Introduction
As an ecommerce merchant, you know that running a modern online store requires much more than simply building and optimizing a website. In fact, it’s often difficult to find information about how best to design your entire digital experience—from the first time a user lands on your homepage through their entire shopping journey.
Fortunately for us all, there are new technologies top branding agencies emerging that will help us improve the way we interact with shoppers by making them feel like they’re dealing directly with brands instead of simply buying products from websites. One of these new approaches is headless commerce: an approach where consumers can interact with businesses or brands without ever needing to see their website at all.
What Is Headless Commerce?
Headless Commerce is a movement that has been gaining momentum in the ecommerce industry. In this article, we will explore what Headless Commerce is and how it can be applied to your business.
Headless Commerce is a new approach to ecommerce that removes the “head” from the equation by focusing on delivering a complete customer experience across all platforms and channels. This includes web, mobile, voice, chatbots and AR/VR but also extends beyond the digital realm with physical retail stores and other touchpoints in between.
Headless commerce is not one single technology — it’s more of an overall approach where all technologies are used together for maximum benefit for customers who buy online or visit brick-and-mortar stores (or both).
The Benefits Of Headless Commerce
Headless commerce is a huge step forward for your business. It will allow you to create a better user experience, better search engine optimization, and better conversion rates—and that’s just the start of it.
This guide will explain why headless commerce is so important as well as show you how exactly to implement it in your store.
Why is headless commerce the future of ecommerce?
Now that you know what headless commerce is, it’s time to understand why it’s so important.
The benefits of a headless architecture are numerous:
- You can compete with Amazon by building your own marketplace and connecting directly with consumers.
- Developers will be able to create beautiful experiences for your customers no matter which channel they use. For example, if you have an app for Android devices and a separate website for desktop computers, both systems can sync up seamlessly with each other and provide users with an optimal experience across all platforms.
- Your employees will be able to focus entirely on the value they bring rather than getting distracted by extraneous tasks like managing inventory or making sure payments are processed correctly.
How Does Headless Commerce Work?
Headless commerce is about a new way of thinking about your ecommerce business. It’s not just about the website, or even the product pages. It’s about everything in between those things—the consumer journey from discovery to purchase and beyond.
How does it work? Let’s start with how we used to think about ecommerce:
The ‘Head’
Headless commerce is a trend. It’s the next evolution of ecommerce, and it represents a shift in how we think about online shopping. It’s also an opportunity for merchants to rethink how they approach their online experiences, with the goal of creating a more unified customer journey.
This guide will help you learn what headless commerce is, why it matters to your business, and how to optimize your website so that it can scale while still delivering an exceptional experience for shoppers—no matter where they’re coming from
The Pros And Cons Of Headless Commerce
Headless commerce is a great way to improve your conversion rate. But before you jump on board and start taking orders from your mobile site, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of headless commerce as well as what approach will work best for your business.
Pros:
- Better conversions: The goal of headless commerce is to create an experience that is exactly what the customer wants on any device or operating system without having to download an app or go through multiple steps. This leads to lower bounce rates (when visitors leave without engaging with the content) and higher conversion rates (when visitors engage).
- Improved SEO: Headless Commerce allows merchants who are using popular ecommerce platforms such as Shopify or Magento 2 access their inventory directly from their website rather than having every product embedded in each page of their store. This means there are fewer links pointing back out from each page, which improves search engine optimization (SEO) by boosting crawlability, indexing speed and user experience metrics such as time spent per session or pages viewed per session.
When Is A Traditional Ecommerce Approach Preferable To Headless Commerce?
Headless commerce is not a default option for all ecommerce merchants. There are many factors to consider, such as your audience and the products you sell.
Here’s what you need to know:
- If you have a specific product that is better suited for traditional ecommerce
- If you have a large audience that is not tech savvy
- If you have a large audience that does not want to use the mobile app (e.g., older adults)
- If your customer base consists of people who do not want voice search
What Are The Best Examples Of Headless Commerce In Action?
Headless Commerce isn’t a new concept. According to research from Forrester, companies like Amazon and Walmart have been using headless commerce since the early 2000s.
But what does this mean for you as an ecommerce merchant? Let’s take a look at some of the best examples of Headless Commerce in action:
- Amazon – The king of ecommerce has been operating on a headless model for quite some time now. They’ve invested heavily in their own internal systems and have used them to create an army of third-party sellers who are able to sell through Amazon’s platform. This allows them to offer products at lower prices than other retailers, while also staying competitive with other online retailers like eBay or Jet that allow third-party sellers on their platforms as well.
- Walmart – While not technically “headless,” Walmart has built themselves up into one of America’s largest online marketplaces by allowing many different types of products (not just clothing) onto its site and making it easy for anyone who wants something they’re selling as well (such as Target)
How Can Businesses Prepare For A Shift To Headless Commerce Now?
As you can see, headless commerce is a powerful concept that can significantly impact your ecommerce strategy. But before you jump into the deep end and start making major changes to your business, it’s important to consider how headless commerce will affect you and your customers.
That’s why we have created the Headless Commerce Checklist. The checklist will help you understand the benefits of headless commerce, identify ways in which your current system might require improvement, determine if now is the right time for a shift toward headless commerce, and get started on implementing components of this new model as soon as possible.
Running a modern ecommerce store requires thinking about the entire consumer experience, not just the appearance.
Running a modern ecommerce store requires thinking about the entire consumer experience, not just the appearance.
It’s important to have a brand image that conveys what your business stands for and connects with people on an emotional level. It’s also important to have a website design that is easy to use and looks professional, as well as an effective user experience (UX) strategy that helps shoppers find what they’re looking for quickly and easily. You need good SEO practices so that search engines can easily find your site when someone searches for something relevant to your business. And finally, you must provide excellent customer service in order to ensure shoppers have positive experiences while shopping on your site—and ultimately lead them back again!
Conclusion
Headless commerce is a powerful tool for ecommerce merchants looking to build a better customer experience. By cutting out the “head” of traditional ecommerce and focusing on the entire experience, businesses can create more personal connections with their customers and increase sales.
