Headless Ecommerce CMS: The Future of Digital Retail

There are many kinds of content management systems (CMS), from open source options that anyone can use to SaaS platforms that operate exclusively in the cloud. For ecommerce businesses, however, one type is quickly becoming the norm — headless architecture. 

At first glance, "headless" might evoke dramatic imagery reminiscent of the French Revolution. However, the concept is far less radical and significantly more innovative. For brands, it represents a new way to expand their ecommerce systems. A headless commerce CMS enables businesses to operate seamlessly across multiple channels, attracting customers without overwhelming internal teams and streamlining content delivery.  

The benefits of headless architecture are already evident. In the latest Censuswide report, 82% of respondents indicated that headless systems simplify the delivery of a consistent content experience, while 80% highlighted its ability to support efficient content reuse across channels.  

Headless is poised to become a cornerstone of modern web architecture with its growing adoption. Market projections back this trend: Grand View Research expects the global headless commerce market to reach $13.08 billion USD by 2028.  

The rapid embrace of headless CMS for ecommerce underscores its scalability, flexibility and content delivery advantages. For businesses striving to stay competitive in today's digital-first world, adopting headless architecture is quickly becoming not just an option but a necessity.

What is a headless commerce CMS?

Headless CMSs separate the back-end system (think of it as the body) from the customer-facing frontend (the head).

Ecommerce stores that use a headless content management system can update pages across multiple platforms instead of just one. It's a one-to-many approach with a single update being deployed to dozens of ecommerce sites simultaneously, saving the developer time and money for you. Instead of going platform by platform, they make site updates that keep pace with evolving business needs.

For example, if there's a pricing change or a product upgrade, you'll only need to change once instead of making individual edits for each touchpoint.

How does a headless ecommerce CMS work?

In a headless ecosystem, you have complete control of the platform architecture. The CMS uses APIs and microservices for content delivery across multiple channels, like mobile apps, third-party platforms or digital touchpoints.

There is a single interface, often in the form of a SaaS housed in the cloud, where content managers work. Updates are made there and then automatically deployed to other channels through plugins or restful APIs.

The headless content management system moves away from siloed monolithic platforms to create an agile approach that supports modern omnichannel experiences, including localization efforts.

The API-driven nature of a headless platform like BigCommerce simplifies the integration process for developers and allows them to use their preferred tools and frameworks.

The benefits of going headless

For ecommerce websites, a headless commerce CMS is an ideal solution for maintaining storefront uptime. Off-loading catalog management and order processing to a dedicated server keeps performance levels high and delivers an optimal user experience. An improved UX often translates to higher conversion rates and repeat customers.

Faster editing.

A traditional CMS spends resources editing and rendering content. Alternatively, a headless CMS doesn't do this, handing the responsibility to other, better-resourced parts of the tech stack.

Centralized content management.

When editing product information across multiple sites, a standard CMS requires content editors to edit each one by one. Being able to list or edit product offerings across an omnichannel portfolio of web pages and applications makes the headless CMS the best option for creating a central content hub for managing listings. Streamlining this process saves time and money. You can build one template in a content repository and then apply changes to multiple front ends.

Gives developers more flexibility.

Headless commerce is highly customizable for store owners and developers. It empowers brands to choose the ecommerce functionality that best suits their online store while also allowing them to work with the frontend of their choice, be it a CMS, a DXP, a PWA, basic HTML, JavaScript or a custom solution. This flexibility gives developers a sense of control over their work, allowing them to stick with the technologies and languages they are comfortable with while streamlining their processes and developing efficiencies.

BigCommerce has made it easier for developers to create custom headless CMS for ecommerce (and more accessible for merchants to discover and onboard them) with our Channels Toolkit. It allows merchants to find and manage headless storefronts from the BigCommerce control panel, reducing technical lists and saving developer resources.

Ecommerce headless content management systems can work with almost any platform. If a development team has a specific technology or programming language they're comfortable working with, headless allows them to keep what works with their workflow while streamlining their processes and developing efficiencies.

Scalability.

A headless CMS can serve as the content database for your ecommerce platform, creating a single source of truth from which content creators work. Adding new channels or changing developer tools is relatively simple and enables businesses to optimize and grow without massive investments.

With a headless content management system, your business becomes future-proof, allowing you to adjust the frontend to meet changing needs in multi-channel environments without disrupting the backend. Instead of requiring an entirely new site, companies can meet increased demand by adding functionality on top of what already exists. This assures your business is prepared for future challenges and can adapt quickly to changing market conditions.

Better security.

By separating the frontend and backend, a headless CMS for ecommerce significantly reduces potential security vulnerabilities. The burden is placed on the host for public-facing channels, while the headless CMS endpoint remains removed from common exploitations. This enhanced security gives you peace of mind, knowing your online operations are safer and more secure.

How BigCommerce supports headless ecommerce platform integration

Headless ecommerce represents a paradigm shift from traditional ecommerce platform providers, giving businesses untold flexibility in shaping their digital footprint.

Flexibility and customization.

If you're looking for the next iteration to build your site in an API-first environment, a headless setup gives you the flexibility and scalability your growing brand needs. The beauty of APIs is that you can customize to your heart's content. You can tailor your storefront to your customers' wants and your changing product inventory without stressing developer resources. A headless architecture allows you to innovate and adapt quickly to market trends.

Designed for growth.

Separating the storefront from the commerce engine allows your designer to work with whatever presentation platform or coding language best suits your growing demands. Front-end experiences can be added or changed without affecting the backend infrastructure. Replatforming can get expensive. With a headless strategy, you combine the design liberty of your favorite CMS with the speed, stability and ease of use you get with a SaaS service.

Performance optimization and SEO.

Dividing front-end and back-end processes between separate servers improves site speed, an important ranking signal for search engines. Since developers can use whatever frontend platform they want within the stack, they have total control over how they implement your SEO strategy. In addition, BigCommerce's native GraphQL API speeds up data retrieval, supporting quick load times and seamless customer interactions.

Enable omnichannel ecommerce experiences.

Today's sophisticated consumer demands consistent, high-quality experience through multiple touchpoints. Headless architecture is a way to meet and exceed expectations. BigCommerce's composable foundation allows you to publish localized content across the web, mobile devices and emerging channels from a single backend. This flexibility enables brands to communicate a cohesive message no matter where or how their customers engage.

Supported front-end frameworks.

Ensuring that your frontend and backend work together is crucial for the success of your online store. You'll be glad to know that BigCommerce supports commonly used ecommerce technologies.

Next.js: Next.js is a React framework for building full-stack web applications. It's beneficial for large projects, such as enterprise ecommerce, because it's scalable and fast to deploy, reducing overall development time, including maintenance and improvements.

Gatsby.js: Gatsby easily integrates BigCommerce (and other) APIs into a single, unified platform. It brings unconnected datasets into a single site that loads quickly, providing visitors with a user-friendly, seamless experience.

Nuxt.js: Considered the best framework for Vue developers, Nuxt.js supports API-driven setups that streamline data retrieval and front-end customization. This framework allows merchants to build high-performing storefronts without adding backend complexity.

Choosing the frontend is essential because this is what your visitor sees and interacts with. UI designers and UX engineers must select a solution that makes their website look good and function well. 

Supported Digital Experience Platforms.

Digital touchpoints have grown exponentially with technological advances and customers' increasing savvy. Enterprise commerce demanded more sophisticated data gathering and ecommerce functionality to optimize the digital customer experience across all touchpoints. BigCommerce supports these DXP platforms to give you a 360-degree view of your customer.

Uniform: In a nutshell, Uniform is the orchestration layer for the composable DXP. Its platform allows enterprise digital marketing teams to create omnichannel digital experiences and deliver fast, personalized sites at scale.

Amplience: The easy-to-implement extension automatically maps three core commerce functions into Amplience. Removing the reliance on manual processes, speeding up content production time and removing the potential for human error creates a much better experience for business users and customers.

Bloomreach: BigCommerce for Bloomreach taps into the efficiency of our platform APIs, blending the worlds of content and commerce for genuinely connected experiences in a seamless integration.

Headless CMSs BigCommerce Customers Embrace

Headless ecommerce represents a paradigm shift from traditional ecommerce platforms, giving businesses untold flexibility in how they shape their digital footprint. BigCommerce integrates with the most commonly used headless CMS systems, enabling you to build customer-centric experiences quickly with a turnkey solution.

Below are ecommerce headless content management systems BigCommerce works with:

WordPress: One of the world's most widely used platforms, WordPress is a free plugin that combines BigCommerce backend catalog and order management with WordPress frontend content and design.

Prismic: Easy for marketers and optimized for developer productivity, Prismic is the headless page builder that lets developers use their favorite stack to build modern websites. It empowers marketers to launch on-brand website pages independently.

Contentful: A go-to CMS for developers and content managers, Contentful takes an API-first approach to ensure seamless integrations with a wide range of other systems, allowing for high interoperability. 

Contentstack: A pioneer in agile development and a category leader in the Composable Digital Experience Platform (DXP) in web page management, Contentstack's many apps and plugins provide flexibility to marketers and developers alike.

Storyblok: Unleash your content operations at every stage of the content lifecycle with Storyblok. Its intuitive visual editing experience, robust CMS and omnichannel publishing capabilities allow marketers and creatives to personalize marketing strategies across all channels.

BigCommerce + Headless CMS Integration Success Stories

Flexible. Seamless. Plug and Play.

Those are characteristics merchants look for when seeking headless CMS solutions. What retailers also find is a way to modernize and create unique digital experiences across multiple channels wherever their customers live, as these two customers did.

Burrow.

Case Study: Burrow

Born from their frustration, Kabeer and Stephen had a simple vision for Burrow: to eliminate the hassle of furniture shopping. The brand took off with consumers, and with increasing purchases, it quickly became apparent that it had outgrown its ecommerce platform. They knew they must go beyond static templates to create a unique customer experience.

BigCommerce stepped in to guide, support and provide the composable commerce framework that allowed their engineering team to ramp up quickly. They went live in six weeks, which was unusually quick for a relaunch.

In addition, our rich feature set allowed them to provide an excellent experience for customers while making it a lot easier on the backend so they can focus on growth.

This headless commerce integration gives them the power of content and commerce together. 

MitoQ.

Case Study: MitoQ

New Zealand-based MitoQ found its commerce might when Professors Mike Murphy and Robin Smith released their discovery of a targeted antioxidant molecule to the world — as a health product. However, their phenomenal growth created issues with scale and security, jeopardizing their expansion in the United States and China, its two largest markets.

The website was hacked early in their business life, and Murphy and Smith scrambled to rebuild it on a secure platform. Their first efforts were bumpy, and losing customers was not a winning proposition. They went in search of a new ecommerce platform.

Essential requirements included providing a seamless and intuitive customer experience, the ability to scale at will, a robust subscription solution and headless ecommerce.

The integrations BigCommerce offers were integral to expanding the website's functionality. From email marketing and order tracking to technical features like ERP, CRM and Google BigQuery, a cloud-based data warehouse for real-time insights, these tools proved to be a revenue game changer.

What started as a standard web project became an infrastructure upgrade, giving the Professors a solid fix on global expansion.

The final word

In a study by BigCommerce, 60% of survey respondents identified two critical strategies for reducing customer acquisition costs: creating widely distributed content and improving the customer's digital experience.

A headless CMS can do both.

SaaS ecommerce solutions enable you to quickly adapt to change while lowering the total cost of ownership. They get you to market quicker, increase security and empower businesses to deliver a memorable online shopping experience that impacts the bottom line.

Open SaaS and headless CMSs do all this with unparalleled flexibility and choice regarding what frontend you use. To learn how to transform your ecommerce with a headless approach, check out the BigCommerce headless commerce solution.

FAQs about ecommerce headless CMS