmentation: Enables the creation of personalized shopping experiences for different customer segments.
- B2B Module: Offers basic business-to-business (B2B) functionalities such as quote management and corporate accounts.
- Extensive Integrations: Requires integration with various third-party systems to provide a complete B2B solution.
- Disadvantages:
- Can be complex to manage, requires significant resources for customization and maintenance.
4. Shopify Plus
- Overview: Shopify is a well-known name in eCommerce, recognized for its stability and extensive app store. Originally a standard eCommerce platform, Shopify has evolved into a powerful headless commerce solution with the introduction of its GraphQL API and Shopify Plus. This transformation has made Shopify a relevant and trusted choice for modern eCommerce.
- Key Features:
- Multi-Channel Publishing: With Shopify Plus, you can publish content across various channels and devices, maintaining complete creative control.
- Integration Capabilities: Integrate seamlessly with different systems like CRM (Customer Relationship Management), PIM (Product Information Management), CMS (Content Management System), and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning). You can also access a vast array of apps for services like Google Sheets, Slack, Mailchimp, and Apple Business Chat, which also integrate with third-party marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon.
- User-Friendly Interface: The dashboard is intuitive and easy to use, both for administrators and customers.
- Highly Customizable: Shopify Plus allows for extensive customization of themes, products, checkouts, discounts, and payments.
- Disadvantages:
- Reliance on Third-Party Apps: Extensive functionality often requires the use of multiple third-party apps, which can lead to higher costs and complexity in managing integrations.
- Integration Challenges: While Shopify Plus supports numerous integrations, setting them up and ensuring seamless operation can be complex and may require technical expertise.
5. Commercetools
- Overview: Commercetools is an omnichannel commerce platform that includes cloud-based point-of-sale capabilities. It has become popular with both B2B and B2C businesses because of its flexible and scalable API-driven architecture.
- Key Features:
- Multi-Touchpoint Support: It provides an eCommerce experience across different touchpoints, i.e., mobile apps, websites, VR applications, and voice assistants, among others.
- Comprehensive Features: It offers comprehensive inventory management features, which include tracking, adjustments, multi-store management, and returns, thus suitable for all sizes of stores.
- Seamless Integrations: Integrates seamlessly with payment management solutions like Cybersource, content management systems like Contentstack, and front-end development tools like Frontstatic.
- Flexible Customization: Provide a wide range of customization using APIs, making it possible to design custom fields for on-sale coupons, categories, customer groups, delivery methods, and shopping lists.
- Disadvantages:
- Learning Curve: The first time setup and configuration of a headless commerce solution can be challenging for users who are not familiar with the system, which may lead to a steep learning curve.
6. OroCommerce
- Overview: OroCommerce is a headless commerce platform specifically designed for wholesalers and B2B companies. It was created by the same team that developed Magento, which means that it offers both quality and innovation in one package. This makes OroCommerce suitable for different types of e-commerce, including B2C, B2B2C, and B2B2B, as it delivers robustness across the board.
- Key Features:
- Industry-Specific Features: OroCommerce is built for B2B but can also handle B2C or hybrid platforms. It’s the perfect choice for distributors with different requirements due to the ability to switch roles when necessary.
- Multi-Channel Management: Distributors can manage numerous websites, warehouses as well as product catalogs. This platform also enables dynamic pricing adjustments across various channels.
- Built-In CRM: Includes features for managing sales pipelines, customer segmentation, marketing, and sales projections. If you already have a CRM, OroCommerce integrates with various CRM apps and ERP solutions.
- Disadvantages:
- Limited Availability: Support is provided through tickets from Monday to Friday only — not ideal for businesses that require 24/7 assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the key challenges are integrating multiple systems, managing content across channels, and up skilling development teams.
There is no straight answer. Consider variables such as the size of your company, your level of technical know-how, and your need for flexibility and business customisation.
Traditional CMSs have a coupled architecture where the back-end and front-end are tightly integrated. In contrast, headless CMSs have a decoupled architecture that allows content to be delivered to various channels.
“Headless” means separating the front end (presentation layer) from the back end (commerce functionality).
A headless CMS follows an API-first approach, serving content as data via APIs rather than pre-rendered pages.
No. Depending on their specific needs and resources, companies of any size can take advantage of headless commerce.
The key benefits of adopting headless include flexibility, scalability, omni channel experiences, future-proofing, and many more.
The shortcomings may include higher complexity, the integration challenges, and the greater requirement for technical expertise.
Yes, since its decoupled architecture allows easy adaptability when there are changes in technology over time.
When making your decision, assess the value of functions, expandability, collaborating with other systems, vendor backing, and whether they meet your business objectives.
While it’s not required, collaborating with proficient programmers or having some knowledge of programming is beneficial. This makes tasks faster and more effective.
Your first step is to analyse your business needs, consider the pros and cons, and think of developing a pilot project or conducting a proof-of-concept test.